#lets all just enjoy the cars going vroom and be nice to each other

[ac3may]

"Pookie's season review"

(Oscar Piastri x Roo!Reader)

F1 Requests = Open

The Oscar x Roo AU is a little universe I've had building in my mind the past few weeks and this SMAU is the first intro to it. I hope y'all enjoy!

Description: It's Oscar's first year in Formula One and you, his old school friend, just so happen to be invited to attend the first race in Bahrain. As a travel vlogger you move around a lot. Read to follow the progression of strangers -> old friends -> reconnected friends -> more!

Masterlist

Who I Write For

BAHRAIN : MARCH

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RoosUser: Heard cars were going VROOM this weekend, thank you so much to @scuderiaferrari for letting me check it all out

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scuderiaferrari it was a pleasure to have you! You're always welcome back!!

user1 Oscar? What are you doing here?!

↪ user2 a guy does one f1 race and thinks he has rizz

logansargeant bestie you look better in blue

↪ RoosUser I did not reconnect with you just for you to start bullying me... again!

↪ williamsracing @RoosUser I think what our driver was trying to say was you'd be welcome in the garage anytime

↪ RoosUser awhhhh admin! I love you! I'd be honoured to come see your tractors in action sometime☺️

user3 the crossover I did not know I needed!!

user4 so logan and y/n know each other? who was gonna tell me??

↪ user2 they met through Oscar when they were karting together

AUSTRALIA : APRIL

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RoosUser: What better place to reconnect with old friends than at his hometown race🦘🇦🇺!! WHOOP WHOOP🙌!!! Congrats Pastry boy! Thanks for always treating me as an honorary Aus even though I was born halfway 'round the world

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user5 did you vlog it??

↪ RoosUser i did!! will be out on the channel at 5pm

↪ user1 AHH! Oscar and Logan bts incoming!?!!

oscarpiastri still can't believe mum was more excited to have you visit than me

↪ RoosUser sucks to be you Oz! She's always liked me more😉

↪ logansargeant it's sad because its true

↪ oscarpiastri HEY!!

user4 SORRY WHAT? OZ??!

↪ user2 I'm dead. I'm deceased. I love them😍

landonorris excuse me?! 📸

↪ RoosUser photo creds to @landonorris i guess🙄

MIAMI : MAY

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RoosUser: Couldn’t miss my favourite American at his first home race could I?! Good luck Logie-Bear!! Plus it was a great excuse to haul Butterscotch out of storage and treat her to some good ol’ TNC🚐🏵️ Look out for the return of my US Roadtrip series coming soon👀

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williamsracing so we'll be seeing you in blue this weekend?

↪ mclaren um, we think papaya suits you better actually...

↪ RoosUser mum? dad? is this what it feels like to be a child of divorce?!

logansargeant hmmm, nice hoodie in that last slide. who's is it??

↪ RoosUser shhhhhhh!

user3 so excited to see butterscotch back on the road!!

↪ user6 yes! looking forward to the roadtrip vlogs

oscarpiastri how's the knee??

↪ RoosUser just a scrape, thanks for looking out for me!

↪ logansargeant that's not what you said when you were wimpering about it earlier

↪ RoosUser shut! up!

↪ oscarpiastri how about next time you fall you don't give me another heart attack by going out again 5 minutes later

↪ RoosUser now where's the fun in that??😚

MONACO : MAY

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logansargeant: Thank you for all your support in my first home race also🦅 thank you to Roo for not inducing anymore heart attacks

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RoosUser awhh Logie-Bear! You love me really

↪ logansargeant yeah, yeah🙄

user10 ummm... who's this chick on Logan's page??

↪ user11 idk... why are they kinda cute tho??

↪ user12 she's pretty well-known too!

↪ user3 she's y/n l/n, she's a travel vlogger who went ot school with Oscar, she's known Logan since they were kids

↪ user7 also she's WAYYYY cuter with Oscar😉

oscarpiastri no more falls then??

↪ RoosUser luckily not! my personal nurse wasn't in attendence

↪ oscarpiastri 😉

↪ user4 UMM EXCUSE ME???

SILVERSTONE : JULY

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RoosUser: I may not be a driver but I will admit getting to attend a home race is something special and I’ll remember it forever💞 Thank you for all your kindness @mclaren

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user7 two hot best friends, what could it mean?

landonorris LETS GOOOOO

↪ RoosUser great racing but better company right😉?

↪ landonorris ...😳

user2 okay but is anyone else shocked nothings ever happened between them??

user8 y/n's mclaren video was the best media all season!!

