#blogposting shenanigans

[bunnylouisegrimes]

Today has actually been a decent day on my mental health. Took a shower first thing this morning, had some Italian Wedding soup and tossted sandwiches afterwards, took a 2-ish hour nap, spent some time studying for the NCLEX, and now we're having some Ramen while taking a break featuring a certain someone who keeps being needy...

Ironically, I don't think Patrick would enjoy Ramen, given it's instant and according to The Official Yuppie Handbook, (which is anyone surprised I've been reading?), it mentions that yuppies never eat anything instant. Given Patrick's elitism and diet alone, it makes sense. But hey, he'll learn to let go and enjoy a bowl every now and then 💖🙃

Hope tomorrow will be a good Friday with a good weekend to match! Praying we'll get Taco Bell and Shamrock Shake McFlurries tomorrow for dinner 🙏🙏🙏

(Dont mind the Squishmallow mountain on my bed, they toppled over lol, and don't mind Dumdrop the Slowpoke getting a peak at Patrick's booty 🤣 😜 😉)

[frick-it-sugar-spice]

the line "we'll go fuck about it later" is killing me gnxijrjfkdkdnfj i am in the living room ffs

[coimbrabertone]

MotoGP Silly Season Predictions - Plus Larson Waiver Talk.

As recently as this morning, I was planning on this week's blogpost being about the Kyle Larson waiver situation over in NASCAR, however, MotoGP then decided to do everything all at once and launched silly season into high gear.

So, with regards to Larson, I'll just say one thing: he raced in the Indianapolis 500 competitively and made NASCAR look good mere years after Jimmie Johnson, unfortunately, struggled in a Chip Ganassi Indycar on road and street circuits - and there were a lot of jokes at NASCAR's expense after their seven-time world champion spun out every race. So how does NASCAR repay him? Utter silence over whether or not he'll get a playoff waiver.

Kyle Larson is the 2021 champion, took his car to the owner's championship final four as a result of playoff shenanigans in 2022, and then made the final four in 2023 again. He is considered one of the top talents in NASCAR and he has the results to back it up. So why is there controversy over him getting a playoff waiver for this year?

Because Kyle Larson prioritized the Indianapolis 500 last weekend.

I talked about this in my Motorsports Christmas blogpost, but the Indy 500 was rain delayed and Kyle Larson stayed there to compete, and only then he flew out to Charlotte. Now, Kyle Larson landed, was ready to get into the car, but then it started raining in Charlotte too. Just before midnight, as the track was drying, NASCAR controversially decided to call the race, thus Kyle Larson was not able to relieve Justin Allgaier in the #5 and resume the rest of the Coke 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

NASCAR is mad because every other weekend of the year, they're the biggest show in racing, they can throw their weight around and try to chase NFL ratings while all other racing series are considered a niche. That's true every weekend except Memorial Day weekend, when the Indianapolis 500 reigns supreme. The whole existence of the Charlotte 600 is to compete with Indy.

Larson prioritized the bigger race and that made NASCAR made, because they're used to getting their egos stroked.

Larson is one of the best drivers in NASCAR and the double attempt brought good publicity to both sports. He had already won his way into the playoffs and made an effort to get to Charlotte for the end of the 600 - give him a waiver. If not, well, you face the possibility that Austin Cindric is in the playoffs after his shock win at Iowa, and one of the top drivers in the series isn't.

I like Austin, I'm glad he won, but he's nowhere near the same level as Kyle Larson. If he can compete for the championship and Kyle can't, then it makes the NASCAR playoffs look even less legitimate than they already are.

Anyway, that turned into a longer rant than I intended, so I'll leave it there. Now onto the main topic for today: MotoGP silly season.

Yesterday at Mugello, Enea Bastianini spent the final laps of the race charging from fourth to second, overtaking Marc Marquez for third and then pulling off an audacious last corner pass on Jorge Martin for second. This meant that Enea finished just eight tenths off leader Pecco Bagnaia for a factory Ducati 1-2.

So naturally, Ducati has decided to replace him.

Marc Marquez, who finished four and last out of these three, is going to the Ducati Lenovo Team, according to Autosport.

This was all but confirmed when, a few hours later, Aprilia confirmed the signing of Jorge Martin for Aprilia. Jorge Martin who finished third and got overtaken by Enea Bastianini in the final corner, mind you.

Now, of course, Ducati is not judging this off of one race alone and I acknowledge - as I did in two recent blogposts - that Enea has had a rotten time on the factory Ducati seat. That being said, seeing him lose Ducati to Marc Marquez, who finished last of the main three, and then lose out on the Aprilia seat to the guy he overtook in the final corner. It stings.

That being said, some news out of this weekend might offer a possibility for Enea to have a bit of a soft landing from the factory seat anyway. Let me explain:

Earlier in this weekend, Marc Marquez spelled out his demands in an interview. He said that he was not interested in going to Pramac, saying that he didn't want to switch from a satellite team (he's currently riding a 2023 Ducati at Gresini Racing) to another satellite team (Pramac runs 2024 Ducatis, same as the factory team, with factory contracted riders, they are still customers, however). Instead, Marquez said that the best option was a factory team, and if not that, then a factory bike at minimum.

Translation: Marc Marquez wanted the factory team for 2025, and if he couldn't get that, then he wanted a 2025 Ducati at Gresini, remaining at his current team.

In response, Gino Borsoi, who is the team manager at Pramac, insisted that his team had a contract for two factory-spec Ducati GP25s next year. This was somewhat of a surprise for a number of reasons, one: Ducati announced late last year that they signed Moto2 rider Fermin Aldeguer for 2025, and it seemed like the natural landing spot for him was going to be Pramac...until it emerged later on that Ducati wanted to start Fermin out on a 2024 bike. Two: regardless of which spec Ducati Fermin is going to be on, Pramac has been heavily linked to Yamaha lately.

The Japanese bikes are struggling in MotoGP right now and, ever since RNF switched to satellite Aprilias for 2023, Yamaha has not had a satellite team. Four bikes capturing data instead of two could really help Yamaha right now, so they've been linked to pretty much every Ducati satellite team the last few months. VR46 with the romanticism of a Valentino Rossi and Yamaha reunion, Gresini until they renewed their deal, and most recently, with Pramac.

Yamaha was desperate and the rumor has been that they offered very generous terms to Pramac.

So, the news that Pramac may stay with Ducati after all is a shock to the media, but it does not seem to have been much of a shock to Ducati. Ducati had been working on a way to keep both Martin and Marquez, and it seems that they wanted to offer Pramac the chance to run MotoGP's biggest star - Marc Marquez - as a reason to stay...and potentially a reason to accept taking on a rookie Aldeguer on a year-old bike as well.

Now that Marquez is going to the factory team instead and Jorge Martin has snatched the open Aprilia seat, I see an opening. Ducati can send Enea Bastianini to Pramac, keeping him on a factory spec bike while giving Pramac another frontrunning rider. Aldeguer joins as Bastianini's teammate, on a GP25 if that's what it takes to keep Pramac in the fold, because Marc Marquez will be in the factory team so freeing up a GP25 won't be as important.

What about VR46 and Gresini then? Well, I think Marco Bezzecchi's current season has been a bit of a disaster, so he won't really have much of a chance to get a factory ride next year, so staying at VR46 seems likely. Furthermore, his struggles mean that Bezzecchi probably isn't going to have much luck demanding Ducati gives him a GP25, so status quo is probably the most likely outcome there. It's unfortunate for Bezzecchi, but the sheer reality is that, with all these hot riders on the market, his options seem to be either stay at VR46, or make a more or less lateral move to Trackhouse Aprilia.

Then Franco Morbidelli, another Valentino Rossi academy product, can drop from Pramac into the other VR46 seat.

Where does Fabio DiGiannantonio go then? Well, with Marquez going to the factory, Fabio can now return to Gresini and be reunited with Frankie Carchedi. Thus, restoring the 2023 lineup of Fabio DiGiannantonio and Alex Marquez.

So, to sum things up, I think Ducati can keep all three of its satellite teams and all eight bikes like this:

Ducati Lenovo (GP25): Pecco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez.

Pramac (GP25): Enea Bastianini and Fermin Aldeguer.

