#i only actually parallel parked 6 times before my road test and those were all on the morning of the test

[akalimist]

(4 years pre-canon)

Mina, learning how to drive: ya girl managed to normally park a car and a k-turn is easy. parallel parking is causing issues bc kaedan doesn't know how to actually teach me and just says "you just. do it." Fenix: can you Z-turn though? Mina: that sounds like it involves me having a panic attack while turning so yes i can.

[diaryofanormalkid]

Ya girl FINALLY got her g2 license!

I literally have been waiting/preparing so long for this! Bc I was supposed to do it like 2 different times last year but just ended up having to changes dates bc of covid restrictions/lockdown and locations.

The first time, it had to do with an issue of location I believe or something? It was my driving instructors fault bc they told us we should be booking in one location instead of the first choice.

The real fault was them making us fend for ourselves [my siblings and I] when booking our road tests. So we only had two more chances at changing our road tests dates before we have to wait 6 months, right?

That’s like a rule for some reason, not really sure why when there could be multiple reasons somebody has to change road tests dates. But anyways, so we had two chances left!

So that first road test ended up getting changed from November 12th, 2020 all the way to December 29th, 2020. So I was extremely upset at my driving instructors bc I didn’t want my lessons to go in vain.

I ended up having to space out my driving lessons so that I would have some practice in between taking my lessons and actually doing the test. But... THEN THE FRICKING SECOND LOCKDOWN HAPPENED.

In Ontario, literally the lockdown happened 3 [THREE, YES I AM YELLING THE NUMBER] days before my road test date. So it was December 26th when they shut down EVERYTHING.

And I was so pissed because that meant all road tests were going to get cancelled and we would have to reschedule yet again. Soooo at this point I was a little panicked bc it would be my 3rd and last time.

Remember how I said there is only 3 chances to reschedule a road test and then you have to wait another 6 months before you can reschedule again? Well it wasn’t looking too promising for me.

Because not only did I have to wait and keep checking until the site spit up available dates to book the road (there was none because all road tests were cancelled), this was going to be the deal breaker!

So I finally after months of checking and waiting got to pick a date for July 16th, 2021, which is today (duh)! And I said this is like make or break bc if I don’t pass I have to wait 6 MONTHS AGAIN!

I put a lot of pressure on myself to really do my best to prepare mentally and physically for this road test because I definitely did not want to redo it again! So I was genuinely just so nervous up until this point!

And another factor, I was paranoid that this staging system for the lockdown wouldn’t lift to stage 2-3 in time for my last two driving lessons, because I still had two remaining to kind of refresh my memory.

So it ended up working out perfectly so that I could arrange two driving lessons within two weeks of my road test so I could practice in time! It worked out amazingly.

My shifts and schedule ended up lining up perfectly so that I could not only do those last two driving lessons, but practice many times with my mom and brother! They were such a big help!

I can’t thank them enough bc they really dedicated so much time to making sure I did things correctly and to the standards of how the driving instructors would evaluate.

My mom took me extra early today to the road test location. I actually ended up driving like 80% of the way, which btw is a super far location because I think we got there after and hour and a half?

It was a good drive, I was comfortable. My concerns when we got there (because we got there 2 hours early) mostly was to get familiar with the roads and speed limits quickly and practice parking!

So my parallel parking and reverse parking were my biggest trouble spots. I ended up going over those a lot right before the test. It was super tedious and frustrating because it was hit or miss mostly.

But I ended off on a good note and decided to end it around 10:50-ish so I could get checked in early since my road test was at 11:30. I chose a parking space and was waiting for a looooong time.

The whole time, I’m sweating and nervous with sweaty palms and I started needing to use the washroom and it was just a mess of a time waiting so long for them. I believe I finally started at 12:30-ish?

So when I started, she seemed pretty decent for an instructor and I tried my best not to look nervous but I had to use the bathroom sooo bad I just kept thinking I hope finishes quickly.

It was seriously the shortest test ever though, and I literally don’t think I messed up anything majorly at alll. I felt confident, and by the end of it she told me to finish off with reverse parking.

I was super glad I had practiced all that reverse parking earlier, however it all came down to if I was in the lines or not. So I took my time looking back and in my mirrors and ended off getting inside!

It was funny bc I was inside and not too close to either side, but I was crooked, and I told myself I don’t even want to correct it bc I don’t think I can get myself any straighter than this since I’m already in.

So I called it a day there and just said, I’m in so she can’t tell me I didn’t get inside properly. I was proud of myself bc I did my reverse parking on the first try and without having to correct myself!

At the end of it, she was very brief and short with me but she said I could go back inside to hand in my ticket number and license so that I could collect my license, and that’s how I knew I passed.

It was underwhelming to say the least because she didn’t really make it clear that I passed. She just walked off after. But I was so relieved, it’s like I could feel allll the anxiety release from me immediately!

My mom was so happy for me and immediately praised Jesus! As for myself, I just knew when I got home I had to thank God and then possibly cry bc this is a biiiig milestone for myself specifically!

I was super relieved just because I wouldn’t have to come back! I underwent far too much stress this first time and didn’t want to do it again, so I am just grateful to God!

I also couldn’t be happier that the day that I got my g2 was the day the lockdown was lifted from stage 2 to stage 3! So more places are opening and it was just a perfect time ‼️

[purplesurveys]

1124

survey by nadine07

Three Names You Are Called:

1. Robyn, by virtually everybody. 

2. Byn, by close family members.

3. For some reason I have some friends who call me Bynbyn? even though I never established it as a nickname?? but they use it as an affectionate nickname so ultimately I don’t mind it. It just takes me aback sometimes, lmao.

Three Colors You Are Wearing At the Moment:

1. Red

2. White

3. Pink. Or light purple, depending on how you see it.

The Last Three People To Call You:

1. My mom, though I missed the call because I was at work earlier.

2. I just saw that Ysa, my director, also tried to call me. This story is so fucking stupid...I physically went to the office last Wednesday to pack some groceries, and all day long I had been leaving the door slightly ajar every time I had to go out because I haven’t had my biometrics enrolled yet and I don’t hold the keys to the office (and I was the only one who requested to go there for that day).

Of course, knowing my luck, the door slipped while I was out (I had to very briefly hand a package to a courier), locking me out of the goddamn office with all my shit inside. Even worse, I had a meeting going on with a client – I had speaking parts assigned to me, and I got locked out like 30 seconds before my part would start. I’m guessing Ysa called me during the time I disappeared but I obviously couldn’t have answered the phone. It was infuriating, especially since my manager had to cover for my slides which she didn’t practice for.

I’ll no longer get into how I managed to get back inside since it’s another embarrassing and complicated story altogether, but suffice it to say I was really upset about the whole thing and I still feel uneasy imagining how that meeting could’ve gone down with my disappearance.

3. A courier. They usually call when they’re already arrived where you are, so that they know where exactly to meet up with you.

Three Days You Look Forward To Each Year:

1. My birthday, because it’s kinda cool turning into a different age.

2. Whenever Wrestlemania is scheduled, which is usually late March or early April.

3. ...I don’t have any either favorite days/dates.

Three Jobs You've Had:

1. PR associate.

2. That’s my first job. I’ve had two internships before that, and they were both at PR agencies.

3. -

Three Bands/Singers You Love:

1. Paramore

2. Beyoncé

3. The Japanese House

Three People You've Talked To Today:

1. It’s exactly 7 AM. I could’ve talked to my parents when they headed downstairs earlier but I pretended I was still asleep on the couch so that they couldn’t, hahaha. They’ve since gone out to jog. I don’t think I’ve said a word at all yet this morning, actually.