↪ user2 and the fact Oscar calls her Roo? like exclusively?? ADORABLE

oscarpiastri and to think, a year ago you didn't know a thing about racing

↪ RoosUser what do you mean? i knew all about the different vroom, vrooms and the circle roads

SUMMER BREAK : AUGUST

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RoosUser: Tropical adventures🌺🦜

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user8 anyone else seen the vlogs?? our girl is SOFTLAUNCHING

user4 the morning voice?? haven't seen more than the man's hands and i'm in love

user7 okay but was that not an aussie voice in the vlog??

↪ user9 whoever it was deffo didn't call her y/n, sounded like boo??

NETHERLANDS : AUGUST

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oscarpiastri: Recharge was fun but now back to work

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user3 OSCAR PASTRY?! SOFTLAUNCHING???!!

user5 y/n and oscar both on beach vacations and both softlaunching??

↪ user8 does this mean what i think it means?

↪ user9 okay but hear me out! the man in her vlog was Oscar calling her Roo not some cringe guy calling her Boo

QATAR : OCTOBER

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RoosUser: I heard cowboys are in this week? Also congrats to my favourite blue steel once again I prove I am always right😉🏆

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landonorris what are you 'right' about this time?

↪ RoosUser Oscar's pookie of the year of course!! World champ is next

↪ macverstappen1 bring it Kangaroo boy

↪ oscarpiastri 😳

AUSTIN : OCTOBER

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oscarpiastri: Thank you Austin, you were beautiful🦅🇺🇸

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user4 was the state really that beautiful though...

↪ user8 deffo talking about the girl in the last slide

user5 y/n's really got oscar committing to the softlaunch

↪ user7 imagine this was just one big joke they're playing

↪ user5 just sat in some hotel room somewhere laughing at us

↪ user6 y/n would SO do that as well

MEXICO : OCTOBER

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RoosUser: Always love the chance to see my favourite pookies smash it! Oh, how we’ve grown🥹

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logansargeant oh wow! i wonder who that devishly handsome young man

↪ RoosUser that'd be Ozzie, i heard he's taken sorry man

↪ logansargeant ...yeah that's who i meant

↪ RoosUser oh did you mean the other guy? he likes to hang around always making that ugly squint face

↪ logansargeant damn, i see how it is

oscarpiastri oh god, has mum been showing you the baby books again?

LAS VEGAS : NOVEMBER

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RoosUser: Butterscotch is back baby! Miami, New Orleans, Nashville, Austin, Mexico, Arizona, Cali and many more trips through North America this year. Looking forward to rounding it all off in Vegas♦️♣️🎆

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user2 ahhh! the butterscotch roadtrip series has been my favourite!! please bring it back soon

logansargeant how can you have a whole van here and still claim my american roots are "too much"

↪ RoosUser ...because they are?

↪ alex_albon as a man who just watched you inhale an obscene amount of bbq ribs i would have to agree

user4 I thought I was gonna hate all y/n's travels following f1 this year but I'm actually living for it

↪ user9 same!! I had no interest before but now I'm fully invested. I've even got tickets for Austin next year

ABU DHABI : NOVEMBER

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oscarpiastri: No one else I'd rather celebrate with💕

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RoosUser AHHHHHHHHHHH

user6 OH. MY. GOD.

RoosUser I love you my Ozzie-boy😘🧡

↪ oscarpiastri I believe this is what they call a hard launch?

↪ RoosUser and you did it perfectly baby

↪ oscarpiastri with definitely no assistance whatsoever

user7 we all knew! yet somehow I'm still shocked??

↪ user2 I convinced myself it was an elaborate joke

↪ user3 for real! how'd she do a whole ass vlog series following him around all season and we just though "eh probs only besties tho right"

landonorris oh so now i get to third wheel in public too? yay, I am SO happy for me

↪ logansargeant get used to it brother, been in this game for years

(Main Face Claim: Dina Denoire. All pictures taken from Pinterest and edited for story purposes and fan consumption)