VR46 (GP24): Marco Bezzecchi and Franco Morbidelli.

Gresini (GP24): Fabio DiGiannantonio and Alex Marquez.

Maybe Pramac will go to Yamaha after all, maybe my predictions will look radically wrong in a few weeks. I don't know how it'll turn out, but this is the scheme I've thought up in my mind.

I need to do something since with Marc Marquez at Ducati and Jorge Martin at Aprilia, my two favorite teams now have my two least favorite riders and I'm trying not to dwell on that part.

So yeah.

Oh, also this weekend Indycar raced at Detroit, but uhh...the less said about that, the better.

[sodacowboy]

christ is this exhausting lmao

TWO HOUR SHANSPEARE LARRY VIDEO??!?!

[evelili]

I just finished your Magnum Opus, and it was super great. I especially loved the Pinkie chapter (which surprised me because she’s my least favorite character!). Anyway, do you have any mlp fic recommendations?

oh boy do i have a list for you, strap in!

if you read my magnum opus writeup, you may have seen i mentioned three authors that dragged me back into mlp. if you're interested in sciset (and what's probably the most popular eqg fic on the entire site), Long Road to Friendship by Albi is a longfic that started after the first eqg movie and is a rlly lighthearted read. i don't normally care for OCs but gosh if i dont accept Albi's version of trixie's parents as canon in my heart haha. if you're interested in pony adventure fic, i also rlly liked Sunset of Time, another rlly well done longfic ive carried in my brain since i first read it xd

the second author, Monochromatic, aka the raritwi authority aka someone who has a GREAT taste in editors, has written three of the most formative longfic ive ever read: The Enchanted Library, its sequel The Enchanted Kingdom, and Crimson Lips which i unfortunately can no longer link since she's taken it down, but i believe you can still buy physically through PFP if you wanted to take a gamble on it (it would be a very good gamble). apart from her longfic though i also adore some of her shorter works, including but not limited to The Choices We Make, a really interesting Pinkie study that's definitely shaped how i view her, Your Own Worst Enemy, which is just. peak rarity content, and Injuring Eternity, which while being one of her older works still has certain passages that wreck me emotionally on sight.

and the third author responsible for my magnum opus is the one and only Aragon, who i can not only recommend for his fics but ALSO for his blog posts and comics (see the comic index on his profile for links to all of them, as well as this amazing blogpost about his neighbour that is just peak comedy). he's also the writer responsible for the banger longfic Crime and Funishment which absolutely defined my writing aspirations for a few years and is the definition of comedy if you looked it up in my heart, as well as In Hindsight, yet another banger rarity fic, and Love Is In Doom which is just bloody, silly, stupid fun (and has sunset shimmer in it)

and then if we want to talk fics i love written by other authors, Sleepless Knights by r5h has my favourite brand of scitwi written right into the margins, Administrative Angel by horizon has one of the most amazing endings to an opening chapter ive ever read AND an amazing celestia, The Best Night Ever by Capn_Chryssalid is a fandom classic with a groundhog day twist on the gala episode from s1, Side by Side by Krickis is a feel-good rarijack oneshot w a focus on lgbt (specifically trans) themes, Wax Earplugs by Reedhoarse has a dysfunctional mess of an adagio dazzle that i adore, Merge Request by FanOfMostEverything has all the scitwi/midnight shenanigans you could ask for wrapped up in the relatable content of github hell, Guppy Love by PaulAsaran is a rarijack longfic with an incredibly realistic setting and an interpretation of mermaids that i love so much, Doused Flame by heartlessons has me handshaking on the "sopping wet pathetic relatable guy" flash sentry interpretation that won me over recently, 80 Days 'Til the World's Farthest Shore by Cynewulf feels like reading a professionally published short story (and i mean that in the best of ways, it's enthralling), and finally if you'll allow me to be self-centred a bit i also am very proud of my two oneshots Heartstrings and Something About Midnights if you wanted to check em out too xd

oops long post!! im not sorry for it, i hope you can find something in here that catches your fancy (or even all of it haha), there's soooo many incredible fics in the fandom it floors me every day that i can read all these incredible works for free!!!

[zeondraws]

I always wonder why I have been so busy the past months but then I remember all the things I'm doing with SWTD:

(this is more of a thought post about my life/thoughts/feelings than a lore post! Ignore if you are not interested in this, I don't mind)

Taking Screenshots

Multiple recording sessions (for audio or funny moments, and so on)

Multiple playthroughs of the game

Doing an AU for some reason

Drawing the characters (much art)

Also learning how to use procreate, while my big tablet is packed away until November

Working on a video project

Learning how to use OBS

Datamining the gamefiles for more info with fmodel

troubleshooting fmodel because it's showing me the middle finger for the billionth time

learning how to use a dumper to get mappings file (to view files in fmodel)

learning how to install mods and learn how to use them

troubleshooting my pc or laptop because of my silly shenanigans

rebuilding the models in blender while simultaneously watching blender tutorials to understand what the hell I'm doing

read about TCR's other games and play them (I still have to play Little Orpheus)

Trying to research movies or any blogpost/YouTube posts regarding the game

Other types of research that I can't think of right now

Sharing results with others and discuss the findings to figure lore out

confusedscreaming.mp4

????

It has a lot of reasons why I am super determined and stubborn? when it comes to something I'm passionate about. (It's really hard to explain)

Family always dismissed my hobbies and didn't support me much for them. They often gave me false promises and made me wait for nothing

Often treating me like a baby, as if I can't think for myself. I had to fight a lot for my passions the past decade or so. Even dealing with a former coworker who was very manipulative and tried very hard to belittle me.

I can't even explain all the stress I had to endure because of my old job. Constantly monitored for mistakes, constantly shoved to a corner, freedom taken away, bullied, my feelings had been manipulated so much that I just.. had entire months where I cried every single day. And I'm not even kidding, I went to work in fear, I walked home in fear, I woke up in fear. I still remember that evening where I was so afraid of everything. I was so scared to even be in my apartment, I just balled my eyes out because it was too much at that moment.

Only thing that kept me going was my determination, hope.. daydreams. . and seeking out help (therapy, friends) and using the anger I felt for my coworker to work on my art/passions and show myself that I'm not worthless.

Sometimes my coworker would treat me badly on some days, so after I went home I used my anger and sadness to make art. Even if I sat there drawing for 5h. It did help me to improve a ton in my skills.

I think that event made me go through this journey of? self reflection and growth. It's wild how much happened after that.

Family wasn't helpful in this painful time period, one told me I'll end up alone, that I shouldn't talk to people online or that I should be happy to have a job (Talking to family is like talking to a wall). Or another family member who tries so hard to treat me like an object.

It fills me with anger, but they're all I've got. I thankfully have many friends I can go to when needed, but I wouldn't be able to fully abandon my family. It's probably because I felt so down when my mother passed away over two years ago. I haven't talked to her in years because of her mental condition, but her passing hit me badly.

I have struggled for a while to work on other skillsets because I was too afraid, doing videos, blender, drawing humans idk why, maybe no confidence in myself to try it out

.. Suddenly swtd gets released and my head does a 360 and is like "I'm going to learn all of this now, hold my bear". Using my obsession about this game to learn something new, which helped me overcome so many hurdles. Like the amount of times I threw myself out of my comfort zone while I tried to fiddle with the game.

Like, look at the difference in my human art

This is the first time I drew Muir like.. I forgot when I drew this, two months ago?

And then like this is from a few days ago

... *compares* I don't know how to explain the difference, I think there is one-

Like,. It's hard to compliment myself because of the sheer amount of stress I endured over the year. I've been out of the old job for 3 weeks now. I'm so glad I'm out of there.

I remember how I always wanted to draw an entire dragon, not just a bust. And look I ended up drawing one!! Ok with Roper's head but yea!

I think family difficulties and other events made me feel very detached from others. I never felt/feel like I belong anywhere. I moved so often that this feeling persisted. And it may persist for who knows how long. I only recently got a diagnosis, I have a form of depression, but it's somewhat mild. Hence why I'm still able to perform in daily tasks and work. Tho I don't want to use my condition as an excuse, I rather just want to show that I'm capable of something. That even people who struggle mentally can find success in what they do.

