#Night-Top-Down-Feb-13

[zootoo]

Deer Safari, Anna Zoological Park, India by RVK Photography

[jonasiegenthaler]

What are the best games for a newbie hockey fan to watch to see that patented 1386 chemistry

ooh this was a fun one anon, thank you! this is more like, foundational (imo) games of the "this is nico's team now" era more than anything. but this did get. Very Long. so sorry about that lol

20 APR 2021 - NJD @ PIT: to me, really truly the start of a new era, couple games removed from moving zajac and palmieri at the deadline, in the middle of a 15-game (kinda, they had one win so like, is it really a win) losing streak. down 6-0 at the end of the second period they score 6 (!!!) goals in the third period and fall juuuust short of a comeback leading to this moment

29 APR 2021 - PHI @ NJD: the first of 3 games against philly because covid season was a fever dream individually great games from jack and nico but more importantly one of my favourite hughes to hischier power play goals of the season

19 OCT 2021 - SEA @ NJD: cursed jack shoulder injury game so like, maybe don’t watch it, BUT one of many captain games from nico, absolutely killing it once jack went down, played incredible defensively and kept the team afloat in jack’s absence

31 DEC 2021 - EDM @ NJD: honestly this game has everything (except defense)! jack goal! nico goal! dawson goal! jack ot goal! surprise hugs!

02 JAN 2022 - NJD @ WSH: the very first jack to nico overtime goal! against the caps! rejoice! (and sheldon keefe take notes)

22 JAN 2022 - CAR @ NJD: pride night game, jacknico(sevo) pp goal, post-win shenanigans, lots of them!

24 FEB 2022 - NJD @ PIT: 3 point games for both jack and nico, and 2 (!!!) power play goals, fun game, we love wins, we love pp goals, we love wins with pp goals

22 MAR 2022 - NYR @ NJD: of the ‘prom pose across the ice blown up into a mural at the prudential center where people now take couple photos’ fame. historic night for devils nation, and therefore the world. but also just. such a good game, made you believe in the team and the core (and then they lost 5 of the next 6 because they wouldn’t be the devils if they didn’t). top 3 hischier to hughes goals. the perfect game. obligatory fuck the rags.

28 OCT 2022 - COL @ NJD: second game of the 13 game win streak, we didn’t know what to expect and they gave us an absolute defensive masterclass from nico and a jack power play goal as a treat

disclaimer: not gonna put every game of the win streak here but like. you should watch all of them. just for the pure joy.

10 NOV 2022 - OTT @ NJD: another jacknico ot goal! i.e. things you love to see! truly bonkers overtime, if you don’t want to rewatch the full game just watch the overtime because akira subbed in with like 10 minutes left in the third, ice cold, held it down with ottawa pushing and played SO well in ot

17 NOV 2022 - NJD @ TOR: nico goal, jack ot heroics, and a little hurt/comfort, yknow, the good stuff

15 DEC 2022 - PHI @ NJD: my mind retconned this one as a win and turns out they did lose BUT it is a win solely for nico going after tk in jack’s honour, juicy narratives

07 JAN 2023 - NJD @ NYR: jack going nuclear, jacknico power play assists to jesper (big three goal!) +++ jacknico overtime goal which, okay, sevo scored the goal and neither of them got an assist on it but it’s the essence of it all. also burger king jerseys my beloved.

16–24 JAN 2023: the stretch from the sharks game to the vegas game where they were inexplicably red hot on the power play/6v5 and dougie’s shot was automatic and they put us through an absolute roller coaster. 

23 FEB 2023 - LAK @ NJD: hughes to hischier! with the net empty! with like 40 seconds to go in the third and then dawson gets the ot winner and it’s beautiful and life is wonderful and everything’s perfect.

25 FEB 2023 - PHI @ NJD: 2003 cup anniversary game! jack goal! nico goal! something something passing the torch, something something looking up at the rafters hoping that’ll be your name up there someday

22 APR 2023 - NJD @ NYR - GAME 3: jack power play goal pulling them right back into the series what a game what a time <3

28 NOV 2023 - NYI @ NJD: hughes to hughes to hischier power play goal, that’s family baby! also of course “nico is a horse” game because why be normal about your captain when you can do whatever jack’s doing.

09 MAR 2024 - NJD @ CAR: first jack to nico 5v5 goal! put it in the history books! One of the few bright spots from last season that’s hopefully gonna carry forward this season, jack and nico finally starting to click at 5v5.

22 MAR 2024 - WPG @ NJD: unremarkable in the grand scheme of things but so many power play goals, therefore so many jacknico moments, bon appetit <3

[sweetdreamsjeff]

What would you do with Jeff for 120 minutes?

Date sent: Sat, 22 Feb 1997 17:16:49 -0500 (EST) Subject: JBEL: 120 minutes with Jeff To: jeff-buckley-eternal-life@mail.usyd.edu.au

Given the oppurtunity to spend 120 minutews with Jeff, I would take him to a bar called 2A (on Avenue A and 2nd street in NYC) we would sit there for a while and just chill, maybe have a few drinks, smoke some cigarettes. Then we would go back to his apartment and just talk; we could listen to some of his favorite music, and I would ask him all the pertinent questions like: What is the meaning of Life? Why are we here? What is the nature of love? Basically, I'd just have a philosophical night with him.... ah.... cheers,

Fatin

Date sent: Sat, 22 Feb 1997 19:57:57 -0500 (EST) Subject: Re: JBEL: still dying for 120 minutes To: jeff-buckley-eternal-life@mail.usyd.edu.au

Oh, the horrible possibilities...I jest. 120 minutes with Jeff, probably sit down with my flute, him with his guitar, and just play around...see if we came up with anything. And, of course, after a good hour of that, we could head out to Kan Zamin (okay, we'd have to be in Chicago for that), have some Middle Eastern food and drink Arabian tea (Arabian tea, gee, that sounds really good right now). Or maybe I'd just go to an art museum with him and look at some Modern Art. But, I like doing that with most people who are pensive or intelligent (which I can't guarantee he is either, because I haven't met him). But, then, if we are in NYC at Moma or the Guggenheim we would head up the Upper West side and get some soul food at the Shark Bar...Okay, I am stopping right now -Ali

Date sent: Sat, 22 Feb 1997 17:35:28 -0800 Subject: JBEL: 120 minutes with the man... To: Jeff Buckley Postings <jeff-buckley-eternal-life@mail.usyd.edu.au

Very simple...

City Lights bookstore in SF, sipping beers, discussing Kerouac and Ginsberg.

-Tom

Date sent: Sun, 23 Feb 1997 12:28:12 -0500 (EST) Subject: JBEL: 120 Minutes With Jeff? To: jeff-buckley-eternal-life@mail.usyd.edu.au

Hi, All! Gosh, given 120 minutes with Jeff I think I'd want to spend it drinking coffee and talking while coloring or drawing or somthing. I, of course, would ask several questions like, "What do you think is /was the biggest mistake or missed opportunity in your life?", "What do you think of Jesus Christ, the man and the "savior of all mankind"?.....and such.....I enjoy very candid, honest discussions with peopple....I wouldn't just blab the questions one after the other, and I, of course, would honestly answer the questions, too, if he wanted....or any questions he might have..I'd ask a lot about his dreams. I'd also ask things like if he ever had Flintstones vitamins when he was a kid, and if so, if he liked the Dinos best like I did. :-) I would top it all off with one of my homemade pasta dinners.....Mmmm...Yummy.....Maybe the coffee/art/discussion thing could instead of coffee be those new yummy Starbucks chilled coffee drinks, and we could do this at the park where we could look at the mountains. Alright, That's it.

Jeff IS one of the most attractive people ever if you ask me....and just as much of that image is created by his lyrics/music as it is his looks......and I would love to just nuzzle against hm, become drunk with the scent of him, start.......oh, never mind. Anyway, given only 120 minutes with someone that I perceive as so brilliant, I would have to bypass the sex.