[mcmuppet]

okay i never actually post on here but i saw something yesterday on  @illegalferrariengine page and specifically one of the tags set me off on a rant to @daniallricciardo during my class yesterday, and i am now going to form that rant into an incoherent tumblr post bc im bored at work and still mad about this

so here it goes: a two part rant about f1 fangirls and DTS fans; and why the f1 fandom is actually ostracizing itself and harming the sport it so very much loves, because of how it treats female & new fans

basically, what fully set me off was a tag along the lines of a lot of “fan girls” go into full seb vettel f1 knowledge mode when talking about history, and even know more than a lot of guy fans, and as a new fan, this is something i have noticed in myself. i’m a pretty big sports fan in general, but im new to f1 and unlike any other sport i watch/follow, with f1 i dove head first into not only the current grid/era, but also the general history, which i have not really done for any other sport. (i’ve been watching tennis since i was like 8 and i could not tell you anything in detail that happened on either the men’s or women’s tour since like, pre 2005, i just never cared to learn). but with f1 i did. and for a long time i chalked that up to “its a new sport to me and im fascinated, and my adhd hyperfixation really set in (during a time when im living alone and have nothing else to do)” and i went wild with it.

but yesterday really got me thinking, did i just become so into the knowledge because of how much i like the sport (and don’t get me wrong i LOVE f1 now) or did i get so deep into the knowledge because the general online discourse (especially on twitter which is its own toxic ecosystem) is that if you’re  a female fan, you have to prove that you’re a fan of the sport and not just a “superficial fan girl” and like THATS SO PROBLEMATIC. i realized yesterday (and maybe this is a super obvious thing and my brain was just slow at fully grasping) that even subconsciously, i know that i would be categorized as a shallow fan girl unless i proved my knowledge, especially since, i am a girl! and i am attracted to these silly attractive men driving fast and being silly in press conferences! sue me! but i shouldn't have to justify being a fan of sport!

i was trying to compare this to tennis and soccer (my other two fave sports) and  while obviously there is still bias and misogyny in those fandoms as well, it really does not reach the levels that i’ve seen in the f1 fandom. personally i think that because there are so few drivers (in comparison to soccer and tennis where there are literally thousands of athletes) so we know more about each driver and really get to know their personality (at least the public personality that they portray), which makes the connection feel more personal. it also doesnt help the inherent bias that , yea , a lot of the drivers are conventionally attractive and could probably be models if they didn’t want to be driving. but it just doesn’t sit right with me that i’m being forced to become an encylopedia of f1 knowledge just to show that i am in fact into the sport because i enjoy the strategy calls, the on track drama, and the absolute power that is the merging of a man and machine to create basically a hyper-athlete. you don’t get that in any other sport and i think thats the genuine beauty of f1.

the other part of the toxic f1 fan culture that has frustrated me is the perception of fans that got into the sport because of drive to survive. now, i didn’t get into f1 because of the Netflix show. i started watching because i had a friend who was a huge fan, and she convinced @daniallricciardo to put on a few races, and i decided to stop making fun of the fast cars going in circles and watch a few races with her. and it got me hooked (this is my formal apology to my boss who i used to make fun of relentlessly for watching f1, you were right Doug its a great sport). but i digress. just the fact that i feel the need to clarify that i did not get into f1 because of DTS is PROBLEMATIC IN AND OF ITSELF. to quote @daniallricciardo “it feels like a badge of honor that we got into it without DTS and it SHOULDN’T” 

the point of drive to survive was to attract new fans to the sport, and guess what! it worked! shocker! but the fact that fans who have been watching f1 for years before the Netflix show consider “DTS fans” to be fake fans literally contradicts the whole point of the show and the sport in general. f1 will only continue to succeed as a sport if the fanbase continues to grow. more fans mean more money which directly correlates to the ability to put on races and provide the entertainment that we sign up for as fans of the sport.

this whole rant basically boils down to: misogynistic f1 fans who reject new DTS fans as “fake fans” are literally ruining the sport they claim to love so much. not just by creating a toxic community, but even in a more tangible way, they could end up affecting the f1 bottom line if they continue to ostracize fans in the way that they currently are. i have never felt more insecure as a fan of anything in the way that i have found in the f1 community. and while i will admit that i also love the knowledge side (seb is literally one of my absolute favorite people so a part of me wants to be just like him, f1 history wise), but i wish i could just enjoy randomly knowing who the 1984 wdc was (niki lauda - of course), without thinking that knowing that will put me in better standing with the f1 community. 

this all seems like, super obvious and not at all some kind of big breakthrough and i recognize that. im not pretending to say i got to the root of toxicity in the f1 community and now in gonna work on solving that. but i think, at least for myself, i needed to put this out there, so that, personally, i can start overcoming the internalized insecurities i have about being a fan in a new sports community which has a very interesting little ecosystem, unlike any other sports fandom ive encountered. 

if you got this far 1. im sorry that i took up 1.2k words of your time and 2. thank you for letting me rant, i def needed it 

[crue-sixx]

Welcome to the Continental (John Wick Imagine)

This was requested.