2. -

3. -

Three Things You Could Grab From Where You're Sitting:

1. My phone.

2. The other end of this table.

3. My vape pen.

The Last Three Things You've Had to Drink:

1. I most recently had a glass of water after I finished my bag of salted egg chips.

2. I finished off the last of my coffee.

3. I also drank soju last night as an impromptu thing because I saw that I still had a peach-flavored one (my favorite) in the fridge.

Three People You Can Always Count On:

1. Angela.

2. Andi.

3. I’m also gonna name Pia even though we aren’t the closest. Girl has been crazy supportive over the last few months.

Three Places You Want to Go:

1. That I haven’t been to yet? Seoul in South Korea.

2. Thailand.

3. Morocco.

The Last Three Places You've Gone:

1. Other than places in the house – the local coffee shop inside my village.

2. The office.

3. The Starbucks beside the office. I had arrived a bit early so I had some time to walk over there and order something.

The Last Three Non-Relatives You've Hung Out With:

1. Angela.

2. Hans.

3. We were 8 in the group the last time we went out lol. But aside from the above, Pia (a different one) was the one who made the most effort to talk to me as well.

Three People To Be Stranded On A Desert Island With:

1. Angela.

2. Kate.

3. Not sure. Maybe Al for some comic relief while we try to survive there?

Three Smells You Love:

1. Cookies being baked.

2. A hotel room.

3. Seafood.

Three People You Look Up To:

1. Angela’s mom.

2. Andi.

3. My manager, Bea. Well she just got promoted, so I guess I’ll call her my director now, hahaha.

Three Places You've Lived:

1. The duplex where I mostly grew up, just a village away from my current one. I got to experience living in either house, as well.

2. Tondo, Manila. With my dad’s family.

3. Sampaloc, Manila. My parents briefly had an apartment and I was there for like a few months as a newborn.

Three Good Teachers You've Had:

1. My music teacher for the entirety of high school.

2. My professor in international relations.

3. My professor in my social history and history of Filipino women electives.

Three Things You're Good At:

1. I gotta say I’m great at parking, hahaha. Backward parking, parallel parking, you name it.

2. Going through my to-do list and finishing off every task by the end of the day.

3. Reflexes, or reacting/responding immediately, especially in games.

The Last Three People You've Kissed:

1. Gabie.

2. -

3. -

The Last Three People You've Dated:

1. Gabie.

2. -

3. -

Three People With Whom You've Shared a Secret:

1. Andi.

2. JM.

3. Jo was the first person I informed about my breakup, and I didn’t even reveal it publicly until like three months after. I didn’t expect to confide in her especially since we aren’t the closest, but I think I was just desperate to tell someone then to finally acknowledge reality.

Three Irresponsible Things You've Done:

1. Vape.

2. Road rage.

3. Leave my laptop in a classroom as I left to go to another class, in another building.

Three Movies You Love:

1. Two for the Road.

2. Revolutionary Road.

3. Room.

The Last Three People You've Gone to the Movies With:

1. Angela.

2. Leigh.

3. Gabie.

The Last Three People You've Ridden in a Car With:

1. Laurice.

2. Kuya Toby.

3. Lui.

Three Facts About Your #1:

1. Can I name my best friends instead? Angela is in her final year of college taking up architecture.

2. She has two shih tzus, Hailey and Kennedy.

3. Her mom is a pediatrician and has her own clinic in their home.

Three Places You've Gone With Your #2:

1. I haven’t been too adventurous with Andi...most recently we’ve gone to a Korean barbecue joint for a one-on-one catch up date.

2. TK.

3. Rita’s house.

Three Things You've Done With Your #3:

1. Kate works for the government.

2. Last time I talked to her, she’s still set on retake a law school exam after not getting admitted to her campus of choice last year.

3. She had a bad habit of dating orgmates.

Three Things You Have in Common With Your #4:

1. Laurice is great at debate.

2. She lives in the south, so I don’t get to see her a lot.

3. She has a cute habit of calling many of our friends by their respective honorifics, even though they’re the same age or even when she’s literally older than some of them.

Three Things That Annoy You:

1. Making the effort to go to a store and seeing they’re closed for the day, even though they didn’t indicate it in their social media accounts.

2. Offices of government agencies and their ever-grumpy staff.

3. Filipinos’ tendency to turn 3 lanes into 6 during a traffic jam.

Three Things That Attract You To The Opposite Sex:

1. Asexual. Pass.

2. - 

3. - 

Three Material Items You'd Save If You're House Was On Fire:

1. My laptop, since all my work files and a whole ton of memories are in here.

2. My phone, so I can update family and friends.

3. My glasses. Realistically, I wouldn’t care about any of these and would jump up to grab my dogs instead.

Three Careers You've Considered:

1. Journalist.

2. Lawyer.

3. Historian.

Three Things You Wish You Knew About Your Future:

1. Whether marriage or kids will be part of mine.

2. When I’m dying, and what from.

3. Where I’ll end up living, and what kind of housing.

The Last Three Songs You Listened To:

1. Wait On - Hayley Williams

2. Good Grief - Hayley Williams

3. Over Those Hills - Hayley Williams. Stream Flowers for Vases, friends.

Three Things You Consider Lucky:

1. I don’t believe in lucky charms.

2. - 

3. - 

Three T.V. Show Characters You Wish Were Real:

1. Mr. Peanutbutter from BoJack Horseman.

2. Chandler Bing from Friends.

3. Glenn Rhee from The Walking Dead.

Three Issues You Have Strong Opinions On:

1. Racial equality. 

2. Gender equality.

3. Abortion rights.

Three Things You Wish You Could Change About Yourself:

1. That I wasn’t so clumsy at work.

2. That I wasn’t too selfless all the time to just about anyone.

3. That I had a better hold of my finances and keep spending just because I’m still within budget, heheh.

Three People From Your Past You Wish You Could Spend a Day With:

1. My grandpa, who passed away before I could properly grow up and shoot the shit with him over some beer.

2. Nacho.

3. Sofie, so we can properly catch up, just the two of us.

Three Famous People You'd Like to Meet:

1. Beyoncé.

2. Hayley Williams.

3. Leni Robredo.

Three Things You Are Wearing:

1. A t-shirt.

2. A pair of shorts.

3. Underwear.

The Last Three Places You Went That Were More Than 2 Hours Away:

1. Tagaytay.

2. My dad’s family’s home in Laguna.

3. Those are the only places we’ve been to where we had to travel for a while.

The Last Three Reasons You Went to the Hospital:

1. Blood and urine test for my ~mystery illness~ last year.

2. I had to be confined for a couple of days because of low platelet count.

3. ...I was born. I haven’t made many trips to the hospital. 

Three Things You Are Addicted To:

1. I’ve never felt comfortable using the term addicted because it’s an actual condition...but if you mean to ask for what I’m hooked to at the moment, I’d go with coffee.

2. And salted egg chips. I literally bought five bags of chips yesterday and I’m already finished with my third.

3. Anything Korean, tbh. Korean food, shows, music, etc...the Korean Wave is very strong over here and I’ve finally been reeled all the way in.

Three Favorite Colors:

1. Baby pink or pastel pink.

2. Mustard yellow.

3. Maroon.

Three Things You Will Do Now That This Is Over:

1. Find another one to take for later.

2. Finish my breakfast, and maybe heat up some leftover pasta because I’m still hungry.

3. Maybe get my embroidering template so I can make some progress today.

[missfinefeather]

And now he’s all stressed out, stunting his growth.

I hate this. I hate this so much.

I’ve told people about this before but probably not on my MHA liveblog. I didn’t learn how to drive until my 30s and by then I’ve developed a BUTTLOAD OF ANXIETY AROUND IT.

My driving instructor was simply called “The Coach” because he taught high school gym with driving instruction being a side job. He knew I had anxiety, I not only told him this but our first session had like 15 minutes of us in a parking lot while I had a nervous panic.