Life throws so many hurdles but I think I am slowly used to living in the chaotic environment. I keep drawing and work on my hobbies while I wait to move apartments.

I try very hard to change my mindset even tho my mind had been so used to the negative spirals. But I try to stay determined and keep on learning. I am not all knowing and I need to remember that mistakes are ok and that I need them to keep learning and have progress.

I've been pushing aside so many thoughts while I messed with the game. Even tho it's 2AM I needed a quiet moment to think about it all.

I am very open with my thoughts and feelings, it's what I usually do on my Instagram account when I post my art.

Tomorrow is another day to learn something new.

[the-useless-lesbians-hq]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥August 10th, 2024 ⁀➷

I'm going to try and make a serious/real blogpost for a moment. I'm blogging/journaling this now, but this event happened about a week ago I want to say, but my access to Tumblr has been limited due to irl shit and shenanigans.

It's small, really, but I wanted to document it regardless. I went to the library with my mom to get a new library card (fuck yeah, support your public libraries!) and they had a new summer book display. And guess what kind of romance book was on display, front and center? A clearly sapphic, lesbian romance YA novel. I had to hold back tears, which is pretty dramatic I guess.

But I find spotting progress in the wild like that so beautiful and moving. I remember there would be committees against our library to have those books hidden in the back, not on display (think of the childrennnnn! /sar). And now here I stand with my mother, a sapphic book right in our faces and there's no fuss about me checking it out. So yes, I was very moved by seeing this book on display.

And maybe this moment wasn't all that small. Maybe progress never is.

✧˖°ʚ🍓ɞ♡ Here's the book, if anyone was wondering ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ :

Anyway, that's all! Hope you have a lovely rest of your day <3 ༝༚༝༚

𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊 𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𓍊𓋼𓍊𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊

[hpowellsmith]

Writing Royal Affairs Characters: Dominique de Saint Martel

Royal Affairs is almost a month old and it's absolutely surreal. I'm just absolutely overjoyed to see people enjoying the game - it was such a long trek to create and it's really been worth all of it!

Dominique would love any excuse to get hold of some cake and celebrate such an occasion, and here is my blogpost about writing them!

-

If you've played Royal Affairs and had a good time, I really appreciate your ratings and reviews. And if you haven't played yet, try the free demo and see if boarding-school royal shenanigans catch your fancy!

[piano-virucide]

Blogpost addendum (2):

One more reblog before I get back into my normal music shenanigans. I did a much deeper dive into David Dushkin's recorders, looking into scholarly resources I could access without having to physically go to a dedicated library. And I found quite a few interesting things!

Of notable case is Consumers Union Reports (1940, Volume 5) which compares different recorders available for purchase in the USA. One of the recorders mentioned is a Dushkin alto made in rosewood. It seems Dushkin did make recorders with other woods aside from walnut after all!

The same report also mentions about Dushkin's plastic recorder. A picture view of that snippet is not viewable directly, but it does come up in the Google Scholar search engine description, and reads as follows:

Dushkin Soprano (made in U.S.A.). The Dushkin soprano is the best of the plastic recorders and the only one (with Schott below) that can be taken seriously as a musical instrument. Double finger holes on C and D are included.

Like with lot of plastic recorders made at that time, it seems that many of the plastic Dushkin recorders have not survived to present day. One known existence of a plastic Dushkin recorder is in the Bate Collection in Oxford University in Britain - though, sadly, not on view right now and there's no picture available of it. We are lucky to at least have the museum's description of the item:

Descant recorder of dark brown plastic with white plastic on the mouthpiece and the bottom of the foot. The block has a layer of wood.

The deeper search does not reveal much more on Dushkin recorders, other than advertisements from companies who distributed Dushkin recorders or from people who were looking to resell their Dushkin recorders. Of the most interesting is a direct advertisement from the Dushkin Recorder Company (found in the magazine The American Recorder, Winter 1960, Volume I, No. 1), and it seems the Dushkin recorder here was mentioned as a "Kinhaven Recorder".

The advertisement mentions about the Kinhaven recorder being comparable to major woodwind instruments. It is known that the recorder lost favor at one point due to it being soft in comparison to the transverse flute in terms of orchestra groups, and so I wonder if this Kinhaven recorder is the model referenced by Kaynor, as he mentioned about the recorder being quite loud.

Sources:

Consumer's Union Report 1940: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Consumers_Union_Reports/g8vgAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=Dushkin%20alto

Bate Collection: https://www.bate.ox.ac.uk/recorders (https://www.bate.ox.ac.uk/files/recorderspdf)

The American Recorder (Winter 1960, Volume 1 No. 1) https://americanrecorder.org/docs/AR_Mag_Winter_1960_Multipage.pdf

Dushkin recorder musings

Despite my name and majority of my posts on Tumblr alluding to piano, I do also play the recorder.

Originally, I was playing on a cheap soprano recorder made of wax-impregnated maple that utilized German fingering (a bad "habit" from my school days that I put up with for some time). However, I did promise myself that I would switch over to Baroque/English fingering if I stumbled across a reasonable vintage alto recorder at an affordable price. And last weekend that promise came to fruition at an estate sale. Behold, my new alto!

It's a Dushkin, purchased for quite a steal ($20 USD!). No information was provided about its original owner, but whoever previously owned it seems to have been a woodwind enthusiast (the sale included various woodwinds) and likely played the Dushkin alto a lot (the thumbhole in the back looks fairly worn and could benefit from a bushing).

About Dushkin recorders:

There seems to be very limited information about recorder maker David Dushkin. The Powerhouse Collection in Australia has a Dushkin soprano recorder in its collection and helpful anecdotes on Dushkin's work along with links to its sources - David Dushkin, it appears, was the first recorder maker in the USA. Beyond that, searching up Dushkin recorders is more likely to show a variety of online sale listings, though one listing on Etsy was very useful as it provided images of the original fingering chart and instructions for use.

A look at the instructions say to oil the recorder with olive oil (a non-drying oil) or linseed oil (a drying oil) once a month or so. I used neither when oiling the instrument after cleaning (opted for a seed-based oil instead, so non-drying oil). The fire hazards of linseed cannot be emphasized enough (spontaneous combustion!); I think if I had to go for a drying oil, I'd opt for walnut oil because the recorder's wood structure is, well, walnut!

I think anyone familiar with wooden recorders will agree that walnut is a very unusual choice for recorder construction. An educated guess of mine is that Dushkin opted for walnut due to accessibility of this particular hard wood in North America (some Native American flutes are made of the same material).

Also unusual was Dushkin's mouthpiece design, which supposedly could be dissembled to some degree to remove the block.

The instructions on the Etsy listing indicate the mouthpiece can be pulled off when cleaning. During the cleaning process I was able to wiggle the outer wood sleeve by about a millimeter before it would not budge anymore - caution made push it back into place. I don't think it would be worth the risk of trying to figure out how the mouthpiece is supposed to be removed, and I'll settle for dripping alcohol into the windway if/when necessary.

Overall, it seems to be a well-made collector's item instrument that is sought-after for its historical value.

How it plays:

Brian Blauch's blog (online moniker reedplayerncnc) gives a brief firsthand description on its playability - "The alto has a beautiful tone, but it's super quiet. And you need to blow extremely hard." My experience was not quite the same as Blauch's - I needed to blow more softly!

Though, for full disclosure, I have a tendency to overblow so I could be biased. My particular Dushkin alto seems to be fairly forgiving at the upper registers for both overblowing and underblowing, but the lowest note requires significantly slow air flow, so much so that I have to drop my jaw when playing he lowest note, otherwise the note is at risk of squeaking.

An unusual one-time observance was that I somehow managed to get lowest note, 'F', to emit a wolf tone despite the bore being conical, but I've only been able to recreate this once during my very first play during the break-in period, and I have not gotten a wolf tone since then, just squeaks from bad fingering or overblowing.

An eBay listing mentions "the sound is a bit airy and responsiveness is on the slow side", which is more closer to what I experienced. When comparing the head of my alto to Blauch's photo's and the eBay photo, I noticed my alto's head more closely resembles the eBay listing, and that the head of Blauch's alto is different around the base of the mouthpiece (slightly more fancy) - so therefore Blauch and I have different models. My suspicion is that the models might also have some variation in bore size, maybe mine might be an older model given how less fancy it appears (and the poor placement of the stamp!).