Summary: You and John Wick visit the Continental with your children.

Just something short and sweet.

Y/M/N - your maiden name.

You and John made your way up the stairs of the Continental, a place you both knew very well. You’d both frequented the hotel after all. It was where you and John had actually met.

He was an infamous hitman, who found sanctuary at the hotel a lot when he was hurt. You worked there as a doctor, helping all of the injured who came in and requested assistance. You’d worked on John enough to know the man pretty well. Well, more than most knew him. He was pretty reserved so he didn’t offer much about himself, but that changed. Seeing each other as much as you two did was bound to make something happen between you two.

You started out fast and heavy. You skipped the whole dating stage and skipped right into the intimacy stage. You’d seen each other enough to know each other enough so why not? You hadn’t really expected much to come out of it. Just some fun with the handsome hitman that frequented the Continental and that’s how it was at first, but things developed between you two. It blindsided you both. You were falling for him and he was falling for you so you made it official.

As time went on, you both started expressing your desires for some normalcy. You longed for a life that didn’t involve patching up assassins and John longed for one where he no longer had to kill. You both also longed for a family of your very own. You ended up leaving the Continental and John left the business. You found a home together, eventually married, and even welcomed a couple of kids into the world.

“You sure we should be bringing them here?” You asked John as you held your two year old son, Benjamin.

“Yeah, why not?” John asked as he held the hand of your five year old daughter, Sophia. “No one will mess with us. I just thought we should bring them here to meet everyone.”

You shrugged as you looked at the door. John was right. No one would mess with you. You had been highly respected since you helped out a lot of people and everyone pretty much feared the Baba Yaga. Still, you had your apprehensions with taking your children into the Continental Hotel. It was basically a safe haven for elite assassins. You were a part of their group though even if you and John were no longer working amongst them.

John stepped up to the door and opened it, waiting for you to walk inside. You stepped in as you still held Benjamin and John stepped in with Sophia. The place was bustling, which is how it had always been. You could spot some familiar faces and also saw some not so familiar.

“Daddy, what are we doing here?” Sophia asked as she tugged on her father’s hand.

John knelt down in front of Sophia and smiled. “We’re just here for a visit, Soph. This is where me and mommy first met. Remember me telling you about that?”

Sophia thought for a moment then nodded her little head. She was the spitting image of you, but her dark hair came from her father. Benjamin was his father through and through. He was looking around at his surrounding curiously as he clung onto your shirt.

“Mr. Wick and Ms. Y/M/N, what a nice surprise,” someone greeted you. “Or should I say Mrs. Wick now.”

You turned as John stood up straight again and found none other than Charon, the concierge of the Continental. You assumed he would still be working there, but you were still nicely surprised. You really liked Charon. He had always been very kind and accommodating with you and John both.

“Charon, hey,” you greeted him with a smile. “I’m so glad you’re still here.”

“Wouldn’t be anywhere else,” he replied. “I haven’t seen you two since the wedding. How have things been? Busy I assume.” He glanced at each of your children.

“Yeah, you could say that,” John replied with a smile. “We thought we would drop by with the kids. This is Sophia and Benjamin. Sophia and Benjamin, that’s Charon. He’s an old friend of ours.”

“Hi, Charon,” Sophia greeted him and waved at him. “I’m Sophia!”

“It’s nice to meet you, Sophia,” Charon replied and smiled. “Welcome to the Continental. You look just like your mother.” He looked from her and then to Benjamin, who was looking right back at him. “And you look just like your father. Are you going to grow up to be like him?”

“Let’s hope not,” John replied.

Charon raised a brow before Winston came into view, walking your way with a smile.

“Well if it isn’t John and Y/N Wick,” Winston said when he was stood in front of all of you. “Someone told me the Baba Yaga, himself, was out here, but I didn’t believe it.”

John cleared his throat at the nickname. He didn’t like to be called that anymore. Especially around his children. They didn’t know anything about his old profession and he planned to keep it that way for as long as he could. Sure, they were at the Continental Hotel, but the children didn’t know what they were surrounded by.

“Who are these little ones?” Winston went on to ask.

“This is Benjamin and that is Sophia,” you told him. “Kids, this is Winston. He’s another old friend of ours.”

“You and daddy had a lot of friends,” Sophia said.

“You could say that I suppose,” John replied as he held Sophia’s hand.

“What are your daddy and mommy up to these days?” Winston asked Sophia as he looked down at her.