He would criticize me for every little tiny mistake I made. EVERY SINGLE MISTAKE and each time I’d get more and more anxious. I’m a nervous wreck by the end of it and I’m making so many mistakes by that point that he’s fuming with me.

He’d tell me stuff like “You’re going to get in an accident one day, it’s inevitable, you’ll just need to accept it.”

One day, we were late getting home because a poor decision on my part got us caught behind a train. An active firetruck was approaching fast and it was my first time encountering an emergency vehicle in one of my driving sessions. I turned off as you’re supposed too, but I turned off faster than he liked and BROKE INTO A RAGE! He was yelling at me the entire way back home. When he ran out of things to chastise me for he started making it up, yelling at me for like, not remembering what color jacket a random pedestrian had on. When we got home, I just got in bed and cried for hours.

I knew it was hurting me, but I always assumed it was my fault. I always excused it as “If i got in a real wreck, the other person would be MORE angry than he gets.” and just, took the abuse.

I eventually switched driving instructors. It was after failing the driving test the second time. I was re-evaluating what I was doing wrong and I realize the hour of practice I have with the Coach has me good and on the edge by the time the actual test happened and decided maybe I’d have a better chance with a calmer instructor.

I asked for a nice calm lady this time, and while we had some missteps in the early sessions, driving with her was MUCH more chill. Three weeks later, I took the test again, I got a flippin 90! That’s considering I didn’t do the parallel parking bit, which was 6 points towards the final grade. Apparently the Coach was intentionally teaching parallel parking wrong for some reason, something I found out on the other instructor. Yeah, I skipped that part.

It took me a long time to figure out that I was part of an abusive authority figure relationship. Remember, I was seeing his outbursts as justified the whole time, but those final three weeks really put things in perspective.

I’m thankful he taught me to drive but, I’m still terrified of driving because of him. When I got in a huge wreck last year, all I could think about were those words the Coach said to me “You’re going to get in an accident one day, it’s inevitable, you’ll just need to accept it.“ Even though my family has mostly forgotten about the wreck, I still haven’t. I still don’t trust myself on the road, because he taught me to not trust myself, the wreck just allowed the part of my brain he resides in to move back in into my consciousness.

I just, I just hate this. I never got to grow naturally because an asshole thought he could force me into compliance. I hate it so gogdamn much, and yet I’m scared.

[mcrmadness]

I was tagged by @cupcakecurl, thank you so much! I’ll try to remember to tag you whenever I am tagged the next time!

It’s a long post so I put it under the “keep reading” link.

1. Do you ever make your bed? No. I have a loft bed so no one can see to there (unless someone is like 2m tall but I barely have visitors and especially not that tall people lol. Or maybe bit shorter people too but since I’m very short, I can’t see there :D) so there’s no point in making the bed. Plus I tend to sweat a lot during some nights so I like to leave the bed “open” so it can dry properly.

2. What’s your favorite number? 13. But also 23 and 123.

3. What’s your job? Currently I’m on a sick leave but my “profession” is horse groom.

4. If you could go back to school, would you? Ummm, I’ve been to plenty of schools but with a bit bad success... I actually love studying and learning but I don’t like schools nor going to schools. So I’m constantly wanting to learn and study but every time I’ve been accepted into a school, I have asked myself "why tf did you have to do this again when you know you hate this all???” as every time I face the same concentration problems with essays etc.

5. Can you parallel park? Yes, but I prefer not to do that on a busy road since I start fucking up things when I feel like I have to hurry because I’m bothering other people. So only when there’s not other cars going everywhere I will do that, otherwise I’ll find another spot to park.

6.  A job you had that would surprise People? I haven’t really had that weird jobs, all of them have been about horses tbh. And I haven’t done a real job ever anyway, just work trainings and school related trainings. But I might say here that before I figured I want to work with horses, I was trying to study animal caretaking and that certain branch was focusing on farm animals. So I have actually been to a cowhouse with milk cows and I have been milking them and worked with cows and calves there a lot as it was a huge part of my school. I also know how to drive a tractor and how to reverse with a trailer attached because we did this A LOT at school and we had to do this again when I was studying in the horse school and it was one of the tests to reverse a tractor and the trailer had to go into an imagined “barn”.

7. Do you believe aliens are real? Yes. I mean, this universe is such a huge place, why the fuck not??? I actually had this thought from a very early on that there must be life out there somewhere and I’m pretty sure they are aware of us all but let’s be honest, if you was from an another galaxy and found out there’s a this small planet with some puny people on it, would you want to get to know us? No, I don’t think so. If we have to kill each other for stupid reasons, do you really think humans would suddenly agree being friends with aliens too? So I still believe they are out there and are aware of us but don’t really bother meeting us nor even letting us know about them because humans are the most idiotic animal on this planet. If you look at all these scifi movies already (witch a few exceptions) and how we always imagine the aliens: if they are hostile, they are unintelligent, can’t talk and will make monster noises and they will look like monsters. If they are friendly, they are super intelligent, can talk or use even telepathy to talk to us and they are humanoids, never monsters. I guess we’re just so scared of them we’re obsessed with this idea and we’re scared they would be more intelligent and still hostile at the same time...

8. Can you drive a manual car? Yup, I have only ever had a manual car and I actually have never driven an automatic car. I’ve no clue how they work :D In Finland you can choose between a driver’s licence to manual or automatic car and with manual you can drive them both, with automatic you can only drive automatic cars. (Do people say automatic car or should it be “with automatic gears”?)

9. What’s your guilty pleasure? I was thinking about this a lot and I think I will agree with the person who tagged me and also say male/male pairings and shipping. But I don’t want to give the same answer (I think there was a really good points!) so I think I’ll go with an easier one: this doesn’t happen that often anymore but when I was still studying and working 4-5 days/week.

We were always listening to radio at work and we usually used channels with music from the 70s and 80s, maybe also 90s and sometimes even older than that. Once one of the workers left the place, we all started using other channels cos everyone was so done with that one particular radio channel :D Anyway, my guilty pleasure was that some songs sometimes stuck in my head, often from old and really popular bands that I couldn’t even link to the band itself. And I really hate earworms when they are not music I normally like to listen to, so I often get really frustrated with them and I start my hunt for the songs so I can listen to them and maybe finally remove it from my head. And here comes my guilty pleasure: reading the youtube comments to some really old songs’ music videos. They are often just so damn hilarious I was often dying from laughter when I did that! And it’s bit sad too because I would have loved to share with them other people but either they would have not understood the youtube comment humour or if I brought it up to someone who actually liked the music, they would just get offended. So I actually realize only now how often this was happening with the songs and I’ve found some really hilarious comments from there too!

I also had several songs I kinda liked to listen to when they were playing. That is something fun too because I wouldn’t say they are guilty pleasure songs but more like... just something for myself you know? I’m often really open but sometimes I like it more when I can keep things only to myself. And it somehow cheered me up when I was driving my car or working in the stable and then heard one of those “guilty pleasure” songs that I could enjoy and at the same time enjoy of the fact no one knew I was enjoying them! I guess I like it because I’m often feeling like being way too visible and I’m afraid that I give away opinions and feels without saying them aloud and what I really want to keep to myself, so that makes me feel REALLY good when I know no one can read me!

10. Tattoos? No. And not gonna have either. I have a fear of needles and pain, I used to have one pair of earrings and even that was terrible enough. And painful.