Sadly, this is where my research into Dushkin recorder models comes to a dead end. Dushkin is mentioned in a few old articles published by the American Recorder Society, and one PowerPoint presentation in particular shows a few more of his recorders, but no documentation online exists regarding how Dushkin's recorder models changed over time.

Perhaps when I have the recorder fully played in and have sufficiently practiced enough, I'll do a reblog of this post with the sound of my Dushkin alto.

In the meantime, if you wish to follow in my footsteps down the Dushkin research rabbit hole, my sources are below.

Sources:

Powerhouse Collection listing: https://collection.powerhouse.com.au/object/407869

Etsy listing (with images of instructions below) https://www.etsy.com/listing/1538597243/vintage-dushkin-tenor-recorder-1950s-era?show_sold_out_detail=1&ref=nla_listing_details

Brian Blauch's blog post on Dushkin recorders: https://reedplayer.info/2021/12/29/dushkin-recorders/

eBay listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/266504730326

American Recorder Society PowerPoint presentation containing images of some Dushkin recorder models. https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&cx=011443274990293341649:ouyrdo9fbeu&q=https://americanrecorder.org/docs/von_Huene_ARS_FIN.pptx&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwj19bOz64aEAxUwD1kFHTsIA3AQFnoECAUQAQ&usg=AOvVaw21O3FmjQIOBp2lcz2bmuiR

[sshbpodcast]

Don’t forget to remember these Star Trek memory wipes

By Ames

What did I start writing this blogpost for? I can’t seem to remember, so I might as well make a post about memory and how frequently our heroes in Star Trek seem to get theirs erased. We see enough tampering with people’s minds to give just about anyone an identity crisis, so this week A Star to Steer Her By will be focusing specifically on memory wipes.

Read on below and/or listen to this week’s episode (discussion at 1:03:36) for all the instances of memory wipes we could remember. And if I��ve forgotten any others, there’s an obvious reason for that… I didn’t feel like including them! Prepare to have your mind blown, and then reassembled again with some chunks missing.

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

“The Changeling”

An early instance of someone getting their mind erased happens when Nomad encounters Uhura and scrubs down her brain to try to understand why she was singing. It’s debatable how intentionally malicious this was but the results are the same: a vegetable for a comms officer. Somehow Nurse Chapel is able to teach Uhura how to be a person a little and we’re left to assume she’s relearned everything, though the implications are absolutely horrifying.

“The Paradise Syndrome”

Kirk ker-zaps his brain when snooping around an obelisk and manages to lose all his memories just in time to hook up with a hot native woman. As squicky as much of this episode is, Kirk’s not really at fault here because he literally has no idea what’s going on. If that’s not an effective way around the Prime Directive, as we discussed at length last week, then nothing is!

“Requiem for Methuselah”

Blink and you miss this one because it happens at the very end of the episode and doesn’t really get explained or lingered upon. After losing the love of his life of the week, Kirk is mourning Rayna the Robot and Spock doesn’t understand why. So when McCoy says it’d be nice if the captain could forget her, Spock (that cad!) decides on his own, entirely illogically, to go in and do something to Kirk’s memories without consent while he sleeps. It’s one of the most effed up things that Spock does, and many people won’t even notice it. Yikes.

“Pen Pals”

On the subject of our discussion of the Prime Directive from last week, here’s an episode that was pretty appropriate and has a memory wipe! It’s another sneaky way around lessening cultural contamination: just blank the relevant memories of the individual from the less developed society and it’s like we didn’t break our golden rule at all! Lucky for us, the Pulaski Method doesn’t work on all people or we could just use it in every episode and the show would never have any stakes at all.

“Transfigurations”

We’ve got an absolute ton of memory-related episodes in TNG, so let’s continue through with an amnesiac who’s evolving past his corporeal form and doesn’t even remember why. It’s kind of an interesting look at identity and a person’s potential, wrapped up in a kind of convoluted romance plot. But John Doe is a cool enough guy, especially when you look at memory loss episodes and how the individual still tends to shine through.

“Clues”

We brought up “Clues” recently when we discussed how Trek characters get possessed by entities quite a lot, so here’s a crossover in which they also lose their memories of meeting the Paxans. Like Pulaski performing a memory wipe on Sarjenka in “Pen Pals,” the reclusive aliens give a good brain cleaning to the Enterprise crew so that they don’t remember meeting them. Good for them!

“Conundrum”

Even better than the example in “Transfigurations” of amnesiac characters learning who they are is the episode “Conundrum.” The whole ship has lost their memories due to alien shenanigans, but the fascinating thing to watch is how the different crew members make assumptions about their identities through curiosity, logic, and wishful thinking while still acting fairly in character. They gravitate toward their natural personalities, which is kinda neat.

“Aquiel”

Trek doesn’t always nail mystery episodes, and “Aquiel” pulled out all the stops by including just about every red herring it could in this murder mystery in space. The top of those distractions was that the titular character couldn’t seem to remember anything about recent events for no good reason, except that there was a very good reason. Turns out nearly getting absorbed by a coalescent organism starts to wipe your memory. Who knew?

“Dark Page”

At some point (around, let’s say, “Half a Life”), TNG started writing Lwaxana Troi really well, and she gets a lot of really substantial character work in “Dark Page.” Lwaxana buried the memory of her deceased daughter somewhere in her mind. Maybe it’s a Betazoid thing. And in a much better memory-house adventure than catastrophes like “Distant Voices” and “Extreme Measures,” Deanna helps her through her trauma and it’s very sweet.

“Thine Own Self”

One more memory loss episode from TNG because there were just so many. With no memories of who he is or why he’s got so much radioactive material in his possession, Data makes himself comfortable on Barkon IV. Like the amnesia episodes discussed above, it’s very interesting to watch Data’s natural curiosity and intelligence pepper his actions even though he doesn’t know who he is as he saves the village from, well, himself.

“Equilibrium”

Moving on to other series, let’s trek over to Deep Space Nine and roll our eyes a whole bunch at how the Trill get retconned with just about every episode in which they’re the focus. It is from some big Trill conspiracy that the Dax symbiont had a whole past host’s memories removed so no one would know their big wormy secret. If it weren’t for Jadzia (or really, for Julian and Benjamin) uncovering the foul play, we’d have never learned about Joran. Oh no, big loss…

“Sons of Mogh”

Here’s another really unethical, rather uncomfortable one. If you can sort of shove Spock removing Kirk’s memories of Rayna under the rug, this one will be harder to justify. Bashir wipes Kurn’s memories with absolutely no consent because Klingon rituals seem barbaric and even less ethical to our soft Federation eyes. It’s a tough justification to make when you know that it goes against Kurn’s wishes. Ames wrote a whole fanfic about it. Frankly, he’s probably better off dead.

“The Killing Game”

Update 1/26/24: Apparently my memory got wiped at some point because I didn’t remember to include “The Killing Game” in this list when I first wrote it. But obviously the Hirogen blank the crew’s memories so they can play out their battle scenarios. And like in “Conundrum” and other amnesia episodes, it’s entertaining to see the similarities and differences between the French Resistance characters and their normal Starfleet personalities. No matter the circumstance, they will always fight for individuality.

“Unforgettable”

Moving on to our friends in the Delta Quadrant, let’s visit with the Ramurans for the very first time… every time we meet them! They’re a pretty neat race who naturally block memory engrams from forming in the people they interact with, and as a bonus they also have an instrument they can use on each other as well! So perhaps they can be blamed for how the romance between Kellin and Chakotay is adorable and yet perfectly forgettable.

“Latent Image”

On the podcast, we just covered “Latent Image,” which takes some of the squickier, nonconsensual memory wipe concepts we’ve just discussed, and actually brings the ethical debate to the forefront. It reminds me a bit of “Tuvix” which we liked so much because it explores the different sides of an equally impossible dilemma and puts a human face on it. Some may say Janeway makes a better decision here though.

“Workforce”

Update 1/26/24: Here’s one that we reviewed after this blogpost came out that I have to add since I never had these memories to begin with. When the whole crew gets abducted by the Quarren, they repress everyone’s memories so they’ll be docile, hardworking drones during their employment crisis. And like “The Killing Game,” it’s actually quite fascinating to watch how their personalities are reflected in their new characters, something I always love in memory wipe episodes. Tom loves B’Elanna no matter what, and it’s so cute.