“Mommy is a school teacher and daddy owns a garage!” She told him. “He fixes cool cars. Fast cars!”

“Vroom vroom,” Benjamin said at the sound of cars.

You giggled at that and kissed his cheek. He was a little cutie. He didn’t like to talk too much. He much preferred observing things around him.

“Well, that must be fun,” Winston said with a smile.

“It is!” Sophia exclaimed. “You have cool hair, Mr. Winston.”

Winston smiled even more at that and ran a hand through his hair, proudly. He’d always prided himself in his hair.

“Flattery will get you everywhere, little Sophia,” Winston said. “How about we go and get you and your brother both some ice cream?”

Sophia’s face lit up before she looked at John. “Can we, daddy? Please?!”

He looked over at you and you nodded. He looked back down at Sophia.

“Alright, but we’re coming with you,” John said. He wasn’t about to let his children out of his sight no matter how much he trusted Winston. Plus, he enjoyed ice cream too. “Can’t pass up the offer of some ice cream.”

“Let’s go then,” Winston said and held his hand out for Sophia, who took it and skipped along with him.

“She’s going to love Winston more than me now,” John joked as he took Benjamin and you both followed along.

“No, you’re her father and you spoil her all the time,” you told him as you held his hand in yours.

“Yeah, plus...I’m the Baba Yaga,” John whispered to you and wiggled his eyebrows.

You giggled and hit his arm playfully. Maybe he did still like being known as the boogeyman. He knew it would come in handy when his daughter started dating and he had to scare off her dates.

[jodiwalker]

Every Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Thing Arie Did in Part 1 of the Awful, Riveting, No Fun, Painfully Mesmerizing 'Bachelor' Finale

So, as it turns out: "needle dick" was a pretty solid assessment of a highly thoughtless person, gifted to us during The Bachelor's season 22 “Women Tell All” special a few weeks ago. Yes, it was an assessment made by a pathological narcissist with a YouTube channel and a WebMD printout of "laryngitis" symptoms, but still...

On Monday night, The Bachelor decided to air three hours' worth of their chosen testicle-in-charge Arie repeatedly telling his final two sister-girlfriends that he was so in love with each of them, choosing one to propose marriage to, and then breaking off the engagement with That One while a camera crew filmed the whole thing because he figured out he was actually in love with The Other One. Now, let's be clear: Becca K. as she's known around the Bachelor Thunderdome, has dodged the most boring of bullets. When all is said and done — or in the case of Arie and Lauren, when all is just done — this situation will ultimately be nothing but a win for Becca K. She comes out looking like a Minnesota rose with the most treasured quality of all: not being engaged to Arie.

But this entire show is designed to make Becca fall in love with Arie, and she did that. Becca did exactly what The Bachelor asked of her, and they repaid her by having a dude whose personality amounts to "cars go vroom vroom" break up with her in real time on national television. Obviously, the very worst thing Arie did on Monday night was setting his fiancé up for a blindside, and agreeing to film it for mass consumption. But in The Bachelor world, it's near impossible to know what's contractually obligated and what kind of behind-the-scenes manipulation is at play. I put the burden of airing Becca's heartbreak on this franchise; at least until the final two hours of this trainwreck air on Tuesday night when perhaps Arie will explain himself [ed. note: hahhahahahaha omg srsly, wut am i thinking?].

Even with that benefit of the doubt given to Arie about just how callous and insensitive we could believe him to be to the women he claims to love, our Bachelor still spent the entire three hours of Monday's filmed finale in "hold my beer, watch this" mode. Truly, he had moves we've never seen — and a few we've all seen. Without needing to hear a single thing he has to say live on Tuesday night, these are unequivocally The Worst Things Arie did in Monday night's Bachelor finale:

TELLING BOTH WOMEN HE LOVED THEM EVERY TIME THEY GLANCED IN HIS DIRECTION

At some point, Arie decided to replace his most-used catch phrase, "I love that," which is entirely devoid of meaning, with a variation—"I love you"—which is one of the most important phrases in the English language. When Ben Higgins told both of his final two women that he loved them, he immediately knew he'd made a mistake, and spent the rest of the finale looking like he was going to throw up on his penny loafers. Because Ben realized telling them such an important thing would make both women feel extremely confident, and eventually one of them would be extra hurt and confused, knowing that he loved her a day ago when they were making out by a waterfall, but he's now rejecting her next to a pedestal from Home Goods with Chris Harrison lurking around in the background. Basically, Ben took one single moment to consider his girlfriends' feelings and was like, Ohhhh, I'm a fucking idiot.