Katie

Date sent: Thu, 13 Mar 1997 15:57:40 +1000 (GMT+1000) Subject: JBEL: 120 minutes with Jeffy Baby To: jeff-buckley-eternal-life@mail.usyd.edu.au

If I had 120 minutes with Jeff, I'd sit down with two guitars, a dozen plectums, a couple of slides and a book of tab ruled paper, and get him to teach me What Will You Say, WUIASP, All flowers in time etc....

Then I'd hop on the email and taunt The Keeper of the Pouched Ones and Mr Harris.

Then I'd steal Michael's box, crawl inside, and pull the flaps shut.

Date sent: Fri, 14 Mar 1997 03:36:45 -0500 (EST) Subject: Re: JBEL: 120 minutes with Jeffy Baby Copies to: jeff-buckley-eternal-life@mail.usyd.edu.au

I would ask him to come with me into a closet that's lit by candles and furnished with 2 comfortable easy chairs (probably covered in some really soft sheepskin covers), positioned opposite one another and then ask him to sit there and play acoustic versions of all of the songs on Grace on my guitar--to me.

Wow, I wish I could have dreamt that. Then it could have, sort of, really happened.

Efia

[luvutothemoon]

1. Who makes the first move and how? Technically Harry, at a party. He sees Brie and walks over to her. But both are willing and flirting. Iirc, Brie is the one to bring up meeting for drinks later

2. Who is the most insecure and what makes them feel better? Probably Brie, but it’s rare. Harry reassuring her makes her feel better

3. Who is the most romantic? Harry

4. Who can’t keep their hands to themselves? Brie— she loves touching him. Holding his hand, running fingers through his hair, linking arms, etc. She is also the one to initiate most stuff

5. Who says ‘I love you’ first? Brie, accidentally.

6. Who would they ask if they ever had a threesome? They really wouldn’t, but if they were to, it’d have to be someone they don’t see everyday. A lady friend from out of town

7. What do they get up to on a night out? Dinner, movies, Broadway. Typically it’s just a (fancy) dinner, maybe a walk, and then back home

8. What do they like in bed? Sex and sleep, mostly, lol. Typically, Brie is on top. Brie likes cowgirl, they both enjoy lotus and doggy style.

9. What is the most embarrassing thing they have done in front of each other? Don’t know

10. What two songs, two books and two luxury items do they take to a desert island? Songs: Forever In Blue Jeans & Little Lies. Books: . Luxury:

11. What do they hide from one another? They aren’t big on the hiding thing from each other, but it Would typically be presents, or some work stuff the other can’t be privy to

12. What first changes when it starts getting serious? It goes from like casual drinks to serious almost-living together very quickly. The biggest change is physical intimacy, along with being at each other’s places. Staying over starts happening

13. When do they realise they should get together? After the first real date, really

14. When one has a cold, what does the other do? Harry once made soup from scratch for Brie, when the relationship was still pretty fresh. That is now the standard.

15. When they watch a film what do they choose and why? Who gets the final vote? It all depends on their mood. Sometimes it’s a romance, sometimes comedy, drama, documentary… And it depends who gets the final say

16. When the zombie apocalypse comes, how do they cope together? By being very strategic, and lightening the mood with humor

17. When they find a time machine, where do they go? Back in time, always. When and where depends on how they’re feeling

18. When they fight, how do they make up? With hugs and kisses and a discussion about why they fought and what they can do to avoid it in the future.

19. Where do they go on their first date? After several casual drinks, they go to a nice restaurant of Harry’s choosing. It happens to be his birthday, and Brie only finds that out after getting a glimpse of his drivers license

20. Where do they go on holiday? For two weeks, Christmas to New Year’s, they go to their cabin in Connecticut. They’ll also go down to Florida or the Carolinas. Brie likes taking Harry up to Maine for the nostalgia purposes

21. Where do they get nervous about going with one another? To Brie’s father’s house

22. Where does their first kiss happen? Iirc, Brie’s house

23. Where is their favourite place to be together? In the kitchen, cooking together. Also snuggling on the couch

24. Where do they first have sex? Harry’s couch, Feb 15. They both understand how funny that is

25. Why do they fight? Misunderstandings, one isn’t taking care of themselves, etc.

26. Why do they need to have a serious chat? If one isn’t taking care of themselves, or something is wrong, and they aren’t being forthcoming about it

27. Why do their friends get annoyed with them? They are two sarcastic jackasses who can banter nonstop. Some people think they’re always bickering, but they’re actually flirting

28. Why do they get jealous? They aren’t typically the jealous type. Brie gets jealous when the stereotypical business wife wants to flirt with Harry

29. Why do they fall a little bit more in love? Lots of reasons, but mostly it’s one of them doing something mundane and/or cute

30. Why does it work (or not work) between them? It works between them because they both love, admire, and respect each other. They also have a lot of fun together, and always look forward to seeing each other at the end of the day.

[ncisfranchise-source]

Coming out of a ratings low prompted by last year’s Hollywood strikes, broadcast networks have successfully regained their linear audience — and CBS is leading the charge.

Since the start of the spring season, CBS has scored the biggest primetime audience among the four major broadcasters for six nights a week, according to Nielsen most current data from Feb. 12 through April 14, TheWrap can reveal exclusively.

“Linear is growing, streaming is growing gangbusters — all of it together is growing — and it’s really about the shows,” CBS Research Chief Radha Subramanyam told TheWrap exclusively. “This is CBS’ secret sauce — it’s about big, popular programs that are still highly inventive and original, but work on linear, on streaming and internationally.”

CBS is home to 14 of the top 20 non-sports broadcast programs so far this season on linear, including the four most-watched shows of the season. New series “Tracker” stands as the most-watched show of the season with 10.14 million total viewers, with “NCIS” coming in second place with 9.83 million viewers, followed by “Young Sheldon” with 9.11 million viewers and “FBI” with 9.04 million viewers.

Amid declining linear ratings across the board and anxiety surrounding the labor dispute’s impact on viewership, Subramanyam noted the unprecedented success marks a “shining example of audience growth.”

When taking into account streaming viewership on Paramount+ and CBS digital apps, the broadcast network’s spring season is seeing a 12% uptick in viewership when compared to year-over-year data, per live-plus-35-day Nielsen and internal data. The growth sets the network apart from others seeing viewership trend downward, including Netflix, whose original series are down 14% compared to year-over-year data, according to an individual with knowledge.

Subramanyam added that the growth reflects the value of going “back to the basics” when looking at the success of new series “Tracker,” which stars Justin Hartley as a survivalist extraordinaire; and “The Good Wife” spin-off series “Elsbeth.” “Tracker,” which premiered after the Super Bowl telecast, marked the No. 1 most-watched new series of the season and saw an 85% uptick in viewers when compared to last year’s fall averages, while “Elsbeth” marked the No. 2 most-watched new series with a 25% increase in last fall’s average viewership.

“You have the lone wolf of ‘Tracker,’ you have the quirky, amazing, brilliant ‘Elsbeth,’ but you also have the ‘FBI’s and the ‘NCIS’s,” Subramanyam said. “They may all belong under the procedural tent, but we’re always reinventing and reimagining. They’re highly contemporary, so they work for young people, and they work for [older demographics].”

“Tracker,” “Young Sheldon” and “NCIS” also marked the most-watched CBS series when considering 35-day multiplatform data, with “Ghosts” surpassing “FBI” for the No. 4 spot on the most-watched list, and all four series averagin over 12 million viewers. “Tracker” averaged 20.4 million viewers across its first four episodes, per 35-day multiplatform data, marking 137% uptick from the time period average a year ago while “Young Sheldon” and “NCIS” scored 13 million viewers.