“The Seventh”

Updated 1/26/24: Now that we’re finally doing our Enterprise watchthrough over on the podcast, I see I needed to add this T’Pol-centered episode to the memory wipes list. We learn that she underwent the fullara, a Vulcan mind-wiping technique that looks none too pleasant, because she was wracked with guilt for murdering a Vulcan defector to death. Apparently Vulcans aren’t logical enough to just get therapy.

“Observer Effect”

We brought up the Enterprise episode “Observer Effect” when we talked about possessions recently, so now I know to bring it up here too! Not only are the Organians possessing people’s bodies for periods of time, but they actively have a chat with a very pissed-off Phlox and wipe his recollection of it. Those guys’ definition of the Prime Directive has always been a little different.

“Despite Yourself”

Let’s jump ahead to Discovery. We didn’t mention this one on the podcast, but I wanted to bring it up here because it’s so messed up. L’Rell makes herself a sleeper agent when she crams Voq inside of Ash Tyler, turducken style, and blanks his memory, only to turn it back on later when it’s appropriate. And that happens to be in “Despite Yourself” when the poor guy is already having enough of an identity crisis.

“Reflections”

We here at SSHB (and I specifically) are quick to judgment of Lower Decks’s comedy, but it does also get a lot right, especially in the latest season! I’m particularly a big fan of Rutherford’s character arc, and the episode “Reflection” does some really great backstory building regarding his life before his implant, which is gone from his memory. He’s a fully different person from who he used to be, and I’m looking very forward to learning more as the show goes on! You never thought you’d hear me say that, didn’t you?

“A Moral Star” et alia

We give as much guff to Lower Decks as we heap praise onto Prodigy in its storytelling, characterizations, and pretty much everything else (opening title sequence, for instance). Somehow it’s still in season one as I write this so mild spoilers abound. I actually got chills when Gwyn lost her short-term memories by seeing Zero’s reflection outside their suit in “A Moral Star”. And then more chills later in the season as her and the Diviner’s memories are coming back! This plot development is still ongoing and I can’t encourage you more to check it out and see where they take it!

“Among the Lotus Eaters”

Update 1/26/24: Adding this one after the fact, so some spoilers for Strange New Worlds season two here. But this episode is just so clever in its use of memory to a very thought-provoking effect. The idea that memory is used as a way to control people and to exert power is so original and captivating that I just needed to come back and update this list. Knowledge of your own identity is literally power here on Rigel VII, and I’m such a fan of that kind of introspection.

—

My memories are returning, so let’s wrap this one up here. Let us know what other episodes you’ve remembered that have been purged from my mind somehow. Jot down a hand-written note to remind yourself to listen to the watch-along podcast over on SoundCloud or wherever you like to tune in, recall us on Facebook and Twitter, and remind me who you are again?

[romanianwilkinson]

MONSTER CAMP QUOTES STARTERS

A collection of sentence starters from the game Monster Camp. Feel free to change words and pronouns as desired. CONTENT WARNING(S) FOR: Monster Prom/Monster Camp spoilers, suggestive, cursing, crude content

“ I just have it here because [NAME] insisted that I offer it, as a marketing stunt. ”

“ And lastly, super-horny-type players no longer get a charm buff against tsundere types! ”

“ War machines don’t turn me on or anything! ”

“ I don’t wanna be weird, but do you mind if I climb inside of you and play around with your main turret? ”

“ A wine to DIE for, you say? Well, darling, don’t threaten me with a good time! ”

“ This one just says ‘ hmu with that reaper dick, daddy ’. ”

“ You on your phone, as always! Probably making blogposts on your Tik Tok page. ”

“ Yeah, you really don’t want to witness a repeat of the last time [NAME]’s diehard fans went without a selfie for fifteen minutes. My tailbone still hasn’t completely healed. ”

“ Now hold still, this will only hurt for a moment --- ”

“ Yay! You found a shenanigan! ”

“ My poems all have two or three emotions in them, AT LEAST. ”

“ CRYING IS OBVIOUSLY A COMPETITION TO SEE WHO CAN SQUEEZE THE MOST WATER OUT OF THEIR EYES! ”

“ No way, really? The way to WIN at poetry is by LOSING at life? ”

“ I dunno, maybe fall in love with someone who’s married and develop an opioid addiction? ”

“ HELL YEAH, SPEEDRUN! ”

“ It’s morbid, but... kind of romantic? ”

“ GASP! Google+? Are you kidding me? The psychopaths behind that global tragedy are here?! ”

“ Prison has changed me, [NAME]. Would you like to trade me some cigarettes in exchange for my fundamental dignity? ”

“ Undermining the laws of reality, subverting life and death, that’s the kind of stuff my followers expect. But CHEATING? No way. ”

“ Though we are imprisoned in chalk jail, we are free in our hearts. But our hearts are also imprisoned in chalk jail. ”

“ Um, no, I am NOT groveling. I am posing a dignified query to [NAME] that just so happens to be performed on my hands and knees. ”

“ I didn’t know you condoned playing the friend card to get free labor, [NAME]. ”

“ Ah, but saving the world doesn’t put avocado toast on the table. We indie seancers and necromancers need to pay our rent too, you know. ”

“ And as you know, I am illustriously Internet-famous, so if you could shower me with adoration and give me the pizza that would be fabulous. ”

“ Do you wanna fuck the pizza or not? ”

“ Are you ready to go swimming? I must admit, darling, I’ve always wondered what you would look like while... wet.”

“ Did you turn this date into an orgy without consulting me? ”

“ Gosh, I love it when you insult me! Please do it more! ”

“ Now who wants to make a baby? ”

“ What if she puts a curse on me that makes me magically forget the location of the clitoris?! ”

“ Hey, don’t knock wacky decisions that endanger us all! That’s how I always manage to stay a step ahead of my nemeses! ”

“ Oh gods, I’ve killed so many monsters, just for being monsters. This is making me question my entire moral foundation. I NEED MORE THERAPY. ”

“ I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: fish give better pedicures than people! ”

“ You’re not tricking me into parenting a stupid egg. I’ve never fucked even ONE chicken! The egg is not my son! ”

“ You came to visit me at camp, Daddy! ”

“ Don’t be ridiculous, I know your brand of horny, [NAME], and this ain’t it. ”

“ I thought we both agreed to be nothing but vague and haughtily aloof about our past dalliances. ”

“ Point EAST, compass! EAAAAAAAAST! You dumb fuckboot!!!! POINT! EAST! ”

“ One time I was told a soul’s worst fear was bugs and I inadvertantly sent The Beatles. It happens to the best of us... And the worst of us. ”

“ SOMEDAY I SHALL DEFEAT YOUR FIVE STRANGE FEET! ”

“ Why do you keep suppressing your monster half? Embrace your true nature! ”

“ Wow. I didn't think this was possible, but I guess I was... wrong? About social media? Oh dear God, is this how grandparents feel?!?! Am I a GRANDPARENT?! ”

“ I don’t know! I was relying on my friends to cover up my bold and idiotic statement! ”

“ ... I ate the oars. ”

“ PSYCHE. The ocean can eat my ass. ”

“ So pucker up, [NAME]! I'm about to declare mouth war on your FACE! ”

“ YOU FOOLISHLY FOOLISH FOOL! You're showing our inexperience! YOUR HONOR, THE ENTIRE LEGAL TEAM PLEADS THE FIFTH! ”

“ That's right. I'm talking about a classic Transylvania Hot Tub, a Seth Brundle, and a REVERSE Reverse Romanian Wilkinson. ”

“ Sorry, I was in your ribcage seeing if I could use it to cut strips of crepe paper into confetti and then I got lost in your kidneys. ”

“ There's nothing sexier than a doomed romance between a dating sim player and a hot fictional character. ”

“ That's right! I secretly replaced one of you with a bear while no one was looking, to teach you a valuable lesson about the art of disguise! ”

“ Enchant my armor. I’m going into the lake. ”

“ For VIOLENCE REASONS! ” 

“ This stupid lake monster called me short the other day, but I was too low level to crush him like he deserved. ”