11. Favorite color? Orange, almost like the neon orange; electric blue, and black.

12. Things people do that piss you off? Ohhh are we talking about pet peeves now? I usually am very calm and it’s hard to make me angry but I’d say that what REALLY pisses me off is when someone/people don’t listen to me. And I mean when they literally tell to my face they don’t care, they don’t want to hear, and that I should shut up. That is what makes me really furious even. One of those rare things that make me really feel like I need to start smashing things. Also people talking over and not listening overall is something a bit annoying but I can take it, but not when it’s intentional. Also I’m very stubborn and sometimes not getting what I want makes me angry too since I kinda got used to that as the oldest siblings, but at the same time I am aware of this and I don’t think I’m surperior or anything. Just some things I need to pay more attention to about myself.

13. Any phobias? Fire (pyrophobia), needles and sharp objects (aichmophobia) and social anxiety (social phobia), for the starters.

14. Favorite childhood sport? I had none. I liked badminton tho but just like... a few times in a summer and then I forgot about it again. And as a pre-teen I actually was horseback riding regularly for about half a year. Then a pony threw me down and it was my first time falling of a horse and of course I had to break my arm. Since that I have fallen just once but I don’t really like riding that much, driving is more of a my thing now.

15. Do you ever talk to yourself? Not really, I laugh aloud more often but I don’t really talk to myself. I don’t like hearing my voice when I’m alone, it triggers my depersonalization/dissociation.

16. What movie do you adore? Oh what movie I wouldn’t adore??? I watch so many movies and it’s almost impossible to say just one... I guess I’m gonna say my favorite one of them all: Beetlejuice by Tim Burton. I have always been really interested in all kinds of different imagines of death because I have always been a bit afraid of death and I just don’t like the thought of everything ending on that. I can basically imagine that emptiness and it’s really scary and something I don’t want to have. So I have always been really into anything that will show death as something else than emptiness or permanent. And I really love it what Burton did with Beetlejuice and I just love all the details in there! I have seen this movie millions of times and still I feel like whenever I watch it, I find something I did not see the last time because there’s just so much to see! And it’s also really funny and full of dark humour which is 110% my thing and I think that movie is a perfect example of Burton’s twisted, dark sense of humour. I feel like I understand his humour so well that every time I go to see a Burton movie in the theaters, I’m usually the only one to laugh at things I get as these weird jokes he likes to put there and everyone else is laughing at things that weren’t always even meant as that funny. It’s kinda weird, but it just shows that he’s my favorite move director for a reason :D And back to Beetlejuice (was that now the third time saying the name..?), Danny Elfman made the music to this one too and the theme is probably my favorite Danny Elfman score as well.

17. Do you like doing puzzles? Yeah! I like both types: jigsaw puzzles and the other puzzles and I really love when video games have lots of puzzles to solve as idk, somehow I just love that :D

18. What’s your favorite kind of music? Uh, this is gonna take a while to explain. Because it’s not that simple... I mean, in a way it is but it isn’t? :D I tend to like bands that basically are of the newer punk rock but don’t necessarily be punk itself, but they all either have roots in punk or their influences were mainly punk bands. And a while back I actually realized that most bands I listen to, actually have lots of the same bands behind there as their influences but all these bands (that I listen to) are all totally different from each other. So I like music that is based on punk rock but with a lot of new stuff added to them and I like music that is very diverse and offers a lot for the ears to hear, lots of layers and instruments etc. but so that on an album there isn’t 10 songs that are hard to tell apart ebcause they sound so alike, but more like 10 songs that are all different enough from each other but still similar enough that they sound like they belong into the same album. I’m very picky with music but the more I look back into what my music taste has been over the years, I still seem to always like the same things, and one of the things I like a lot with music is when there’s violins and/or pianos, I also like brass, but only when it’s there every now and there and not in every song. When not getting too much of something, it stays interesting, otherwise I’ll become very bored and start to look for “new” stuff to have enough stimuli.

So, many probably are already aware that my favorite band is Die Ärzte. And others, from the US: MCR, The Killers and Yellowcard. Rammstein from Germany and there’s some other German bands I might listen to too. From Finland I like bands like: Apulanta, Tehosekoitin, Klamydia, Häiriköt... And have to say here that as weird as it sounds, DÄ, MCR and Apulanta are quite different but all of them have lots of the same bands that influenced them! :D And Rammstein is probably the most different but hey, they also have punk roots! (And I like Feeling B too, btw. It’s very rare to me because I normally don’t like THAT regular punk but I really love the drums, escpecially when Schneider joined the band, and all the other instruments and the synth just made them to stand out!) And even The Killers share some influence bands with DÄ and MCR which is super interesting as there’s nothing punk in their style, but they’re still one of the most important bands from my teenage years. I was about 14 when I heard of them for the first time at school and since there was no Youtube yet, the hunt for the song, “Somebody Told Me”, was quite intense because only way to find it was to one day hear someone mention the song and band name on radio, but fortunately I did catch it! The album I found only 1-2 years later tho, when their 2nd album was released and I found both albums from a record store (R.I.P. record stores...) here.

So, that’s my favorite kind of music. Fast, interesting, lots of layers and instruments, good singing and it has to have lots of melody too. I live from songs with lots of melody.

19. Tea or coffee? Tea, and actually the only tea I drink is Earl Greay and I drink that on a daily basis. Usually just 1 cup/day but sometimes even 2. 3 starts to have bit too much caffeine already. And from here we get to the reason I don’t drink coffee: my head can’t stand caffeine and the only time I do drink coffee is because I need caffeine aka when I drive longer distances with a car, but it causes me exessive sweating and I need to pee 24/7 and increses my panic symptoms and worsens my concentration skills so I try to avoid caffeine as much as I can. Besides, coffee tastes bad. It’s one of the best smells in the world and I HATE how it does not taste like that!!! So whenever I drink coffee, it’s not really coffee, it’s milk and sugar with a little bit of coffee in it. And ice coffee tastes better than normal coffee and I usually buy these readymade ice coffees you get in Finland cos they don’t taste like coffee. More like... milk and sugar with coffee taste lol.

20. First thing you remember wanting to be when you grow up? Oh I think what I said was “I don’t know, probably something to do with animals.” I also am not exactly sure if I was one of those kids being like “I want to be a veterinatian!” or if I did NOT want to be a vet, and so when people would ask about being a vet then, I’d answer no, but more like just taking care of the animals. And I was not wrong, I am a qualified horse groom now.

I want to tag (what? me? tagging people? uncanny!) @stufenlosregelbar and hmmmm... @bleibimmerduselbst, since I haven’t seen this one on your blogs yet. Or at least not lately, not sure if you have already done this before and if so, I’m sorry, I normally do remember things I see but now for some reason I can’t remember that! And of course if someone out there wants to do this but hasn’t got tagged (I’d but I can’t read minds so idk who wants to be tagged I’m sorry!), then I’m also gonna tag YOU so please, steal this and tag yourself :D

[shenanigentravels]

Devils Dyke - Easter Hike

BEEP BEEP BEEP! I found myself huffing at my alarm ringing 6:30 am on a bank holiday Monday. But it wasn’t for me, it was for my ex-wife who needed to get up for work. I didn’t mind because today was the day I was going to test out all my gear for my London to Brighton Trek in the end of May. I wanted to get used to carrying the gear and to get time one feet with some training hikes.

Today’s game plan was to hike from my flat to Devils Dyke and to then hike a bit of the area once I got there, and to finally get the bus back to civilization. Well very quickly that turned into a completely different adventure. I said my goodbyes and have my somewhat healthy breakfast of porridge and a protein shake. I packed some spare nutri-grain bars that I would refuel once I reached Devils Dyke before hiking the actual trails. I found myself grumbling at my camelback that I Jerry-Rigged inside my cheap MOLLE bag, for I didn’t realize that the nozzle was off the drinking tube last night, and it spilt over a liter of water all over my mattress and room.