Just as “Tracker” delivered a staggering audience across both linear and streaming, Subramanyam also pointed to streaming success for new series “Elsbeth,” and relatively new shows “Ghosts” and “Fire Country,” reflecting the network’s shift in thinking about multiplatform viewership. “Ghosts” averaged 12.1 million viewers across streaming and linear, surpassing viewership for “Fire Country,” which averaged 11 million viewers, as well as “Elsbeth,” which averaged 10.8 million viewers.

“We have several shows that average really solid numbers in streaming, but some of our newer shows are doing well because we are developing them and thinking about them for a multiplatform universe,” Subramanyam said. “We’re not limiting our thinking about audience — people will find them wherever they are.”

CBS has already granted renewals to “Tracker,” “NCIS,” “NCIS: Sydney,” “Ghosts,” “Fire Country” and all three “FBI” series (with the flagship “FBI” series scoring a three-season order), while “Elsbeth” remains on the bubble. “Young Sheldon” will come to an end with its Season 7 finale in May, but the network already greenlit a spin-off series following new parents Georgie (Montana Jordan) and Mandy (Emily Osment).

[frontproofmedia]

O'Shaquie Foster Ready to Defend Junior Lightweight Crown against Abraham Nova

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Follow @Frontproofmedia!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');

Published: February 14, 2024

Foster-Nova, Andres Cortes-Bryan Chevalier, and Bruce Carrington-Bernard Torres will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

NEW YORK — WBC junior lightweight world champion O’Shaquie “Ice Water” Foster (21-2, 12 KOs) and Abraham “El Super” Nova (23-1, 16 KOs) are ready to lock horns in the main event of an ESPN-televised tripleheader this Friday, Feb. 16 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. This will be the second title defense for Foster, a native of Orange, Texas, who salvaged his title with a come-from-behind 12th-round knockout over Rocky Hernandez last October. In the 10-round junior lightweight co-feature, Andres “Savage” Cortes (20-0, 11 KOs) takes on Puerto Rican contender Bryan Chevalier (20-1-1, 16 KOs). Rising featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (10-0, 6 KOs), the latest fistic prodigy from Brownsville, Brooklyn, will face Filipino-born Bernard Torres (18-1, 8 KOs) in the 10-round televised opener. Foster-Nova, Cortes-Chevalier and Carrington-Torres will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The ESPN+-streamed undercard (5:20 p.m. ET/2:20 p.m. PT) will feature the return of Italian heavyweight Guido Vianello (11-1-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-rounder against Moses Johnson (11-1-2, 8 KOs), as well as U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson (11-0, 5 KOs), who risks his unbeaten record against Paulo Galdino (13-7-2, 9 KOs) in an eight-round junior welterweight tilt. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Murphys Boxing and 12 Rounds Promotion, tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster.com. At Wednesday's press conference, this is what the fighters had to say. O’Shaquie Foster   “The journey has been everything. The ups and downs. Growing as a person. I’ve matured now, mentally and physically. Words can’t explain how I feel, but I’m ready.”   “It was crazy {against Rocky Hernandez}. We shocked the world. And I’m here to do it again. Everybody calls me Shock, and we’re going to keep doing it.”   “We’ve been calling out Nova for years. He knows it. His excuse was that my name wasn’t big enough. Funny how the tables turn. I’m ready, and I’m familiar with his style.”   “I did everything in the gym. We are prepared. Come Friday night, we will dominate and put on a show.”   Abraham Nova   “Fighting for a world title is a dream come true. I can’t let this opportunity slip by. I’ve wanted this for so long. Now I have this opportunity. So, I’m super excited and super motivated.”   “I like to take control of things in my career. It’s the main reason I picked boxing. It’s an individual sport. I can be in control.”   “I’ve got to put my trust in God. Everything in the gym has been done. You know what I bring and what I come with. The pressure will be on. The IQ will be on. Everything will be on. I will just have to adjust and come out with the victory.” Andres Cortes “I’m really excited to be here. First time here. Let’s get the show started." "You can expect another statement from me. You’ll see me taking another step towards a world title.”   “I see a world title in my future. I’m here to take care of Bryan first. But maybe one day we can make that fight happen.”   Bryan Chevalier “The ring is the same throughout the world. It’s a square. It’ll just be me, him and the referee. We’re ready to give a great show to boxing fans.   “Styles make fights. I prepared to give the best of me. I will accommodate to what he has. He will have to accommodate to what I have. Without a doubt, it will be a war between Mexico and Puerto Rico.” Bruce Carrington   “I love these opportunities to fight at home. Bernard Torres is a southpaw. It’s always interesting to fight against a southpaw. He's a good fighter. 18-1. Great record. He shows a lot of will and skill. There’s nothing more you can ask for in a opponent.”   “He's a good fighter. But with my experience, confidence, and work ethic, I know that I’ve got a Plan A through Z and even more to take care of Bernard Torres.”   Bernard Torres   “Growing up in boxing, it’s a dream to fight here. So, I’m happy to box here at Madison Square Garden. I am really happy for this opportunity. I’m very prepared. I had a really great camp. I’m really happy and ready to go.”  

Friday, February 16  

ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+ (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT)  

O'Shaquie Foster vs. Abraham Nova, 12 rounds, Foster's WBC junior lightweight world title 

Andres Cortes vs. Bryan Chevalier, 10 rounds, junior lightweight Bruce Carrington vs. Bernard Torres, 10 rounds, featherweight  

ESPN+ (5:20 p.m. ET/2:20 p.m. PT)  

Guido Vianello vs. Moses Johnson, 8 rounds, heavyweight Isaah Flaherty vs. Julien Baptiste, 6 rounds, middleweight Ofacio Falcon vs. Edward Ceballos, 6 rounds, junior lightweight  Tiger Johnson vs. Paulo Galdino, 8 rounds, junior welterweight Euri Cedeno vs. Antonio Todd, 8 rounds, middleweight  Arnold Gonzalez vs. Charles Stanford, 6 rounds, welterweight

(Featured Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

[cyarsk52-20]

Twitter reacts as the Los Angeles Rams win Super Bowl LVI

Congrats are in order for the Los Angeles Rams, who took home the Lombardi trophy in the Super Bowl LVI championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The high-stakes matchup went down at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles tonight (Feb. 13). The Rams got off to a solid start, leading with a score of 13-10 at halftime. Unfortunately, Rams receiver Odell Beckham was injured and left the game after two catches, 52 yards and a touchdown. Beckham, who hurt his knee while running his route in the second quarter, previously suffered a torn ACL during his 2020 season with the Cleveland Browns.

OBJ has been ruled OUT for the rest of the Super Bowl pic.twitter.com/vKg6Yb5z8R — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 14, 2022

It was anyone’s game at that point, although sports commentator Skip Bayless insisted the Rams should take home the win without any trouble. That wasn’t the case, as the Bengals came back quickly in the second half. “The Hollywood Rams SHOULD win this Super Bowl fairly easily,” Skip quipped. “Odell SHOULD go over 100. Matt Stafford SHOULD be the MVP. Aaron Donald SHOULD wreck the Bengals’ offense. Now all they have to do is DO IT, in their home stadium. Pretty easy.”

After a legendary halftime show starring Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Dre. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and 50 Cent, however, the Bengals took the lead 12 seconds in and during their first play. Rookie kicker Evan McPherson then extended the Bengals’ lead to 20-13 with a 38-yard field goal.

In the end, the Los Angeles Rams managed to take home the win. After Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd dropped a potential first-down pass and Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp hit his second touchdown of the night, L.A. came out on top.

IT'S BEEN COOPER KUPP ALL YEAR.  HE DOES IT AGAIN. #RamsHouse 📺: #SBLVI on NBC 📱: https://t.co/K02y40b5Nupic.twitter.com/02QlsZmirX — NFL (@NFL) February 14, 2022

Of course social media had their thoughts on the close matchup. Check out some reactions to the Rams winning tonight’s game below. Who were you rooting for?