“ That dumb wet dinkhole won't know what hit him! But it will be me! I will hit him! ”

“ No, YOU'RE a fuckshark! Also, what does that even mean?! ”

“ You seriously didn't notice the enormous needles those interns jabbed into your veins as soon as [NAME] got here? “

“ It all makes sense! The Camp Dome is just an elaborate ploy to distract us from the giant mouth that eats campers! “

“ This is the BEST show I've ever seen in my life, which is now at an end! “

“ Am I high, or did he just tell us EXACTLY how to foil his evil scheme? “

“ What, like a few severed heads and visions of my grandpa screaming in horrendous pain are gonna freak me out? Where I'm from, you can buy that stuff at IKEA. “

“ ERROR: Due to the sixth mass extinction, the slaying of leprechauns is inadvisable. “

“ Then why do I have half-finished scarves, decoupage, pot-holders, friendship bracelets, and a taxidermied rabbit in my skeleton? “

“ The wang elemental. ”

“ I also have an uncle who works at Nintendo as a copy machine! “

“ What flavor of ice cream AM I?! Now I gotta know. HA! You know what I should be? 'Pistachio.' Because my outside is HARD, but I'm full of NUT. “

“ I mean, life is a bit like... this sandwich! No, stay with me, I'm going somewhere good with this. “

“ A survival situation without any sexy fun time isn't worth surviving in the first place. “

“ Rut the RUCK?! ”

“ The ' ambulance of the heart ' is just a regular ambulance! Ambulances treat all organs! ”

“ Yeah, that's why I made sure that my so-called ' emotional armor ' was also ' actual armor '. “

“ And being yourself is the key to living your dreams, which is the key to self actualization, which is the key to being really good at sex! “

“ So hot I'd buy that even without free shipping. 10/10, call me some time. “

“ Hi, quick question: does it count as kidnapping if I'm abducting you so you can help me do a thing you already agreed to help with? “

“ I could be wrong, but are you just upset because you DON'T have a skeleton that's inside your body? “

“ I'm gonna get SO FUCKING RELAXED MY HEAD WILL EXPLODE! “

“ Whoah, whoa, hold up. You're fucking my grandma? “

“ No, [NAME], that is a popcorn bag full of more dynamite. Put it down. “

“ I hear that at least 70% of people on Patreon aren't murderers! “

“ If you want cash, just rob banks like the rest of us! “

“ Did it work? Do you feel any less horny? ”

“ FUCK YEAH, LET'S PUNCH THAT MOUTH IN ITS MOUTH! “

“ Yes... incidentally, we are no longer allowed to enter Italy. “

“ Is anyone else turned on right now? ”

“ Yes! Yes! I know what you're feeling! I suddenly see how marrying a corpse isn't okay! “

“ JUST LET ME IMPROVE YOUR SELF ESTEEM, MORTAL! “

“ Look, choose whatever you want, but I'm not responsible for whatever you put in your mouth. ”

[anragaire]

LOVED the episode overall (omg Númenor is so beautiful and Arondir is such a wonderful representation of a Silvan elf*, and I am absolutely a Fan of this show so far) but the Harfoot stage-oirishisms really took away from their plot for me which is such a pity. I was trying to focus on the heartbreaking revelation of Poppy's familial tragedy only to end up properly cringing at "shenanigans" etc... it very much traipsed into leprechaunisms and tiddly aye me lucky charms and a tipple of drink oy hoy hoy. I felt fairly uncomfortable watching this part. I know Leith McPherson said they tried to make it an 'abstract' Irishness (whilst also referring to the UK and Ireland and Isle of Man etc. as the British Isles...) and that it's separate from the politics of the real world, but I don't think leaning into the British imperial perception of Irishness is the way to go about it if such a thing can ever be achieved at all (note: I should say I don't think this is purposely done with any ill will on the part of the writers and creators). This is just particularly grating given Tolkien, the Jackson films, and thereby this show draw on Gaelic Revival and Gaelic medieval literature and art for the elves**. I was fine with it in ep 1 and 2 but in this episode, it felt forced and heavily leaning on 19th century colonial stereotyping. My fingers are crossed it swings away from this again because I really love Nori and Poppy.

*Not including the Quenya moment? I was a bit confused about that and Galadriel's conflation of the languages into 'elvish'.

** John Garth's The Worlds of J.R.R Tolkien offers a short summary on the various Celtic influences on the world and peoples of Arda. Dr. Dimitra Fima also has a great blogpost: "“Mad” Elves and “Elusive Beauty”: Some Celtic Strands of Tolkien’s Mythology"

[coimbrabertone]

Motorsports Christmas: An After-Action Report.

May 26th, 2024 was one of the biggest days in motorsports, and it was freaking exhausting in the best ways possible.

So, everybody knows that the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 are on the same day, well, the Charlotte 600 is on that day too, making for the triple. This year, the Catalan Motorcycle Grand Prix also fell on that weekend, so there was a quadruple of racing, and I was ready to watch it all.

I woke up around 5:30am - the joys of the Mountain Time zone - in time to watch MotoGP at 6am. Aleix Espargaro took pole on the factory Aprilia and Raul Fernandez on the Trackhouse Aprilia satellite bike lined up third, but it was Pecco Bagnaia in second that turned into the protagonist of the race. Bagnaia held off the likes of Jorge Martin, Marc Marquez, and Aleix Espargaro behind to take a calculated victory.

I was happy for Bagnaia, however, with Jorge Martin in second having a dominant championship lead, it did sort of feel like a pyrrhic victory. Bagnaia gives this controlled, smart victory ride but it doesn't really matter since he only scored five more points over his main championship rival. Add in the fact that Marc Marquez, who is toe-to-toe with Bagnaia in the fight for second, finished third. This means that Bagnaia leaves the Catalan Grand Prix 39 points behind Martin and just 2 ahead of Marquez.

That's not even the worst part.

Enea Bastianini - the rider I support - kinda had a meltdown this race. First, he starts eleventh, loses places off the start, and then got pushed off at turn one by Alex Marquez. Enea cuts the track to rejoin, receives a long lap penalty, refuses to serve it. He then gets gets pushed off again in a second attempt. Enea receives a double long-lap penalty for failing to serve the penalty, serves one but not the other, and then gets a thirty second penalty post race.

In his interviews, he called it a protest against unfair stewarding decisions.

On track, it led to him finishing eighteenth and out of the points.

This is particularly devastating as Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez - the guys in second and third - are fighting to take his seat for 2025. I already did a blogpost about this a few weeks ago and I have a lot to get to today, so I'll keep this brief, but yesterday was not a good day for Enea Bastianini.

The Monaco Grand Prix also happened. Swiftly moving on...

Joking. I'm joking. Monaco was actually pretty good this year. The Ferraris and McLarens qualified 1-3 and 2-4, respectively, so we got a fight between them rather than Red Bull dominance. Unfortunately, they decided to fight by going as slow as possible to prevent anyone else from pitting once they all got a free change of tyres under red following a scary first lap incident between Sergio Perez and the two Haas cars.

Still, it was a fight between Ferrari and McLaren and the top seven all put a lap on eighth place. That was as vintage F1 as you could get. It was also at vintage speeds with them running around four seconds off the pace, but hey, strategy shenanigans are fun.

Charles Leclerc won and proceeded to drop the Monegasque flag in front of the Prince of Monaco, twice. That is objectively funny and probably my favorite F1 moment of the weekend.

So, the Indianapolis 500.

Normally it would start shortly after Monaco, however, a rain front in Indianapolis delayed the 500 into the afternoon. This would wreck Kyle Larson's attempt to do the full 1100 mile double at Indy and Charlotte - more on that later - but it did actually lead to some great moments for me personally. Spending the hours in discords with other motorsports fans talking about when the rain might stop, when the track might dry out, when the race should start, whether Larson would stay or go...it all gave a very wholesome, community feel that I really enjoyed.

Then the race itself. It was amazing.

The clouds cleared, we got a partly cloudy afternoon with filled grandstands and a full 500-mile race around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We got a little bit of everything. Crashes (where thankfully nobody was hurt), engine failures, competing fuel strategies, sixteen different leaders - that's half the field! - and a last lap, penultimate corner pass for the win.