Arie is a fucking idiot who will never, ever realize it, as is evidenced over and over again in his final, excruciating breakup with Becca. He loved that Becca and Lauren both felt so confident about their relationship with him, almost like he never once considered that one of them would be completely traumatized once they hobbled down a Peruvian hillside in the name of an engagement to the man they loved—and who loved them!—only to get a swift Kanye to the face [ed note: you know, Imma let you finish, but Becca had the best wife potential of all time]. Arie telling both women he loved them repeatedly, often, and with mounting conviction wasn't his worst mistake, but it was his most fundamental mistake. It's the infrastructural jackassery upon which his Mount Rushmore of his jackassery stands. Shall we proceed?

ASKING HIS FAMILY WHICH OF HIS TWO BELOVED GIRLFRIENDS HE SHOULD MARRY

Okay, I did kind of savor how rude Arie's parents were without seeming to have any idea how awful they were being. While I could empathetically understand that it would suck for Becca that Arie's family kept being like, Yes when we met Arie Jr.'s other girlfriend Lauren yesterday, we enjoyed her exactly as much as we are currently enjoying you…it was also a little hilarious how insensitively clueless they were. Heyyyy, it's almost like that characteristic runs in the family or something! Food for thought.

My family's opinion matters to me too — wanting to keep that opinion hovering around "only slightly worried about her delayed progression into adulthood" is one of the many reasons I would never go on The Bachelor (the other reasons are that The Bachelor wouldn't take me because I have curly hair, have never been a catalog model, and unabashedly ate a cookie for breakfast last week). What I'm saying, is your family's opinions go out the window the minute you decide to do any of this. But Arie clearly couldn't get past his family's assessment of two women they'd spent maybe three hours with, and whose only immediate differentiating features are: one is shy-nice, and one is outgoing-nice and they have two different hair colors, though I can't for the life of me remember which belonged to which woman. I want to say there was a Sarah. Was someone named Sarah, Arie Jr.??? Anyway, pick Becca—she talks!

AT LEAST ARIE'S FAMILY COULD EXPLAIN WHY THEY CHOSE BECCA OVER LAUREN

This situation was doomed from the moment ol' Pillow Lips himself explained that he wanted to be able to tell Lauren something that would help her understand why he was breaking up with her, "But I have no real reason to give her."

All I wanted to say to Arie throughout the entire finale was: TRY, Arie. Why don't you just try to explain it? It's a good practice, trying! I get that it's hard, but if you put in the work, and try even a little bit to understand your feelings, I swear you can ink something out, even if it's just: I do love this, and I don't love this. Those words are very solidly in your vocabulary, I know it. Just TRY to relay your feelings to the people you supposedly love, you weak-willed doofus!

LETTING LAUREN LAY OUT ALL THE REASONS SHE LOVES HIM BEFORE TELLING HER HE'S BREAKING UP WITH HER

Rude, so rude. This woman literally hates to speak, Arie—that is what you love about her! (I think!) And you're going to let her go on and on, quite eloquently might I add, about how you've inspired her to let her walls down and how she's soooo glad she finally let herself believe that this love could be real??? This man's spine is made of pudding cups.

TELLING LAUREN HE LOVED HER AS SHE GOT IN THE BREAKUP LIMO

At this point, the idiocy truly became astounding. Not only has he blindsided and traumatized a woman who he has been telling that he loves for weeks by choosing another women over her, but now he's going to tell Lauren that he loves her moments before proposing to Becca? Has he considered that might be painful for his alleged future wife? Of course not! I think if you told Arie that other people have internal thoughts and feelings just like him, his head would explode, and then he'd just go on living his exact same life as a headless torso being told what to do by the Bachelor producers. But at least this brings us to...

HONORABLE MENTION: THE BEST THING LAUREN DID

I know this will shock you, but the best thing Lauren did during the finale was speak a series of words out loud — and boy were those words dead on the money. In the limo, feeling shocked and betrayed, she repeats out loud one of the idiotic things Arie told her when he broke up with her: that he didn't know who he was going to choose until just that morning. "Does that not terrify him?" she asks. "How could you get down on one knee if you weren't sure, like, three hours ago?" An excellent question, and proof that even Lauren would have been a more equipped Bachelor than Arie.  

PROPOSING TO BECCA

Obviously, Arie's biggest mistake, from which there is no turning back—although he sure does try, that stinker!—was exactly what Lauren couldn't wrap her head around: he got down on one knee and proposed marriage to Becca when he had been completely in love with another woman and unsure of who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with just hours before. 