Aaron Donald has been in the NFL for 8 years. His resumé is unreal. *Rookie of the Year (2014) *Super Bowl champ *8× Pro Bowl *7× First-team All-Pro *3× Defensive Player of the Year *2010s All-Decade Team *90+ PFF grade every year *Only 2 games missed – both not injury related. pic.twitter.com/nnBJqptix9 — Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 14, 2022

Refs kept the flags away all game until every incompletion of the Rams final drive. Pathetic way to win, Bengals outplayed the Rams in every facet — Thomas Welch (@twelcher15) February 14, 2022

The Bengals should never have been here. The Chiefs and Bills were both way better all year — Jarvon (@justjarvon) February 14, 2022

man stafford playing in detroit for 75 years, finally escaping to a team that was totally okay but not a super bowl favorite, and immediately winning the super bowl is so funny. god has either forgotten the lions or never heard of them — Jon Bois (@jon_bois) February 14, 2022

The dream has become a reality for Odell Beckham. pic.twitter.com/WPCARn3YdC — CBS Sports (@CBSSports) February 14, 2022

Make a play & the rest is history. The Rams are #SuperBowl Champions pic.twitter.com/jKDhUzmi2C — Mario Anthony (@MarioAnthony__) February 14, 2022

The Clippers watching the Lakers, Dodgers, and Rams win championships 😭 pic.twitter.com/KrAyYpaLeu — Masked LBJ 🎭 (@MaskedLBJ) February 14, 2022

Sent from my iPhone

[youwerenevermiine]

moments in swiftie history

Dec 3, 2012 - Jan 7, 2013 (Harry Styles whirlwind)

Nov 13, 2013 - performing at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

Nov 11, 2014 - release of Blank Space music video

May 18, 2015 - Bad Blood video premiere at the 2015 BBMAs

Feb 15, 2016 - 2016 Grammys (2nd AOTY win for 1989)

June 15 - September 6, 2016 (Hiddleswift whirlwind/Kanye-gate)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

July 24, 2020 - Folklore release *start of her historic rise to unprecedented levels of fame and demand

Nov 12, 2021 - ATW 10min song & short film release

Nov 5, 2022 - Midnights taking over the top 10 of the BB Hot 100

Nov 16, 2022 - Ticketmaster cancels the general sale of the North American leg of the Eras Tour due to unprecedented demand at the presale. Ticketmaster's Chairman revealed that 14 million people (including bots) hit their website for Verified Fan pre-sale but the site was only supposed to be opened for 1.5M people.

Mar 17, 2023 - Eras Tour opening night

May 5 - June 5, 2023 (Matty Healy whirlwind/Speak Now TV announcement)

May 26, 2023 - release of YLM in MetLife Stadium with carl the kangaroo

July 2023 - eras tour in the federal reserve report

Nov 11, 2023 - taylor sings end game, "karma is the guy on the chiefs coming straight home to me" and runs to kiss travis kelce in Argentina N2

Dec 5, 2023 - taylor is 2023 TIME person of the year

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jan 28, 2024 - taylor comes down on the field for the first time to celebrate Chiefs' AFC championship win

Feb 5, 2024 - Taylor Swift became the first artist ever to win the Grammy for Album of the Year four times.

Feb 26, 2024 - Taylor Swift passes The Beatles for Most Weeks in Billboard 200’s Top 10 in Last 60 Years

[ecodweeb]

First work trip in the Kona

So as luck would have it my first work trip in the Kona wasn't to Florida, but to my hometown of Memphis, TN. While the trip was more or less run-of-the-mill in terms of my charging experiences and the outcome of the reason I dispatched to the customer site, I did encounter some folks who caught the blues with the chargers -- including a fellow Hyundai owner who ended up needing a tow. TL;DR summary: my trip was smooth and successful, costing less than $77 for over 1,500 miles. Thoughts and geeky details are below.

It's Wednesday and I'm waiting for my service contractor to arrive at a client site in Memphis to do some on the ground troubleshooting, which turns out that someone from my team needs to visit the site to do some local magic that only my team can perform. I knew this was a possibility, so I already had a bag packed and Karen the Kona charged up to above 90%. Once I got off the phone with the contractor, I loaded up my car and made my way west towards the home of the blues.

My first stop was in Statesville, North Carolina. I used to love this stop, but now it's one I may seek to avoid in the future. It has nothing to do with the hardware -- all the stations were in working order on both visits to this location. It has to do with the amenities and the construction at the exit that makes accessing it a royal pain in the arse. The construction has changed where the exits are, thus Google Maps freaks out and you end up going a solid 3 miles out of your way to get to the shopping center where the chargers are located. The bigger thing is that the Italian restaurant there used to be really good, but the portions have shrank while prices did not and the service has slid noticeable. The last time we went through here was during the cat transport in Feb, and I noted that the portions were smaller. Well this time I placed the order online 2 hours before I arrived, arrived 8 minutes late, and waited an additional 16 minutes on top of that for my food to be handed over. And if it had all the shrimp (I got 7, menu says 8) and if the sauce was...a sauce and not melted butter with some other things not quite mixed into it to be called a sauce... I might not have been upset about them being late an order placed hours ahead of time.

44 minutes, 31kWh and $11.16 later, I was on the road. I charged to 86% which I thought would give me enough range to make it to Kodak, TN for my next charge. But bladder and dropping temps had me detour to the Local Market of Waynesboro, NC for a quick charge, bathroom break, and snacks (mainly caffeine as it was dark now and I had the twisties to contend with ahead). 13 minutes, 6.17kWh, and $2.16 later - I was back on the road. Driving at night through the mountains is either alright or hell, and tonight it was alright. Not a lot of traffic, no broken down cars, no deer, no bears, no rock slides. I pulled into Kodak with 18% state of charge and plugged in for 49 minutes to get 46kWh for a cost of $7.97 -- I do love pay by time locations when you've got a car that charges relatively quickly. I charged enough to reach my hotel in Mt. Juliet - 180ish miles away - but I decided to stop in Cookeville and add a little more range to the car in the off chance that the ChargePoint Level 2 at the hotel wasn't accessible or broken. The Cookeville stop was for all of 13 minutes, adding 12kWh for a cost of $2.17 (compare this with the ChargePoint charge in Waynesville -- you'll see why I like time based charging a little more with this car).