Now, I'm an Arrow McLaren fan. Alexander Rossi was a driver who I followed in F1 because I was excited at the prospect of seeing the first American driver in a decade. Rossi's F1 hopes with Marussia didn't work out, but he went on to Indycar and won the Indy 500 in his first attempt. Between the peak Andretti years where he had the knife between his teeth bringing the fight to the likes of Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon, to now, where he's in that beautiful #7 white and orange McLaren, bringing the fight to the likes of...Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon.

Then there's Pato O'Ward, the exciting, young, charismatic Mexican charger in the #5, driving an awesome orange and black car. It's perfect, he and Rossi have night and day cars, and they were slingshot passing each other in the Indianapolis 500 to save fuel. That was the happiest I was during the race, watching my two favorite Indycar drivers in my favorite team leading 1-2.

Then Alexander Rossi made his final pitstop for fuel.

They were racing to keep track position, so they fueled him just a bit short, and I fear that ultimately decided the course of the race.

Josef Newgarden cycled out in front at the end of the fuel cycle, Alexander Rossi attacked first, got in front, but immediately got overtaken again as he had to save a bit of fuel. Rossi would try again, but Newgarden would nose ahead, as would Pato O'Ward.

Pato O'Ward was a student of the Indy 500, so he knew he had to make the pass as late as possible to ensure that Josef Newgarden wouldn't be able to respond. Pato would lift in turn one on a number of final laps to stay second and keep the draft, before finally making the attack in turn one on the final lap...only for Josef Newgarden to come back at him in turn three.

There was nothing Pato could've done at that point.

Josef made the pass in turn three, got a good exit off turn four, and Pato didn't get enough of a draft to the finish line in order to stop him. Pato was rightfully devastated, Rossi ended up in fourth, behind the lead two in addition to third placed Scott Dixon, as a result of his fuel strategy.

It was utterly devastating.

But that's motorsport. The days that you lose are what make the days that you win more meaningful. The Indianapolis 500 happened in its entirety despite all the rain and the worries. Not only that, but NBC is saying that the preliminary ratings look to be over 5 million viewers for the race. A last lap pass, a back-to-back winner, and a ratings bump over last year. As much as I wish Pato or Rossi could've won that race, I've spent the last day making my peace with it. For now, I'll just be happy that Indycar as a sport snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat.

Then there was the Coke 600 at Charlotte.

I tuned in late thanks to the late Indianapolis 500, and I was pretty emotionally drained at this point, but a charge from Brad Keselowski at the end of the second stage got me motivated again. Brad Keselowski, the owner-driver of the #6 for the team I support in NASCAR - Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, also known as RFK Racing - pushed his way up the field. He moved into second, and he was hunting down the leader, Christopher Bell.

I began to believe that, after a 1,113-day winless streak, Brad Keselowski would win two races in three weeks.

Unfortunately, as soon as he caught up to the back of Bell, it started raining.

To add insult to injury, Kyle Larson, who had run the Indianapolis 500 earlier that day and completed all 500 miles, finishing 18th after a pitlane speeding penalty, had just arrived at Charlotte. He was about to take over the #5 from replacement driver Justin Allgaier, only he never got the chance.

At this point, I was emotionally drained after three and a half races, so at around 8:45pm, I fully embraced my grandmother era and went to bed.

That wound up being the right decision, because despite waiting out the rain and attempting to dry the track, NASCAR would end up calling the race anyway when they hit the end of Fox's TV window. Christopher Bell would win the race, Brad Keselowski would have to settle for second.

I quite literally missed nothing by going to bed when I did.

So, I sorta got the result I wanted at Catalunya, a full-on positive result at Monaco, and narrowly had my picks finish second at both Indianapolis and Charlotte.

In the grand scheme of things, that's not a bad Motorsports Christmas.

And on June 14th and 15th, we have Motorsports New Years with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, so the Racing Holidays aren't quite over.

[sigurdjarlson]

I enjoyed reading your long succession blogposts aaaaa Please also consider a more outlandish but fun concept: tomgreg roommate era but the Roy siblings decide to play the long game and pretend they don't know Tom ratted them out - nobody gets kicked out of their houses, Tom asks if he can go over to Greg's for "business matters" and Shiv's like "sure why not :)" and then the siblings tail them so they can dig up some dirt. Tomgreg catch on and try to cover up their tracks, shenanigans ensue

Ohhhh I have wondered if Shiv at least is going to try to pretend she doesn’t know since it gives her a bit of an advantage. (I’m not sure the other two know yet so it’ll be interesting to see if she tells them right away too or waits)

Also they do not know Greg is involved yet so it would be extremely funny if Shiv tried to approach Greg and get him to spy on Tom for her. She could easily give some kind of excuse like I’m worried about him he’s been off lately, etc

Or she could (less likely but not impossible) tell him straight up what Tom did and try to recruit him onto their team, not knowing he’s already sold his soul. Try to get him to be their inside man

She could try to pull the family card maybe. (I’m not so sure that will work anymore though lmao)

Hell even if they figure out he’s on Tom’s side (kind of a give in) they might still try to get him to turn and be their double agent. I’m not sure they’d succeed because he currently has the better deal w/ Tom and Logan. They’ve got nothing atm and have been cut out for the future.

So they don’t have anything offer Greg.

They might just straight up try to destroy him along with Tom him out of spite/perceived betrayal.

It’s kind of a mystery right now :D

So I’d say that’s not too outlandish. The Roys do love their games. And Tom not knowing they know does give them a bit of a advantage/room to maneuver.

That scenario you described tho would be kind of hilarious.

(I find the idea of Roman and Kendall spitefully spreading a rumor Tom and Greg fucking to be one of the funniest things I’ve seen suggested. Im not sure Shiv would be down since it’s her husband and kinda reflects on her in her eyes. Roman and Ken tho? Definitely.

It’ll destabilize their position with not only Logan if he believes it (although it is Mattsson who’s in charge now, Logan doesn’t hold nearly as much power even if he thinks he does)

But given that their audience is a bunch of conservative assholes…

Even funnier would the siblings finding out in the end that the rumors they spread are actually TRUE (or became true as a result of creating it and spreading it around (and forcing them to face their feelings for one another)

Oh oh but that + your scenario and every time Tom and Greg try to cover their tracks it makes them look more and more like they’re having an affair alsjdkdlf

[lizziestudieshistory]

Books of 2020 - April

April was a strange reading month for me, on the one hand I read 10 books which is double my average 5-6 books a month! On the other I completely failed to read my OWLs Magical Readathon tbr... I did manage to read books that worked for the prompts but they weren’t the books I meant to read. Oops!

(Once again I haven’t proof read this and I’ll just apologise in advance for any mistakes, I’m lazy...)

OWLS Magical Reathon: Hogwarts Professor (what subject I specialise in will depend on the NEWTS...)

Wyrd Sisters - Terry Pratchett (Discworld #6, Witches #1)

OWLS: History of Magic

I loved reading Wyrd Sisters, it was so much fun! Pratchett retold Shakespeare’s Macbeth from the witches view point, but with his usual satirical twist. Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat Garlick shine through the narrative, offering a no nonsense, ridiculous, and lovable take on witchcraft (or headology) as worked to protect Lancre from Duke and Duchess Felmet after they assassinated King Verence.

The Shakespeare references, puns, and reworkings in this book was sublime! I had a great time picking them out and watching as the acting company performed the most ridiculous versions of Shakespeare’s greatest works. I adored the witches - which was a bit surprising. I’d gone into this thinking I’d dislike the Witches sub-series after reading Equal Rites a couple of years ago (to this day it is my least favourite Discworld book...) However, Granny Weatherwax is a very different character here and the story is so separate from the narrative in Equal Rites that I refuse to see this book as the second installment in the Wtiches sub-series. I’d highly recommed reading Wyrd Sisters, and it would be a fantastic place to start with Pratchett if you like retellings and/or Shakespeare!

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Anon, trans. by J.R.R. Tolkien

OWLS: Potions

I enjoyed this translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Tolkien’s style and tone suits this style of poetry (would you call it epic? It’s more of a romance...) Tolkien brought the story in Sir Gawain to life for me, in a way I’ve never experienced in other versions I’ve read. I fell in love with this simple tale from Arthurian Legend, which I’ve never done before... It’s beautiful, simple, and captivating. I would highly recommend reading this edition if you’re interested in Sir Gawain. 