I tried to use a hair dryer to soak up some of the water off my mattress and was only partially successful. Final checks and I was ready to head out at 08:30 to start my hike. I had a tight schedule to follow I wanted to be back by 1 at latest so I would be back in time to do the house cleaning and things. As I turned up the road to head to the top of my street I was greeted with a cool breeze. I shivered slightly but happy that I decided to wear my Ayacucho hoodie. This goes with me everywhere and it like a trademark. I got it from a sale at Cotswold outdoor shop and its perfect. Just heavy enough to keep me warm when things get a bit cool, but also as I later discovered, breathed enough so I didn’t over heat like I would in a normal hoodie.

This is also complimented with my cadet style hat to keep sun out of my eyes and ADIDAS walking shoes to finish the look.   It would take me over three miles to get to the top of the A23 motorway island to where the trail actually started. In the mean time I would just take it one step at a time enjoying my own company. It was early enough I didn’t have to worry about cars heckling me because of the rucksack I was wearing. Occasionally cyclists would pass as they were enjoying the sunshine on the bank holiday and had the same idea I did. I would enjoy the singing birds and admiring the flowerbeds with tulips in full bloom.

I even found myself stopping to adjust my first aid kit from my belt attachment to be swapped over and attached to the actual bag. See this is the reason for the test run; I’m not that crazy after all!  The large first aid pouch was pulling the belt on my left side too much and it was just to big, so it was quickly decided two miles in that it needed to be adjusted. Which made a huge difference and helped down the road It was 09:30 and I finally was at the top of the large hill and ready to cross two small round about that exit to the A23 motorway. 

I patently waited my turn and when I saw a break in traffic I made a beeline across the road and then made it to a steep path leading up to my first gate and my first step out of civilization. 

And for the first time I was in awe by the South Downs. I know that sounds bad, but I come from the land of mountains and glaciers so I did turn my nose up at “hills” but today the sun was breaking through clouds and you could see their shadows spilling across the landscape accentuating the rolling hills. For the first time I was in awe. But no time to lose I turned left and started to head down a gravel path towards Devils Dyke. I passed various runners and other walkers and hikers, exchanging pleasantries. The sun was also coming out to say hello and very quickly the temperature was rising.  The road was to my left were the odd car was making its way down the twisty road, or the loud shouting of cyclists as they attempted to talk to each other as they pedaled on. Cows and horses on my right grazing on the endless fields but also never taking their eyes off me to make sure I wasn’t a potential threat. This would not be the last time I would see my bovine friends.

Bushes now started to hide my view on either side and then turned into a small patch of thin trees. I stopped dreaming for a bit as a found a very recent make shift campsite, that looked dodgy at best and also looked very fresh. I stopped filming and taking photos and started to be even more aware of behind and in front of me. I know this sounds ridiculous to some, but it was just in case and once I got back in a clearing I wasn’t to worried.

It was nearing 10:30 and I had been hiking for two hours now, I was ready to get to Devils Dyke and refuel at the pub, have a bathroom break and hit the trail again. But it became very apparent that this plan was going to change. There were people everywhere! Like I know it was a nice day and all, but this was almost uncharacteristically busy.  

But I didn’t mind the crowd too much and just wanted to get out of the sun and refuel. But nope…pub door is locked…and now I had a decision to make.

 For the National Trust was hosting an Easter egg hunt on the trail I wanted to hike, so there were going to be kid everywhere! The original plan was to get to Devils Dyke, hike a trail and then take the 77 bus back and head home from Seven Dials.

Well now with egg hunting munchkins everywhere I just wanted to get as far away from them as possible. I found a nice wooded area next to the pub where I knew a large log was. I had hiked this area before in preparation for Spartan race and knew I could refuel there in peace.

I was in luck and the tree was free. I pulled out the map of trails that I grabbed when I entered the park and looked at my options. I decided to take the purple trail, which was the longer train, but instead of doubling back on myself to get the bus, I was just going to walk all the way back to Hove, but this also meant adding 5 miles and an additional hour and half to my journey. But I was not going to stay around here that’s for sure. I refueled with my nutri-grain bars I packed earlier and I still had plenty of water and made my way to the start of the purple trail.

In all honesty I was excited to try a new part of the Devils Dyke Park, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise, but also it was a lot steeper than the other routes, which I could see why more adults only were on it. As I made my way down the thin narrow trail I actually found myself getting a bit dizzy with the sheer drop that was to my left. I tried not to look down but you cant help it, and then I would feel myself lose my balance, as if my body was trying to make me roll down hundreds of feet to the bottom. But soon the path made its way to another patch of trees and very steep steps! I was greeted by a Chihuahua who thought he was ten times bigger than he was and his owners scolded him as I passed.

I just smiled and said my usual “hi buddy” After I got to the bottom the steep stairs I saw a trail marker sign for the purple trail and once more I was in a large forest area. I enjoyed the silence and just listening to my breathing and keeping it in check. Birds made various calls around me but it was also very quiet. 

The path started to get narrow and steep again but I didn’t mind, my feet now were ready for the climb down and warmed up.

After about 30 minutes I was back out of the forest and at the bottom base of Devils Dyke. I have been here before with my Ex and Father in Law, I remember us arguing about the map and how I didn’t know where I was going, when now I’m seeing I did know but that’s by the by. I hiked my way up the massive hill and turned left leaving the park. 

This was new territory now, and this is where I was taking a gamble and where the real adventure began. I made my way across a busy road and walking through a farm.

There were trail markers for the South Downs Way, which is what I wanted, to a point, but if I kept going on the trail it would take me to far north and I wouldn’t be able to make it back. 

Now I had to rely on my direction and using landmarks to get where I needed to be. Once I passed the farm the path split again and now I knew I needed to head right (south) but now I was going to be walking in a field with cows, cows that until now were separated by a fence. They were lazily eating hay left by their owners but I still didn’t want to surprise them, especially because there were calves with them. Again might be over thinking it but just wanted to be safe. I opened gate after gate of the “public bridal way” and even saw very little baby lambs (which as I said on video, I guess lambs are babies) but by this point I had been hiking for 4 hours and was getting tired.  

Mama sheep was not impressed I was filming and started stomping her foot at me, I wasn’t even close I was a good 20 feet away. But still mama’s instincts are what they are. Just a few feet up the way I was passed by some mountain bikers and this is important later. We said hello and crossed past each other. Finally was I was at another gate that seemed to cut through a field, I could see the exit gate maybe 40 feet from me, there was just one problem…it was chained shut. Well shit…but hang on if those mountain bikers passed me they must have gotten in somewhere. So I walked for 45 minutes down this field walking parallel with a road in the distance that I knew would eventually intersect with the road that I crossed on the way here. And I knew the see was in front of me, so I wasn’t lost, but I clearly wasn’t on a path any more and now trapped in some farmer’s field with barbed wire fence everywhere.  By the end of it my feet were slipping and I even feel once rolling my ankle. I took a second after cursing the sky and made sure I was OK. My ankles are weak and the roll easily, but I had my first aid kit with me just in case. But I was ok, dusted the dry cow shit off my trousers and headed down towards the road. I could hear and see the roar of cars so I thought the end was near and I was in the clear…but no, still a fence and no gate, I could see a gate beyond the barbed wire, so I wasn’t far.

I caught my breath and looked at the situation. There was a weak spot in the fence where I obviously wasn’t the first person to do this. So I threw my hoodie over the fence and took my rucksack off. I placed it under the weak chain-link and barbed wire fence and lay on my back. Slowly looking up at the sky I shimmied under the fence like a limbo dancer trying not to touch the pole. I made it, safe and sound. I then walked about 10 feet and climbed over the massing cattle gate and I was out. And now walking along the busy road that I thought I was avoiding in the first place. I didn’t have to go far before I saw a path again at I was back in a field again, but I wasn’t inches away from the road and cars roaring past. By this point my fun meter was pegged out, I was ready to be home but I knew I had at least 5 miles ahead of me.  Grumbling to myself I kept moving forward and then I saw my bovine friends coming down the hill to their feeding trough. I knew it was the same ones from before because my Garmin watch was almost ready to intersect with the path it tracked earlier. 