I arrived at the hotel in Mt. Juliet around 1am local (central) time. The charger was not blocked and fully operational. I plugged in and went upstairs to sleep. 6-hours later, the car was at about 70% state of charge and I was refreshed and ready to make it to my client site in Memphis. I drove from Mt. Juliet to Jackson, TN and this is where I met my first "problem" charger. I was pulling up to it and tapped the start button in the Electrify America app on my Android Auto screen when the screen went from the screen saver to the "plug in first" screen and I saw the blue complimentary session banner. But then it switched to Plug in Here and proceeded to charge me 15-cents a minute. I decided that was fine, and went inside to use the bathroom. When I returned the car was still only pulling 17kW, so I disconnected and moved to one of the other stations -- only to see if I'd used the station next to where I'd parked (I would have needed to back up the car into the space behind where I'd parked) that station was also in complimentary mode. But I ended up paying $7.16 for 44kWh in 44 minutes, I also attended a work call while at this charging stop. Charged up with range to spare I headed to the client site where I proceeded to work magic and get the charging system into a state of semi-functionality. I was going to be waiting on a backend software tweak before I could test the station, so I called it a night at 5pm and proceeded to head over to a Pho and Sushi place to meet a retired teacher friend I've known since childhood for dinner. She had a celebration of life event (aka a funeral service) to attend, and said she'd be there at 6. As I hopped on I-40 I pressed the Voice Assistant button on the Hyundai steering wheel and told Google I needed a charging station. The first option it came up with was Jim Kerras Nissan, and it listed CCS as a charging option. I had a solid 45 minutes to kill, so I set the navigation to the Nissan dealer to charge up. Much to my surprise, as all the Nissan dealer in NC with CCS require payment, this station was FREE! I charged for a little over 40 minutes and made it to the restaurant at 5:58pm -- only to then see the text that my friend will be at least 15 minutes late because "this is rolling on with lots of stories from the speakers." Not a problem for me - I wanted sushi but also wanted to try the broth this place makes, so I ordered a dumpling soup appetizer and settled in. Dinner with my friends was delightful, and the sushi was superb. She told me about a recent shooting that her best friend witnessed at the local mall (the one across the street from the only Electrify America in Memphis). She also told me all about the Murdaugh trial in South Carolina. Then we pivoted to my cousin who is getting married next year in New Orleans. Truly a wonderful evening and a great way to end a long day. After dinner I followed her back to her home and unloaded a small piece of furniture from her car into her house. I hugged her goodnight and then headed over to Midtown Memphis to catch some shut eye at a middle school friend's house. He and his girlfriend had just gotten back from dinner with another mutual couple we know moments before I pulled into their driveway. I unloaded the car and proceeded to the bathroom for my eventual rituals. Afterward we sat at the kitchen table and drank wine while talking about the mall shooting, gun culture, what I was working on for the transit authority in town, and the upcoming Orville Peck show. Around 11 we were all exhausted -- well me and the girlfriend, my first works nights and it was his "day" off so he pulled out the iPad and started playing games -- so we retired for the night. I was up a little after 7am, showered, and texted my friend and his girlfriend that I was headed out the back door and would update them on my plans as the day progressed. At the time I had no idea if I'd be heading home today or staying the weekend. I drove to Bryant's Breakfast for a Philly Cheesesteak and Egg biscuit with a side of hash browns, then drove to Bartlett to pick up some labels that my company mailed to our contractor. From here it was back to the client's site to apply the labels and see if the back end database had been updated so the station would activate. I handled all my daily calls on site, including the end of week team call. It was determined that I should head back to Raleigh as all the hardware was in working order, so I let the customer know what the status was and that I'd be in contact with them before the end of the day most likely to tell them it was OK to charge their bus. I drove straight to Jackson, TN to charge. On the way there I had an engineer hit me up about doing some live troubleshooting on a different station when I got stopped, and I handled a couple work calls on the drive. I arrived to find a Polestar 2 using the other complimentary charger, the slow one I used had been marked unavailable, and a Kona attempting to charge on the only other 150kW. I pulled in and plugged up to the 350kW and my charge started fine, the Kona owner and a guy in a high-viz work jacket were talking and I could tell the Kona owner was having issues. I asked what was up and he said that he's at 3% power and that he thinks it's too low for the charger to charge it. I told him while being undervoltage could be a thing, it's really unlikely with that car. He then realizes I own the exact same identical vehicle. I told him I've run it to 3% before and charged it an EVgo without any issues. He seemed quite frustrated (which I totally understand) and not open for more help (to which I wanted to say, you should drive it over to the Nissan dealer half a mile away and plug into their Level 2 charger and see if you can unplug it from the car after locking the doors -- if so the charging lock has broken and that's why you can't DC fast charge).  I jumped in the car and pulled out my work laptop. This charge was an hour and 20 minutes long, adding 48kWh and costing $13.24. I worked the entire time I was plugged in. I got Memphis successfully charging, we confirmed what I suspected about a hardware failure for a FL customer, and I found out that Chapel Hill was going to activate their new hardware on Tuesday (so a good thing I was headed back to Raleigh today). As I was working, a tow truck showed up and hauled away the Kona that was parked next to me. I felt really bad for the owner, because I've been in that situation. I hope his car gets fixed and he never experiences anything like that again. After finishing up some paperwork to order parts and schedule contractors, I closed the work laptop and signing off for the day, unplugged my car and proceeded to Cookeville for my next to last charge of the day. I got nervous when I came close to Cookeville. About 40m out I decided, based on what happened in Jackson, that I might want to check the status of the site. Well, 2 machines showed unavailable and 2 showed in use. I figured that was OK as one of the two in use should be done by the time I get there. Nope, a Bolt and a Ford F150 Lightning were still parked at the chargers when I arrived. However, one of the two machines that said were offline had the green lights on so I pulled over to it and sure enough it was in complimentary mode! I reversed into the parking space and plugged in, the charger came to life and gave me the full 75kW my car can take. Who doesn't love a free charge?! While it was charging, I opened my hatch to get a business card from a bus representative I met at the client site. I wanted to let him know we got the client charging successfully today. While I was rummaging around, the Ford owner gets out of his truck to unplug. I asked him how he liked the truck, and the take away from out 10 minute chat was that he's owned Ford trucks for 17 years and this is the best truck he's ever owned from them. He said the front trunk was always a conversation starter at the parking lot of the grocery store. I do really love this early onset of mainstream adopters, the folks you meet at charging stations tend to be really nice (tho I've totally been cussed out by Audi owners before). He headed off to the college to get his son and I jumped in the car as it was getting rather cold and starting to rain. I charged for ... well I don't remember how long since I don't have the receipt! I left Cookeville and made it to Kodak TN where I plugged in at 26% and headed over to The Chop House for a nice dinner. An hour and one full belly later, I unplugged the car and drove across the parking lot to the Fairfield Inn where I'd stay for the night. This hotel had a Blink Level 2 charger that actually wasn't blocked, so I plugged in and charged my car to 100% overnight (it only took an hour and cost me the outrageous price of $6.34 -- not all chargers bill equally). I slept until 6am, when the hotel alarm clock went off on its own. I'd wanted to sleep till 8 or so, but I knew once I was up... I was up. I showered, packed, loaded up the car, unplugged, and headed back towards Statesville. I had some grapes I'd picked up at an earlier stop that I munched on to keep my blood sugar up. When I got to Statesville the app said all stations available, but a Mach-E had pulled into one of the 350kW stalls and the owner hopped out of the car right as I pulled in the parking lot. I parked next to them and took the other 350kW -- since the 350kW's share two 175kW cabinets and the Mach-E only needs 150kW max and I only need 74kW max this was the most efficient use of the machines available at the time. As I got out and stretched after a 3 hour drive to get here, some folks in a truck parked near the chargers asked me how long it'd take. I said about 30 minutes, that'll give me enough to get home to Raleigh. The guy driving the truck said that's not bad, and you've got a McDonalds next door too. We then chatted a bit about the Italian restaurant -- he too had a negative experience with them recently. Sad. I may start charging in Greensboro and skipping Statesville now. I wandered over to the McDonalds and ordered a sausage, egg, and cheese McGriddle and settled in for about a half hour. As I finished easting, I saw a Porsche Taycan Grand Tourismo (the station wagaon) pull up and park at the 150kW charger that has the Nissan CHAdeMO plug. "Oh boy, we are going to get chewed out" I thought to myself as I downed the last of my tea and decided that I'd use the bathroom before walking over to my car. After using the bathroom, I walked over and walked in front of the Porsche and Ford, and unlocked my car to check my estimated range (it was more than enough to get me home). As I'm peering in my door to read the dash, I hear "Hey sir, excuse me, sir?" and I turn around to find a thin, long blonde hair, lady with a rather worried look on her face. She asked me if I could help her, she can't get her car to charge. She tells me she's only had the car a few days, that she's coming from Lake Norman and headed to Greensboro to pick up a friend and that she lives in Durham and doens't know this area at all. She said that her partner installed the Electrify America app on her phone but never told her how to use it. She said I've only ever charged a Tesla, and I don't understand the on-screen instructions of this charger. Now I picked up on the gender neutral language and general body language and figure this gal is LGBTQ+ family, but even if she wans't I was going to help her out. So I asked if it was OK to unplug her car, and she said yes. I unplugged it and said ok now pull out your phone and open the app. She did and I showed her how to navigate to the site, then the station, and then swipe to start. Once she did that the machine switched to "Please Plug in Now" and I said "When it switches to this screen, then you plug in the car." She did and it started charging. As we high-fived to celebrate getting the charge going, the Mach-E family returned and said she can use their 350kW since it'll be faster. So we stopped the charge on the 150kW and plugged into the 350kW. She was able to do it all on her own this time. The Mach-E left and I stopped my charge and went to get into my car and leave when I heard a knocking on my window. It's the Porsche lady again, she says I'm so sorry but the car say it can't charge. I glance at it the station has faulted (probably because the second shared power cabinet became available and their back end software doesn't handle ramp-up requests correctly), and the car has a red ring around the charger release button. I put my car in park and turn it off and say let's try this again. We unplug, we wait for the machine to say Plug in First. We swipe, we get the Please Plug in, we plug in, and it's happy. This time I stand there and wait to see it move up a % on the State of Charge (she was at 4%) before I jump in my car to head home.