The Last Hero - Terry Pratchett (Discworld #27, Rincewind and the Wizards #7)

OWLs: Astronomy

This is a book of two halves for me. The story itself is a bit too simple for my tastes... We see Cohen the Barbarian (the only Discworld character I actually hate) heading towards the Hub to return fire to the gods, however, Ankh-Morpork sends a party afte him to prevent him from destroying the Disc. This party was hilarious: Rincewind, the Librarian, Leonard of Quirrm, and Captain Carrot Ironfounderson all confined to a tiny ‘spaceship’... This was not a combination of characters I ever expected to see and their personalities, particularly Carrot and Rincewind, created several spectacularly ridiculous moments I loved! But the plot itself wasn’t great, I was expecting a bit more from Pratchett at this stage in in the Discworld.

However, the artwork in this book was stunning! It worked so well to elevate the story, I couldn’t help but love it... If the artwork hadn’t been included this book would have been a lot weaker... It’s hard to rate the book because of this, but I did really enjoy it (and hopefully this will be the last time I have to read about Cohen the Barbarian and the Silver Horde.) Also, look up Rincewind as The Scream, it’s brilliant!

We Should All Be Feminists - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

OWLs: Arithmancy

I usually don’t read essays for pleasure, nonfiction has been relegated to academic pursuits for the last 5ish years... Yet, this classic (I’m calling it a classic, everyone should read it) essay from Adichie was incredibly powerful. It emphasised the importance of feminism to non-western/European women and highlighted how important and beneficial feminism is for everyone. It’s a really important piece for people to read and I’d highly recommend finding the audiobook, or a reading, done by Adichie as her passion for the subject shines through her words.

Beren and Luthien - J.R.R. Tolkien (Middle Earth)

OWLs: Transfiguration

I ADORED Beren and Luthien, it was the best book I’ve read all month. I was expecting to dislike this book because of it’s formatting. It’s told through several fragmentary versions of Beren’ and Luthien’s romance that at Tolkien wrote throughout his life. Christopher Tolkien edited together 5 or 6 (maybe?) manuscripts along with his own commentary, introduction, and parts of the Earendil story to give us a fleshed out picture of Tolkien’s greatest romance. Unlike The Fall of Gondolin, which I read earlier this year, the format worked beautifully for Beren and Luthien, probably because the different versions that have survived were incredibly different and more complete.

I was feeling a bit so-so about this collection until we started seeing the Lay of Leithian (sp?) woven in between a few prose versions of the tale. The verse in the Lay of Leithian was gorgeous, it was beautiful, etherial, and passionate. I actually cried reading a few sections from it, such as the end of Felagund’s part in the tale. It was such a shame Tolkien never finished the Lay as it probably would have been his best work within the Middle Earth legend. It was captivating and the poetry suited the tone and style of Beren and Luthien’s story. The verse would have made the final acts of Luthien in the Halls of Mados exquisite, poignant, and heartbreakingly tragic.

I cannot love this book more - it might be my favourite in Middle Earth, knocking The Silmarillion off the top spot... But, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book for everyone. If you’re a Tolkien fanatic then I’d consider this a must read, it contains Tolkien’s most beautiful writing along with his most tragic romance! If you’re only mildly interested in Middle Earth then I don’t think you’re going to enjoy it.

The Children of Earth and Sky - Guy Gavriel Kay

OWLs: Charms

The Children of Earth and Sky was an incredibly read, it’s a powerful but understated historical fantasy set in a world based on (I presume) renaissance Italy and the Ottoman Empire at its height. There’s not a vast amount of story here, however, the character work, world building, and thematic discussion around history, religion, the ability of an individual to change the fate of nations, corruption of power, and so much more, was stunning. It was a beautiful study of characters and cultures, which was complimented by Kay’s sumptuous writing style. This was a gorgeous read! 

My biggest criticism is for the romances, Kay had 4 main characters - two men and two women - and rather predictably they ended up in relationships by the end of the novel... The relationship between Danica and Marin did make more sense to me by the end of the book than the relationship between Leonora and Pero. However, both were a bit instalove-y and could have done with more development.

Nevertheless, I’d highly recommend this book! It would be an excellent read for people who aren’t fantasy fans as the fantastical elements are minor. The focus is on the historical influences, themes, and character development. It’s an excellent standalone fantasy book and I’m excited to read more of Kay’s work in the future.

The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare

OWLs: Divination

Most of what I could say about The Merchant of Venice has already been said before. Shakespeare’s portrayal of Shylock is incredibly problematic (I haven’t got the time or energy to go into why, but there are literally thousands of books, essays and blogposts about this, go forth and read if you want more details), the relationship between Portia and Bassanio makes NO sense, and I cannot believe that ending means anyone is going to be happy...

However, this play has a certain charm that I loved. I couldn’t help but like the relationship between Antonio and Bassanio, Portia and Nerissa are darlings, and I had fun reading the wacky plotline and (yet more) crossdressing shenanigans going on in here! I think most of my enjoyment came from the RSC version I watch alongside the play (currently availbale on Marquee TV). Either way, I’m happy to have read the play AT LAST and be one play closer to my goal of reading every Shakespeare play!

Assassin’s Apprentice - Robin Hobb (Farseer #1, Realm of the Elderlings #1)

OWLs: Defence Against the Dark Arts

We all know how I feel about Robin Hobb and the Realm of the Elderlings. I adore this world, Fitz and the Fool are (probably) the best written characters in fantasy and two of my all time favourites! I reread this for the Elderlingalong (that I somehow missed...), which gave me the perfect excuse to pick up the new 25th Anniversary edition with the GORGEOUS illustrations from Magali Villeneuve. I had a wonderful time rereading this and if you’re a fan of Hobb and you haven’t seen the work this book already you MUST get your hands on it ASAP. 

Non-OWLs books

The Gathering Storm - Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (Wheel of Time #12)

I wrote WAY to much to include it on this long list of books... I’ll post my thoughts on The Gathering Storm separately. 

Conclusion of my ramblings: I really liked it, there were flaws in Sanderson’s writing and treatment of some characters (Mat in particular), however, it was a really good installment in the series! Sanderson really impressed me and I’m slightly nervous and very excited to read the last two books in the series!

The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings #1)

I’ve already put up a lot of my thoughts on my latest read of The Fellowship of the Ring here. I really loved rereading this book (as I always do), I had a lot of new thoughts, and I gained a new appreciation of Boromir and Tolkien’s poetry. My annotation reread will continue in the near future with The Two Towers - I just need to clear a few urgent reads off my shelves first!

Currently Reading

Nevermore: The Trials of Morrigan Crow - Jessica Townsend

Buddy read book! I’ve actually finished this at time of posting but I’m trying to give an accurate view of my April reading!

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet - Becky Chambers

I was supposed to read this for Arithmancy, but I didn’t get round to it... I’ve also finished this one early this month.

Words of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson

Another buddy read with @towerofleeza​! We’re not the best at reading this at the same time (sorry dear!) but I think we’re both loving it, I certainly am!

Witches Abroad - Terry Pratchett

I couldn’t help myself I needed more of the Witches! I’ve also finished this one at time of posting this and enjoyed it.

[keanahbuenaventura]

"Masyado kang overthinker, para kang siya. Yung maliliit na bagay pinapalaki niyo."

"Hindi mo naman maiisip yan kung hindi big deal sa'yo yung bagay na yun."

Got the chance to meet with Roanne, my high school bff. Well, she said a lot of things. We talked about our lives. What happened to us during the quarantine period, how do we deal with all of our problems. I let her read my blogposts about my rants and all and she told me everything that happened to her.

I really missed her. I can't remember when was the last time I saw her haha. She's one of my constant friend. She's always willing to listen to my shenanigans. Those two things she said earlier really made an impact to me. I admit, I am an overthinker. I tend to let the little things be a bigger issue that can cause a really huge argument. I also don't have the courage to say the things I want to say to the other person personally. Well, she really know me too well. And that is why I love her. Hahaha.

Sana lang talaga ganun kadali sabihin lahat ng gusto mong sabihin.