Which was also a relief showing I was on the right track and my cardinal direction hadn’t failed me. Finally I saw the step over to get out of the field and it was 12:15. I was back to where I almost started and close to civilization again. I could see the i360 in the distance and I knew where Hove would be. I made my way through the last gate, taking pictures of a beautiful horse and then prepared to enter the modern world again.

I was grateful for my hike but I was tired and hungry. I walked down the hill I came up 4 hours earlier and was counting my lucky stars that it was down hill. I passed Hove Park and then took the footbridge over Hove Station signaling I was not far now from home. Finally I turned the corner to my street and did one last video entry and felt a sense of accomplishment but at same time all I could think of was a big burger and warm bath. I went for the latter. 

[thebrandtag]

How to get driving license in Dubai. My experience :) via /r/dubai

How to get driving license in Dubai. My experience :)

Since there is a driving license post almost every week, I wanted to share how I got my license. Hope this will answer most common questions and help r/Dubai. All the prices and process I’ll be sharing is before VAT and according to the RTA’s licensing system as of November - December of 2017. English isn't my first language so please feel free to correct me :)

    Schools and Pricing :

  After comparing and reading a lot about the schools on reddit, I chose to go to Belhasa. Registration is fairly easy and you need some documents. You can see the pricing for Belhasa in the attached link below. Some of these fees are from RTA so I believe its standard for every school. If anyone has the pricing for other schools please share with us.

  Let me clarify little bit about the prices, there are few options you can choose from.

  http://ift.tt/2AGCBOj

  Regular (the cheapest option) AED 60 per class

  2 days a week 4 classes per day. Totaling to 8 classes per week so it will take you 5 weeks to finish your 40 classes. Fixed timing and days. Which means if you choose Sunday you have to choose Wednesday. And the timing is fixed as well. 2 hours per day.

  Me being the poor me, I chose this option. Luckily I work in a job where I get my off day on weekdays, so I chose Sunday and Wednesday 8.30am to 10.30am.

  Shifting (Flexible) AED 100 per class

  3 days a week 4 classes per day. Totaling to 12 classes per week so it will take you 3~ weeks to finish your 40 classes. You can choose the days and timings as per your linking!

  VIP (Fastest) AED 150

  4 days a week 4 classes per day. Totaling to 16 classes per week so it will take you just 2~ weeks to finish your 40 classes. You can choose the days and timings as per your linking.

  Friday AED 80

  Only Friday classes. Totaling to 4 classes per week so it will take you 10~ weeks to finish your 40 classes. There are 3 time slots you can choose from.

  Weekends AED 150

  Classes will be on weekends. Totaling to 8 classes per week so it will take you 5~ weeks to finish your 40 classes. There are 3 time slots you can choose from.

  Night AED 70

  2 days a week 4 classes per day. Totaling to 8 classes per week so it will take you 5 weeks to finish your 40 classes. One time slot only 8pm-10pm.

  Students get student discounts, please refer the link.

  *These are the options given by Belhasa, other schools might have better options at better rates, but personally I will recommend you to stick with Blehasa and EDI. My colleagues chose DDC and Galadari beacuse they got discounts.

  If you already have license in your home country you can choose to have 30 or 20 classes!

  If your license is 2-5 years old you can take 30 classes,

  If your license is 5+ years old you can take 20 classes,

  I had license in my country for more than 5 years, but I have been in Dubai close to 5 years, and in my country we drive on the right side. And roads and drivers are vastly different from Dubai. So I chose 40 classes even though I could have taken 20. If you are very good and confident choose 30! (I know I should have 😉 cz it gets boring after sometime)

    Registration :

  This is fairly straight forward, go to any branch and tell them you want to open a file. You have to carry enough money for the registration and eye test. And you need these documents:

  Passport or Passport and visa copies.

  Emirates ID

  4-6 Passport size photos

  NOC – if you are in a category 3-5 job this is a must and it has to be with the seal of the company. This should be addressed to RTA and has to mention the category name** (In my case it was “License for **Light motor vehicle”). These are must and it won’t be approved if it doesn’t meet any one of the said criteria.

  If you are on individual visa you need the NOC from the sponsor and his Visa page copy.

  And if you want to deduct the number of classes you will have to carry the original DL from your country.

  Eye test from a RTA approved test center. Cost 150-250dhs

  You basically have to pay only the registration fee. But carry enough money to pay for the registration and the 8 theory classes. Around 1200 will be sufficient depending on your school. I paid 1500 DHS which included registration + theory classes and RTA theory exam fee (310 DHS)

    Theory test :

  You have to complete 8 theory classes before you can reserve your date for the exam. You have two options to finish your theory classes. You can either go to the driving center (Not the branches) sit through the lectures which usually happens on a weekend. Or you can do it online. I did it online and it was really easy and convenient. You can download the RTA app and do the mock exams, the mock exams have 80% questions from the actual exam. There are few videos to train you to understand the hazards. This is a bit tricky but choose the first hazard you see.

  After this you go to your exam on the selected date and time. Click through it and you will get your results immediately. If you pass you can start your classes.

  35 questions 5 videos total 40 marks. You have get above 30 to pass.

    Instructors and Classes :

  As I mentioned earlier I chose the cheapest option that was available, so I didn't get an option to choose the instructor but they told me I can change the instructor anytime I want incase I don't like the instructor.

  Females have an option to get a male instructor with an additional cost of 10dhs per class.

  Now the funny part is you never know how good or bad your instructor is until you compare him with someone else, but almost all the instructors in belhasa has good track records.

  First day you have to drive inside the driving school for an hour. Just round and round it goes. Super boring if you can drive already but since I opted for 40 classes I had to do it.

  I don't speak any language other than English and my mother tongue. So the classes were conducted in English and the instructor had fairly good communication skills. He thought me ALOT of things that I didn't know.

  Unfortunately after doing 36 classes with the same instructor, he went on his vacation and I got another instructor.

  Both were really good instructors, but both were using their phones while I drive and not really paying much attention to the road or my driving. I took this positively, thinking my driving is good enough for them to feel safe. Haha.

    Parking and yard test :

  After completing 16 - 20 classes ask you instructor to prepare you for parking test. Then if he agrees you will have 1-2 days classes dedicated for parking, emergency braking, and parking on a climb.

Parking test will be easy if you know what you are doing, local examiner will assess you. And if you fail one type of parking you only have to repeat that, but you will have to pay for extra classes and the exam fee again. So try to do it all in one go.

  Tips -

Do not dry steer (turning the wheel when the car is stationary) this is an immediate fail.

  Forget about the accelerator, just focus on the break paddle.

  Even though it’s done in the yard and there will not be any cars around, do head checks and mirror checks. In the hill test there will be a stop line, make sure you stop there for 2-3 seconds.

  Greet the examiner, wear nice cloths (I wore polo and chinos) and be pleasant. Subtle perfume will help 😉

  The girls and guys who went before me didn’t do head checks and they were nervous af. Take your time, you get 5 minutes for parallel and 3 minutes for angle and garage parking. That’s plenty!! So take your time. Actually I had to do extra maneuvers in the garage parking, but maybe because I did the imaginary head checks or because I smelled good…. he passed me! The whole exam took around 5 minutes to complete.

    Night classes and Highway classes :

    After the parking test you have to do more classes (Yawn), and you have to do one mandatory night class where they will teach you about lights and night driving- Duhh!! But this will be done independently from your normal class days so check your calendars.