I decided that since I was passing through Burlington I'd stop at the Hate-fil-a (that's Chick-Fil-A but gay folx aren't supposed to eat the bigoted chicken) to try the Cauliflower sandwich. I'm all for alt-meat fast food, so I thought it was ok to try this despite the company's history. The CFA was a mad house being it was right at noon, but I got my sandwich and I have to say... the texture was different but it tasted just like a regular sandwich from them. Color me impressed (for the record Impossible Whopper is also good, Impossible White Castle Siders are disgusting). The rest of my drive home was completely uneventful, and I was so thrilled to get out of my car and into some comfy clothes and get love from my dogs when I came through the door. All in all, the Hyundai is an OK road tripper. Memphis is the farthest I'd ever intentionally drive it, and even if I'd taken the Audi I'd have stopped to sleep because this is a 14 hour trip no matter how you slice it. Now it's time to submit the expense report (love me that mileage reimbursement) and get ready to do it all over again on Monday in Chapel Hill.

[first-impressions-gaming]

GAMING RECAP (FEB 13-14)

Dying Light 2 roadmap is set for 2023

Looking at the roadmap revealed by Techland, we'll be getting a new update in April, which will add an upgrade to the game's combat physics for a more brutal experience. On top of that, a gear transmogrification system and brand-new Techland Gamers & Goodies quests will be implemented. This will be followed by another update in June to improve the game's parkour flow and add a new night experience alongside roaming volatiles.

Later on in the year, we'll receive Dying Light 2's second expansion. While it's currently unnamed, franchise director Tymon Smektala has said that fans of the first game can expect the return of some familiar faces. It'll be set in a never-before-seen location and predominantly focus on a narrative-driven experience. What's more, the expansion will add new weapon types to the game, which Smektala says won't just be melee-orientated.

Continue reading here

Bloober Team announces new project with Serial Cleaners dev Draw Distance

Layers of Fears and The Medium developer, Bloober Team, has announced that it's working with Serial Cleaners developer Draw Distance on a new game, which is cryptically codenamed Project M.

Continue reading here

Ubisoft’s is holding a cross-play test for its free-to-play FPS XDefiant this week

Having held several ‘Insider Sessions’ for PC players last year, the latest playtest will see PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC users playing together from February 16-20.

Participants will be able to sample four game modes and 13 maps, including a new battleground called Pueblito, which is set in the fictional Caribbean nation of Yara introduced in Far Cry 6.

Continue reading here

NPD report: US game spending down 5% to $4.3bn in January

During January, US consumer spending on games reached $4.3 billion, a 5% decline year-over-year, according to the latest NPD data.

Software comprised most of the month's revenue (88%), with game content reaching $3.79 billion in January.

Consumer spending for the month on hardware was flat year-over-year at $393 million.

Continue reading here

Another Seven Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass Soon (February 28)

• ⁠Alien Isolation (PC/Xbox)

• ⁠Crown Trick (PC/Xbox)

• ⁠Dragon Ball FighterZ (PC/Xbox)

• ⁠FAR: Changing Tides (PC/Xbox)

• ⁠Lightning Returns: FFXIII (PC/Xbox)

• ⁠Madden NFL 21 (PC/Xbox)

• ⁠Octopath Traveler (PC/Xbox)

Continue reading here

Edited by mertcan kuranoglu

[micahs-closet]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: MASSIVE CLOSET PURGE!! NEW SHOW LISTING HERE! CALLING MY POSHMARK ZOMBIE CREW!!.

[yostresswritinggirl]

Valentine's Collab - Day Six!

"Don't be stubborn! Try it!"

Early Valentine's gift as part of this great collaboration event together with seven other lovely authors, for Feb 13! Masterlist here, read them all, they're greaaaat~

Here's more sauce for motorcycle and tattoo artist Xiao brrttt, header by @Cut3knife on twitter.

Customers are always right! A simple and straightforward philosophy in the world of commerce exercised and spoken like a mantra for many years.

Xiao takes this to heart in his business. He had never refused a customer on their choices when it comes to the design they pick. Even if it's a bad tattoo, even if they were high,

even if they were drunk off their assess, too.

He was silent and obedient if he was silently judging the customer, hardcore, in his head.

So, what is it about now that made him hesitate.

"Don't be stubborn! Try it!"

Your flushed face from one too many drinks swayed side to side as you giggled, his head lifting from the image to stare- squint at your intoxicated state.

Xiao is known as an Ink Master for his mad talent in generating designs AND copying requests to the dot. You are one of his frequent and loyal customer, maybe the most loyal one of all, who always asks for the most aesthetically pleasing designs you customize or combine from different designs into a bigger masterpiece.

That's the main reason he's very hesitant on your request, the thought making him look at the digital design displayed on your phone and cringe again at the image.

This is a dare, this is definitely a horrible drunk dare.

"You know this is going to be permanent, you can never erase this from your skin, (Y/N)." His repeated argument was made in a vain attempt as he watched you climb in his workbench, the artist's head snapping to the side when you suddenly started undressing your top without provocation.

"Come on, come on, it would be good! I trust you!" Your drunken stupor mumbles nonchalantly as you ever so slowly pass out from your hangover.

Well now he really can't do anything about it. Xiao sighs as he snaps on his surgical gloves, bashfully running his hand over your entire back in pure adoration before settling on your lower back, where he starts sketching the ordered design— with a few changes here and there as he knows you've always liked about his service.

When he thought he was finished, his hand moves again to redo a finer detail, scratching off the center portion into a totally different design. This would be— his boldest move yet, but it's going to be something you'd (hopefully) not berate him about. And all things were done.

As the tool starts in his hand, he realized that this body part brings immense pain you never had before in your trips. "Sorry," he mumbles as the needle punches at your skin.

You woke up with a scream.

"Remember you can remove the gauze after five hours, nothing more, nothing less. Be very careful on irritations, especially since it's on your back," the ever so vigilant inker expertly recites the precautions without missing a beat as he locks the shop for the night. You were his last appointment for the day and the design finished just in time for closing.

You nod behind with a whine and groan as you fought the urge to scratch at the pain, the numbness lessening the full agony by half at this point.

You're most likely sober now, with light headedness here and there, with the urge to chug a whole liter of water as well as puke your guts out into the nearest bush.

Drunk you must be so proud of themselves.

"Sorry for whatever trouble I might have caused."

"I'm saying sorry in advance for whatever comes out on your back in a month or two."

You grumbled in response at his quip. The angle already makes it hard to make out for your vision, and the scabbing as well as peeling would also obscure the end result of whatever abomination you and him done to yourself. And judging by Xiao's interactions, it's not looking pretty good on your end.