Never has it been clearer how toxic the construct of this show is than now, when it's been thrust upon a canvas as blank and malleable as Arie. He spends the entire finale saying he's not sure about one woman, spending time with that woman, and then being completely reassured that he's in love with her, basically because she is in love with him; lather, rinse, repeat with the next one. I truly believe that if Becca had the first final date with Arie, and Lauren had the second spot, Arie would have chosen Lauren instead. He has the emotional retention span of a drunken dance floor makeout. I think a baby trying ice cream for the first time might have a stronger grasp on what love is than Arie.

Oh, and let's not forget this standout line from Arie’s proposal of marriage: "I choose you today, and I choose you every day from here on out." Arie apparently thought "here-on-out" was like one of those Old English words like "wherefore" or "fortnight" where it sounds like it means one thing (forever), but actually means another (two months, or whenever the camera crew is available to come out to this mansion in the Hills).

THE ENTIRE BREAK UP CONVERSATION WITH BECCA, START TO (ATTEMPTED) FINISH

Assessing the production genius and emotional sociopathy of the decision to show Arie breaking Becca's heart in real-time split-screen is for another time. For now, let's just block off the next four hours to discuss every single stupid thing Arie did during said exploitative disaster. First, after sitting Becca down for a serious talk, Arie tries to ask her how a recent trip to Las Vegas was and compliment a new tattoo. [Ed. note: The distraction of trying to figure out if the tattoo had anything to do with Arie, and ultimately, the immense relief that it did not but was merely your average bumblebee wrist-tattoo, was at least appreciated.]

Becca, however, is like, cut the shit and tell me what you want to talk about; that is our first sign that Becca is equipped to deal with the fuck boi nonsense that is about to be presented to her. I would like to be clear though, that just because Becca is strong, and Arie is weak, would not make this any less painful for her. 

Arie then proceeds to explain in great detail how he can't explain why he's breaking up with her, except to say it in the absolute harshest, and most callous way possible: "The more I hung out with you, the more I felt like I was losing the possibility of maybe reconciling things with Lauren." I honestly think the worst part of that awful statement isn't saying that you've been thinking about someone else the entire time you’ve been with Becca; it isn't saying that you're leaving her for another woman; it isn't naming that woman by name just to really drive the knife right in the bumblebee tattoo; it's calling your engagement "hanging out." GROW UP, ARIE!!!

Becca's flawless response: "Are you fucking kidding me?" NEVER CHANGE, BECCA!!!

Arie goes on to say just about every wrong thing possible. He didn't think "it would be fair" to stay with Becca if he was only half in the relationship. "So are you going to be half in with her?" Becca asks. Nope, Arie's gonna full-love Lauren, and he feels like he's been "pretty upfront" with Becca about how he's been struggling to get past his feelings for Lauren. That's when Becca's left hand with her giant engagement ring briefly dips below the split-screen, and without saying anything, comes back up diamondless. And that's when I fall in full-love with Becca. Perhaps, Arie says, he didn't let Becca know "the extent" to which he hadn't moved on from Lauren. "Clearly," says Becca, a queen.

Then this martyr-ass-muthafucka tells the fiancé he's breaking up with in order to go chase after another woman that he "thought it would be good for us to talk about this now," rather than doing it on After the Final Rose. Becca tells him it would have been good if he hadn't proposed to her in the first place. She says she's done here, and goes in the back of the house to start re-packing the suitcases she brought with her when she was assuming this would be a romantic weekend with her fiancé…

NOT FUCKING LEAVING WHEN BECCA ASKED HIM TO FUCKING LEAVE 100 DIFFERENT TIMES

People talk to me about The Bachelor a lot. Even when I'm not writing about a season, or not really watching it, they know I'll be down to clown about The Bachelor and I love that — always talk to me about The Bachelor, I beg of you.

The number one thing I've heard from women who watched last night's slow-motion disaster, is how sick they felt watching Arie hang around that house and follow Becca around, and ask her to talk to him, even after she’d repeatedly told him that she wanted him to leave and had nothing to say to him. Because there is a certain type of immature man than many women (and men, I'd imagine) have dealt with: men who want women to reassure them that they're still good men even though they're doing a bad thing. Arie begged Becca to talk to him some more, and when she relented, he stared at her in silence. Because he was waiting and waiting for her alleviate the emotional weight of his guilt for him, so that he wouldn't have to feel it anymore.