    Assessment test :

  When you do around 36 classes you can do the assessment test. This is done internally without any involvement from RTA. This is where schools try to extract money from you. So be careful. Belhasa was pretty chill about the whole thing, but I did stupid mistake I changed the lane without examiner telling me to (I changed because every time I take that road with my instructor, he will shout at me for not switching the lane), that’s an immediate fail (not following examiners instructions) but since I pretty much nailed everything else he passed me and assigned me additional 12 classes which cost me 720dhs (60x12). ¯_(ツ)_/¯

  After competing that test, you get your highway classes. Pretty fun stuff! You get to drive at 120mph in al-ain highway.

  After highway classes you will have newly introduced “independent driving” classes. Which is kinda tough if you don’t know the roads, basically there are 3 routes from your driving school to nearby places assigned by RTA. You will have to independently navigate and drive to those places. Apparently they are going to implement this in the final exam from next year. Lucky for me, not-today good sir, not today.

    Final test :

  The moment you have been waiting for! The boss fight! Technically this is just like the assessment test which is done internally but now by RTA. Depending on your examiner you will have to drive for 5-15mins.

  Tips-

  Same tips as parking test (See above)

  Choose the time of your exam at round 9am to 11am, if evening at around 3-4pm. Basically make sure you choose a time when the roads are not that busy.

  Check the door indicator, adjust the seat AND the steering. Adjust the mirrors. Turn back and ask the other passengers to fasten the seat belt, and say “thank you”

  Check the mirror every 10-15 seconds, check before you break. Exaggerate these checks so the examiner will notice that you are checking.

  Turn your head and check the roundabouts and intersections before you approach them (50m to 100m ahead), then check the center mirror before you slow down.

  Be calm af, have a pleasant smile on your face.But don't drive slow or take too much time entering roundabouts and changing lanes.

  Trust me, I finished my work at 12 midnight and went to “sleep” at around 2am woke up at 6.30am and my exam was at 9.10am. I was so bloody nervous I had nightmares of me failing the exam ☹ I didn’t sleep well at all. They will ask you to come 30mins early for the exam. This wait nearly killed me, I vomited a little bit in my mouth. LOL

  Now the funny part is, when I got in to the car I asked me self

  “Look If you had one shot Or one opportunity To seize everything you ever wanted In one moment Would you capture Or just let it slip?” – mom's spaghetti by Eminem

  3 guys, 1 car, 1 examiner. My name starts with “Y” so I was going last.

  1st guy – Drove extremely slow, he entered the freeway and drove at around 60kmh. And when he had to switch lanes he tried to kill us all.

  2nd guy – he was driving on the right most lane which will turn right ahed and Examiner told him “drive straight in the main road” notice how he didn’t tell him to switch the lane?! This guy didn’t switch, the examiner repeated “go straight in the main road” but nope, he repeated again but this guy didn’t switch and he turned right. -_- you guessed it - Fail.

  Me guy – Drove little above the speed limits where possible and switched lanes after doing all the mirror checks. I had to drive much longer than the other two guys. Around 10-15mins which felt like a lifetime.

  Confidence is key. Trust me when I say this, drive like a driver not like a student. I passed in the first try.

  Now I see people here complain how racist and how skin color will get you the pass. But I’m a brown dude from south Asia who doesn’t even speak any other language except English. I don’t know anyone at Belhasa or RTA (dunno if that helps at all, LOL) I didn’t do VIP in fact I took the cheapest option. No wasta.

  Now this is what happened with me, it will be different for you and for everyone else. But I hope this will help you guys, and if you have any other tips and tricks please comment so anyone who refer this will learn. I learnt a lot of tips and tricks reading r/Dubai You guys are awesome!!

Submitted December 08, 2017 at 01:41AM by unknownplan via reddit http://ift.tt/2jujVrw

[flauntpage]

Your Wednesday Morning Roundup

The Flyers are back. Officially.

Their 51st year (50th of playing hockey if you take away the 2004-05 lockout year) kicks off tonight in San Jose against the Sharks. That game is scheduled to start at 10:30 on NBCSN. But it’ll probably be around 11 since home openers mean delayed starts. Pack up on Red Bull or coffee to go alongside your cold ones.

We’ve heard about the heralded young group of defensemen the Flyers have for a couple of years now, and most of them are finally up with the big club, for at least some time. Robert Hagg, Sam Morin, and Travis Sanheim join Ivan Provorov and Shayne Gostisbehere in a core that can last the team for maybe the next decade.

But similar to the Phillies this summer, will all of the youngsters play at the same time? Morin and Sanheim were fighting for a roster spot until Ghost got hurt in the third period of the preseason finale on Sunday. Will Ghost even dress tonight? It sounds like he will.

I would think Radko Gudas would be a lock in the starting lineup, but what about Brandon Manning and ALTERNATE CAPTAIN ANDREW MACDONALD? I’m pretty sure Dave Hakstol won’t bench either guy, but he should.

Yesterday’s defensive pairings at practice were interesting, and odds are they won’t be the same come today or tonight.

Besides the defense, I’m really excited to see what Nolan Patrick can do. The second overall pick centered the second line at yesterday’s practice. Is he top six worthy?

Either way, hockey is back.

The Roundup:

Continuing with the Flyers, the players gave the final alternate captain role to Valtteri Filppula and Andrew MacDonald. That Andrew MacDonald. Filppula will be the alternate captain for home games, while AMac assumes the role for road games.

When former Flyer Kerry Huffman saw Ivan Provorov for the first time in a junior hockey program, he knew he’d be something special:

He didn’t come out of nowhere. He didn’t spring on the scene. He has stood out every step of the way.

“A lot of it, too, was not just his game, but how the other kids looked at him,” said Huffman, now an assistant coach with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the Flyers’ AHL affiliate. “He had a certain way he carried himself. In the summers when I would see him, he would come in to do skill sessions. He just had a presence to him that jumps out at you when you see it.

“Obviously, when you see a 14-year-old defenseman, you never know what’s going to happen, where they’re going to go or what they’re going to turn into. But he had a lot of raw, innate ability that certainly the other kids don’t have. There are a lot of quality kids who have gone through that program — maybe 10 Division I defensemen. He was just head and shoulders above everybody.”

After clearing waivers, the team officially loaned Matt Read to Lehigh Valley.

The rookies also got new numbers:

New #Flyers numbers: Morin: 5 Sanheim: 6 Hagg: 8 Patrick: 19 Leier: 20

— Dave Isaac (@davegisaac) October 3, 2017

Check out the team’s self-produced video from training camp.

Flyers anthem singer Lauren Hart posted an op-ed about the national anthem and the protests.

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Sixers center Joel Embiid was heavily discussed today. He ran. He played tennis. He also got a Rocky video of him.

Embiid won’t play in tonight’s preseason opener against Memphis. Neither will Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot (knee) or Dario Saric (rest). Amir Johnson (right ankle sprain) is questionable for tonight. But we will see Ben Simmons.

Former Eagle Brian Dawkins spoke to the team yesterday.

Over the course of his talk, Dawkins stressed the importance of hard work, and the responsibilities that come along with being a professional athlete, especially in a city as passionate as Philadelphia. He pointed to parallels between the rise of the Eagles to perennial Super Bowl contender during the early 2000s, and the current state of the Sixers.

“To me, there are some similarities, what you guys are starting up right now,” Dawkins told the Sixers players seated before him. He then issued a challenge to the group.

“Going forward, it’s up to you. It’s up to you then to decide what direction this is going to be.”

Brian Dawkins inspiring speech to @sixers today

Told them to at their teammates and tell them

"I got you"@Eagles http://pic.twitter.com/ql4LiyV6rf

— John Clark NBCPhilly (@JClarkNBCS) October 4, 2017

Preseason opener against Memphis is at 7 on NBC Sports Philadelphia+ (formerly TCN).