Him revving up his motorcycle snaps you out of your self-deprication and you realized just how late it already was. You never reached after hours in this shop, "Thanks again, Xiao, I'm sure you did your best to make damage control for whatever horror I asked-"

"Are you gonna make me wait more or will you finally get on?"

With a gasp, your head turns to the sigh of the motorcyclist holding out a black helmet with neon accents tailored to your favorite colors. Whatever thoughts you had were erased as you rushed over to his side, bouncing on your tiptoes as you held out your hand for your designated helmet he keeps around whenever you needed a lift.

Xiao flips down his tinted visor to hide the unstoppable smile that creeped up to his lips at the sight of the adorable you. And to indulge, he took the long road.

It wasn't until 90 days later when you barged into his shop while Xiao was in the middle of inking someone, screaming incoherently with a flushed red face, with your hands lifting up to show the tattoo on your back to him.

It still had a few skin waiting to peel off naturally but the vibrant color of his work had started manifesting, the design in entirety easily recognizable in its condition:

A crying pepehands emoji tattoo with his words Xiao written in striking cursive in neon teal and black.

If you wanted him to ink over the pepehands for a more pleasing design, he'd be glad to do so for free.

But the mark of his name stays there. Permanently.

Eheh, early Valentine's gift, dears. I switched. between three damn prompts before finally settling on this.

Special mentions:

@yellowflowre @kookieyachi @anormalguyreader @dandelion-dreams @lehra @starlynxx @reicandies @heiayen @xiaophilia @hanniejji

[sillysnack]

selfish?

daily headcanon masterlist

day 12: feb. 11, 2022

— — — — — — — — — —

note/s: posting day 12 at day 13 #WOO also pretend the way i portray dolores is totally accurate ++ i cant think of a title

— — — — — — — — — —

cant write a whole fic rn (i think) but i headcanon that dolores wld make excuses for isabela to not see mariano bcs she doesnt want to marry him yk

and thats how dolores falls for him lolz.... and it’s a burden

They were all 9 at the time.

Mariano approaches Dolores with a disheveled look on his face. “Have you seen Isabela? I’ve been looking for her all day.” Dolores sighs. “I’ve been hearing footsteps but, si estoy siendo honesta (if I’m being honest), they could belong to anyone. Lo siento.”

Mariano forces a smile on his face as he hands pieces of papers to Dolores. “If you see her, could you give these to her? Por favor?” She nods, scanning the papers’ contents carefully. Mountains of poems, dedicated to her prima.

So this was the scribbling I hear at night. Dolores reads the poems he wrote. They are nothing like the works that Dolores had read, but they are poems. She thinks it’s one of the best things she’s ever read.

“Do you like it?” Dolores nods. “You should write more. Hm!” She walks away from the boy, holding the papers close to her chest without letting him say his thanks in front of her.

Would it be wrong of Dolores to keep these poems to herself? Isabela doesn’t want it anyways.

Would it be wrong of Dolores to wish those poorly made poems were written for her?

Yeah, it isn’t bad if you’re keeping poems dedicated to your cousin for yourself. Especially when said cousin doesn’t want it anyways.

— — —

Dolores climbs up Isabela’s bed and lets her read the poems.

“They’re great, right?” Dolores looks at her cousin, hoping to see the same heart-eyed reaction she had when Dolores first read the poems.

“Tell him I think the poems are esta bien (just fine),” Isabela says, combing her smooth hair with only her fingers. “Esta bien? Just fine? He did great for someone our age!” Isabela scowls. “Maybe you should keep it.”

“Maybe I will!” Dolores tries hiding her smile. Isabela notices the way her prima’s lips quirk upward, an idea pops in her head. “You know what? Maybe you should tell him how you feel about his poems. How’s that sound?”

Dolores doesn’t catch on as quickly, though, still thinking that Isabela was insulting this boy who just wanted to be friends with... them? Or maybe just Isabela. No, Mariano wanted to be friends with both of them.

“Fine!”

So that’s what she did. 

Nine-year-old Dolores marches across the town of Encanto towards the Guzmans’ home. She’s brought a notebook of her own, where she wrote her opinions on Mariano’s poems and tips she thought might help.

There were also rewritten versions of Mariano’s poems where Dolores’ name is mentioned, and not Isabela’s, but the pages were ripped out. Dolores couldn’t let him see that, he’d think she’s weird.

Small and furious knocks can be heard on the door.

“Mariano, cariño, open the door!”

“Sí, mama!” The doorknob turns and Mariano sees a disheveled Dolores, her bow loose and clothes slightly wrinkled. She leans in to whisper to the boy, “Isabela says your poems are just fine. I don’t think she liked them too much.”

Dolores frowns at Mariano’s heavy sigh, she holds both of his hands. “That’s okay! Maybe she just doesn’t know what’s good. I thought they were great.” She lets go of his left hand and shows him her notebook. “I could help you write poems that I know mi prima will love!”

— — —

A few months passed, the days before Camilo’s gift ceremony were counting down. Dolores was 12.

Dolores decides to give her Tio Bruno a visit. She hears the rats scampering around his room, along with the little squeaks. “Tio?” Her voice echoes around the room.

Bruno doesn’t respond. Maybe he’s up away all those stairs. Dolores stares at the numerous flights of stairs in her uncle’s room. It’s okay.

A lot of minutes pass and Dolores reaches at the top, she simply looks at the bridge and lays down on it. Tio wouldn’t mind.

Dolores closes her eyes, but can’t fall asleep. She hears the footsteps she recognized to her uncle’s.

“Dolores?”

The girl pretends she’s asleep so Tio Bruno would carry her. Dolores hears the fabric of his ruana ruffling as she feels herself get lifted off the ground. “Ay, ten cuidado. (Be careful). You could fall while you’re sleeping, you know. We’ll be devastated if you fell.” Bruno softly pinches her cheek, she giggles. “Can I have a vision? It’s about a boy.”

— — —

Dolores was 17. Mariano’s family had already signed off on the arranged marriage between him and... Isabela. Five years since Mirabel and Camilo’s gift ceremony, and five years since her Tio Bruno started living in the walls.

She doesn’t even love him. Dolores takes a sip of her coffee. It’s her fifth cup of the day. She’s told me that repeatedly, especially yesterday. Why let him get married to her, and not me?

“Dolores. It’s only 11 AM.”

And that was coming from her mother.

“Lo siento, mami.”

Dolores finishes the coffee in one drink.

“Is this about your prima and... you-know-who?”

Dolores doesn’t answer.

“It’s okay if you don’t answer. My door’s always open for you.”

Dolores nods. She knows her mother cares but what if she told abuela? What if word got around that Dolores wanted to be the one that Mariano someday marries? Why didn’t her abuela even consider Dolores for the arrangement?

Dolores tries getting rid of the thought. She's being selfish. She’s already distanced herself from Mariano to get rid of her feelings but her attempts were unhelpful. Her gift made sure of that.

No one but Dolores knows of the sleepless nights she’s endured, doing everything she can to distract herself from the noises around her and the loud thoughts about her Tio’s vision in regards to her love life.

Things could change, right? Dolores places a pillow over her face. Jealousy is not a good look on her.

Just sleep on it. You’ve done it once, you’ll do it again.

Dolores heard her eye twitch the whole night.

How many cups of coffee tomorrow?

[wherewhereare]

Blake and Gwen 2017 - Edited

@blakeandgwenbegin

FRI:    Feb 17: Blake states favorite date night with Gwen was when they attended the Oscar Vanity Fair Oscar’s After-Party.