Meanwhile, in New York:

So my buddy found the reported anti-Knicks ad on the subway in NY. Look at this gem. #TTP NYC http://pic.twitter.com/hEfnmLjWFE

— Ryan Abrams (@RyanAbrams76) October 3, 2017

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The Eagles continue to get set for the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Even though Carson Wentz doesn’t have big numbers, he’s avoiding the negative plays in his second season with the team, from Zach Berman of the Inquirer:

The caution flag to wave is that it’s still early. At this point last season, Wentz had only one interception. The Eagles were also 3-1. But when the interceptions started coming more frequently, the wins came less frequently. Eleven of his 14 interceptions last season came in losses. In 20 career games, the Eagles are 3-8 when Wentz throws an interception. They’re 7-2 when he doesn’t throw an interception.

No one can accuse Wentz of playing conservatively, either. He’s willing to throw down field and doesn’t always attempt high-percentage passes. His success comes when he demonstrates smart quarterbacking, finding the balance between being too aggressive and too careful.

“I think every quarterback has a number where everybody wants to be single-digit interceptions when the season’s over and certainly have a lot of touchdown passes,” Reich said. “And one thing about Carson, I know he’s never going to play scared. That’s what I love. He still has that aggressive mind-set and that aggressive nature to look down field, but yet the decision making has been excellent.”

Jim Schwartz is searching for answers to the team’s fourth quarter struggles.

Rasul Douglas was one of those players that struggled throughout the game on Sunday. He hopes he can bounce back in a big way this week.

The team added cornerback D.J. Killings to their practice squad after promoting Justin Hamilton to the active roster. They still have an open spot after wide receiver Bryce Treggs signed with the Cleveland Browns.

Jake Elliott’s cannon of a kick against the Giants has turned him into an Eagles legend.

Colin Cowherd called Philly fans “dumb”, but the team clapped right back on Twitter.

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The Phillies will have a low payroll in 2018, according to president Andy MacPhail:

But reaching the turning point will not lead immediately to contention. Wins and losses will carry more weight in 2018, but the team, MacPhail said, still expects “a relatively low payroll.” The Phillies will instead apply financial resources to other areas such as stadium upgrades, a sports science staff, and boosts to their analytics department. So, there will be a new playing surface and public address system next season at Citizens Bank Park.

A true turning point will come once the Phillies are willing — they are already able — to compete in free agency.

“We’ve already talked to ownership about it and explained to them why [the payroll will be low in 2018],” MacPhail said. “They did not react extraordinarily well in the beginning. Ultimately, they’re OK with it with one proviso: that if an opportunity presents itself, we do not exclude it. They understand the program.”

Bob takes a look at each of the rookie position players.

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In other sports news, after a slow start, the Yankees got hot in the AL Wild Card game and beat the Twins 8-4. They’ll play Cleveland in the ALDS beginning on Thursday.

Brewers prospect Bubba Derby was at the country music concert in Las Vegas that was the biggest mass shooting in the country’s history. He escaped and told his story:

“We didn’t know where the shots were coming from,” said Derby, who was “about 100 yards” in front of the stage when the shooting began. “It sounded like they were on top of us. Everyone got down. We tried to get as low to the ground as possible. The first thing I did was look for my family.

“I turned around and looked to find my aunt, and I’ll never forget the look on her face. We made eye contact and we thought we were about to die. You could hear the bullets ricocheting. It’s one of those moments where you just want to try to get out of there.”

The NBA is changing the format to their All-Star Game. Two captains, one from each conference, will select their team from a pool of players. Just like what the NHL did a few years ago.

Former Flyer Ville Leino has retired from pro hockey. But he’s still making money, thanks to Buffalo:

Ville Leino has retired from pro hockey. Still gets 1.2M usd for 3yrs from his buyout. #sabres

— Juha Hiitelä (@jhiitela) October 3, 2017

Seems like the Sabres love giving away money. They signed Jack Eichel to an eight-year, $80 million contract extension.

Timberwolves power forward Taj Gibson will become the first NBA player to wear No. 67. He picked the number to represent his hometown of Brooklyn.

The Patriots have their own plane:

Welcome aboard #AirKraft: http://pic.twitter.com/NGBAHvA27T

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 3, 2017

Tennis player Dan Evans is suspended one year after a positive cocaine test. It is a helluva drug.

Very accurate depiction of the Browns:

An actual dumpster fire outside of Browns stadium right now. http://pic.twitter.com/ZcXWma3QVR

— Mark Cerimele (@RealMarkCerimel) October 3, 2017

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In the news, bail has been set for $5 million after a New Jersey father was accused of killing his two-year-old son after robbing a department store.

The Las Vegas shooter’s girlfriend returned to Los Angeles yesterday.

It sounds like all 3 billion Yahoo accounts were hacked back in 2013.

Your Wednesday Morning Roundup published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[missfinefeather]

Deviantart: https://missfinefeather.deviantart.com/art/Sadly-a-True-Story-2-681161797

Some old art but’s relevant.

Believe it or not, I had spent most of my life without a license. I could never trust myself behind the wheel of those huge chunks of metal.

When I finally started to learn how to drive, I had attached so much anxiety to it. Heck, the first lesson, we had to stop for like 10 minutes or so because I really couldn’t handle it. Basically, my instructor knew how anxious I was behind the wheel, which makes the next part of the story all the more infuriating in retrospect.

My instructor was called The Coach because he taught PE. Apparently his manner of teaching was very similar to that. He would scold me every time I would make a mistake; like the tiniest slip, even the relatively harmless ones. And each time he’d scold me, my anxiety grew, and the worse I would be driving. He never made the connection that his attitude was the reason I kept getting worse as the session went on.

I remember one time, we were running late to get home because I got us caught waiting at a train crossing, and for the first time since we started, I encountered an emergency vehicle that had it’s sirens going. I panicked a bit, but I pulled over as we were supposed to do. But I pulled over a bit more fast than he liked, as he throws a huge fit. He rails into me the rest of the trip home, yelling at all the ways that I sucked. The above phrase was part of that rant. When we got home, I didn’t even say goodbye because I was so emotionally drained, which he yells at me for before leaving. I went to my room and just... cried for like an hour. I was convinced I was never meant to drive and that I deserved everything the coach was putting me through. That was kind of my justification for a long time for sticking with him as my instructor

I failed the first two times I did the driving test. We spent an hour practicing before hand so I was good and on the edge before I went into it. He would use the tester’s notes to fuel his rants on the way home. The failures only added to my belief that I deserved the torment, but I was starting to consider by the second test that Coach was part of the problem. I decided to try a different instructor for a while, to see if things changed.

She was a kindly woman, though we had a few rough patches at the very start I got along with her okay. I quickly found out that Coach was intentionally teaching me wrong in certain areas. I basically had to relearn how to parallel park because he was only teaching me how to do it at the DMV’s sample spot. I still haven’t learned how to really do it. I basically skipped it in the third test. Makes me wonder how many other corners the coach was cutting in my training...

Despite only having two weeks with the lady, and being in an entirely different car, I passed my driving exam with a 90 out of 100, and that’s considering the 6 points I lost for skipping the Parallel parking. My tester (same one as before) even complimented me on how much I had improved in a span of 2 weeks.

It’s been 2 years since I got my license. I’ve gotten confident enough in the car that I can handle curvy mountain roads, though actual city streets with a lot of traffic still terrifies me. The Coach has pretty much become a running gag with my family when it comes to driving.

While I do appreciate that he taught me how to drive, I do still feel that he’s kind of dragged me down a bit in my life. I wonder if I would have been able to pass that first test if I had learned with anyone else. Still, I’m glad I had the strength to switch instructors when I did. Who knows, I might still be trying to get my license!