April 2017:  Adam: „I’ve had the longest love affair with Blake out of everyone.“   Gwen: “God, I wish I was you. I made my best friend. I found my best friend!  Adam and Gwen on Blake, People Magazine, April 2017 #SQ

THU:  Apr 13:  Blake settles defamation fight with In Touch Weekly [Hollywood Reporter]

THU:  Apr 20:  Blake “Ok.. To whomever put my girlfriends picture on the Empire State Building thanks a lot.... How can I top that shit?!!” [T]

SUN:  May 28: Blake concert at Bayou Country Fest NOLA.  Blake helps US Marine propose at Bayou Country Superfest 2017 - Awesome [YT].  "I am so thankful to Blake, The Superdome crew, the various radio stations trying to help, the production staff, and the Bayou Country Superfest people all running around for a day trying to make this a special day for Ashley and I. In the end, a simple phone made it happen, but Blake was a phenomenal performer and a solid dude to do what he did for us at such a large venue. The security ladies helping me make sign, and my fellow concert goers who helped keep it a secret and get his attention. Thank you sir. You will never understand how much this meant to us."

FRI:    Jul 07: The *first* time Gwen ever posted a pic of Blake and one of the kids (Apollo) on a permanent SM site, IG, (rather than a snap/story that disappears in 24 hours). [IG]

EDITED

THU:  Jul 13:  Gwen spotted at “Luxury Nails” in Madill Oklahoma getting her nails done. Dot shared the FB posting and wrote “She’s a normal down to earth sweet girl. You don’t have to ask her for a picture with you, she will volunteer. *kissing emoji*”

FRI:    Aug 04: Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani and Maroon 5 perform at the ADP Presidents Club in Salt Lake City, UT. Gwen Stefani performs [YT] [FB] [IG] [IG]

MON:  Aug 21:  Zuma’s Birthday (2008);  Blake, Gwen and the Boys at the Islands Restaurant, Los Angeles CA. Zuma tries to shield Blake from the paps. [SA] 

SAT:   Sep 30: Official Grand Opening of Olde Red.  Ole Red Tishomingo Block Party II [SA]; Starts out with a concert inside Ole Red then progresses for a show on Main Street with multiple performers managed by the Opry.  Blake's Mom, Dad, Sister and Brother-in-law are there Gwen & the Boys and the Cain's are there. [SA] [YT] [SA] #GAAMBHYes #gwensthere

FRI:    Dec 08: Gwen: Interview Hallmark w/ Mimi G. Style; “Blake gave me this beautiful bracelet last Christmas, which has all my kids names on it. Its ridiculous. That’s one of my favorite gifts that I’ve ever gotten.” ---- Gwen [YT]  

@blakeandgwenbegin

[loustyleshtommo]

Coincidences that are keeping me up all night:

12 May 2015

Louis went to Snoop Dogg’s album release party. He got papped as he left. A mysterious blonde in those pics would be reported as having his baby later. I’m not posting the cursed pic. We all know which one.

12 May 2017

Exactly two years later, Harry released his solo debut album. His album cover looks like he’s dramatically crying in the bathtub with pink water. Or maybe he’s trying not to make that honking laugh. Guess we’ll never know which one for sure, because we only see his back.

Horseback riding happened to be one of H’s favourite things to do, according to his answer in FOURPLAY. Aka the game in which he said “not that important” to female being a trait he looks for in a lady.

But that obviously has nothing to do with said Snoop Dogg’s album cover two years prior. With blue horse dog nibbling on green bush in front of the trees and green screen. His name & album name in capital letters on top left and right.

Although Louis styled his name & album name the same way on WALLS album cover, too. In which he’s just sitting there looking like a prisoner. But that’s unrelated. Obviously, Snoop Dogg couldn’t be a bluegreening Larrie who knew what was going to happen in advanced, right?

11 Oct 2017

Before Louis dropped the masterpiece that is his WALLS album. He released Just Like You on National Coming Out day first. 25 and it’s all planned.

2 Feb 2019

Harry just turned 25. Louis posted 3 pics on IG with the caption: It’s coming… the first picture is in a film reel with a very interesting number on top corner: 22. Guess what else had already happened in film reel? Taylor Swift’s 22 MV. In which the party at the end fit quite nicely with Night out and it’s 10 grand. Which in turn, looks like Taylor’s End Game MV & maybe Louis’s Miss You MV (where you see ME on the wall to his left in the middle of the song & a vertical Style to his right at the end of the song.)

26 Apr 2019

Taylor released her single ME! on Lesbian Visibility Day

13 Dec 2019

Taylor just turned 30.

Harry released Fine Line. Thus, digging up Haylor grave. Headlines that I can’t stand.

31 Jan 2020

It’s the last day that Harry was 25 years old.

But you only get half of the story. Luckily, we get each half from two people to make it whole.

Louis released his WALLS album. He said it’s his most honest album so far. Okay, Princess Park.

Taylor released Only The Young for her Miss Americana Documentary. Prior to this, she already sang: There’s nothing like this Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince. Effectively calling out her own documentary as half bulls*it in advance with Lover. Of course, Cornelia Street.

23 July 2020

Taylor released folklore, on the 10th anniversary for the first day of One Direction.

Track 15 peace (Your integrity makes me feel small. You paint dreamscape on the wall.) did kill my mind far too many times to count. First, by being The Number: 28-13=15. The difference between Louis’s number and Taylor’s number.

Second, by being the word on Louis’s white t-shirt in that “I love you first” interview before Haylor took over the gossip front pages.

Then, the lyrics video looks like it could be the background filming location of Louis’s We Made It: Director’s cut. Let’s move on before I fall down that deep dark abyss of a rabbit hole.

11 Dec 2020

Taylor released evermore out of nowhere, right before Louis’s first livestream concert, no less.

12 Dec 2020

It’s the last day that Taylor was 30 years old.

Louis held his first livestream concert with a giant, golden H on his chest. He debuted Copy of a Copy of a Copy. Its lyrics just happened to match the visual cue in Taylor’s Willow MV. From the album she just dropped the day before. No biggie. Pure unadulterated coincidence, right? Definitely not

Copy

Of a Copy

Of a Copy

Right?

Run by Taylor ft. Ed from her RED’s vault won’t be related to 1D’s Ready To Run from FOUR in capital underlined, right?

It won’t be the moment I knew Everything Has Changed, right?

[cmtcahrule]

Valentines Day trip back in time. From the series of things that make me go hhhmmm. I got the feels over this one. A posted a pic of T in Berlin on his sm accounts on Valentines Day 2017. [I did not see mentions of anyone else. E let her followers know on the 15th that A had cooked a meal for her the night before.]

A’s Valentines post to E in 2018 was fairly normal except he paired it with a Tweet questioning why the human body having so many holes could be dunked under water and none of the water seep in.

On Feb 13, 2019, A/E/T cross paths in London which gives us the photo of A and T pointing at their magazine covers on display on a wall. I’d love to know more about why they met in London and anything that went down there. It was crickets on sm on Valentines Day 2019. Except on the 15th there were over the top declarations of love so much so I am convinced E wrote what A posted. Things are FRESH and FUN and EXCITING. You are my LIFE PARTNER. I am as GIDDY as the first time we kissed. Guess that sentiment didn’t last long because A’s last IG post about E was the following month. The posed kiss between E and A at Claridges in London on the 15th posted by E made me go hhhmmm. It’s the most awkward kiss ever and A is wearing the boyfriend sweater. I took note also that E posted an ad for BB on the 14th and also there was a Feb 13, 2019 Life & Style article that came out with E revealing her adorable Valentines Day plans with THE HUSBAND. In the background, you’ve got T showing off the Berlin shoes the little sly devil.

Finally in 2020, A is in Chicago on Feb 13 and you have E and the kids making a one day visit before A heads off to London for 2 days of Rebecca reshoots. Even though this marriage was long over, it feels like E had to get a photo op in to show the public she and A were still together. No declarations of love from A in 2020. Just him on the 12th posting Orion’s Time for Crime (check out the lyrics) on Twitter, telling people he misses LA on the 13th which is where Tim is at, and T liking Billie Eilish’s song No Time To Die on the 14th. 💜💜💜