Becca refused to do that: she refused to hug him goodbye. She refused to tell him that it was okay. She refused to tie an ugly situation up with a pretty bow in order to take this man's emotional baggage onto her already heaving load. And that is the admirable, strong, very good, incredibly courageous thing Becca did.

[tokyotwosome]

A French Excursion

Toulouse 

7/29/2018 - My first taste of Europe began in the south of France, in the city of Toulouse. My expectations of France stemmed from books and movies, which truly limits you to two senses; sight and sound.  Naturally I expected to see breathtaking architecture and streets filled with centuries of European history. What I hadn’t anticipated were the other senses we would experience; the smells, the flavors, and the feeling. As I write this segment of the blog, I’m sitting on the terrace of our hotel as the sun rises to awaken the city. You can hear the vrooms of mopeds weaving through the alleys. You can feel the fresh breeze of the crisp morning air with a hint of a summer scent drifting with it. It’s something capable of forcing a pessimist to smile. The temperature is a comfortable 69°F (about 20°C). I’m sipping my morning “café – coffee” as I wash down my “chocolatine - a chocolate croissant”, that we bought just last night while walking around the markets. While other visitors come out to their balcony, you greet them with “bonjour” as if you’ve been saying it for years. There isn’t a skyscraper in sight. Just brick buildings upon brick buildings that look like they all have a story to share. Rob has spent several days already completing an extended business trip at Airbus. While he’s at work today, I am off to spend my first day exploring the city, solo. 

As mentioned, Rob had been spending some time at Airbus, providing product support. Through work, he made a friend at Airbus (Julien), who invited us over for a late dinner at his place. Julien’s girlfriend and I spent the day sightseeing in Toulouse. At dinner, Julien, prepared us duck soaked in red wine, served with rice, French pâté, cheeses of all varieties, meats, and more. Then we washed it all down with some rum, where our new friend showed us how to prepare it properly. Julien told us about his home country; a tiny island nestled to the east of Madagascar. A fun and delightful way to spend our last night in Toulouse. 

[a free tour inside the Capitole de Toulouse Building, pictured above] 

To sum up a few interesting facts I learned in my first few days in France:

There’s a TV tax - used to fund local French TV networks. 

Business isn’t always open – With Paris being the exception, hours of operation tend to vary in France. Sometimes it’s too late in the day for a croissant at a café. Or sometimes it’s too early for dinner and all restaurants don’t open until 7:30 PM. A way to avoid this is by going to bakeries for baked goods and then going to a local park. It’s much more efficient if you’re on the go, downside being you miss the outdoor café on the street atmosphere. Apart from food, boutiques are typically not open until 10 AM  or so. Oh and Sundays? Forget about it. Many of the French truly live by exercising their day of rest. That goes for shops as well. Need not worry! There may be a local outdoor market open.

Bakeries are no joke – Bread is the staple of this country. It was a major player in the French Revolution. Seeing passersby with a baguette in their bag is in no way unusual. There’s a bakery around every corner, each item a soft, fluffy, piece of heaven. You can smell the bakeries in the street, making it impossible not to stop and snag a pastry. 

Cheese is also no joke - The French cheese puts our cheese to shame. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a nice Wisconsin sharp cheddar as much as the next guy...but French cheese is savory on a whole other level!

Bordeaux 

7/31/18 - Next stop, that’s right you guessed it; wine country. We decided to rent a car, a manual no less. A French car; a Peugeot. It was about a 2-hour drive north of Toulouse. Having experience driving a manual, I thought what a thrifty idea. Let’s not get into the narrow European one-way streets...eventually, we made it to Bordeaux. The city itself is just that, a city. Where were the acres of vineyards? We would soon travel 20 min east to Saint-Émilion to find out. But before we head out of the city, we stop by the Bordeaux Wine Museum. The Museum included a tasting and allowed you to explore the smells and sights of wine around the world. It was cool to see Yakima Valley (a Washington region) being recognized as a world-renowned wine within the museum. Wine is a big contributor to romance; the museum touched on that countless times. An interesting take on wine. After grabbing a French lunch buffet, we head out towards Saint-Émilion. The streets start to quiet and those vineyards finally make their grand appearance. 

Our Airbnb sat within vineyards and the city we’d just left behind was a world away. This is the kind of countryside life where you can really forget about your troubles. The next day we had an electric bike tour planned through the  Saint-Émilion chateaus and little did we know what an exceptional experience it would turn out to be. 

Our tour consisted of 8 riders and one guide. Our guide Julie was a local French gal, sharing her knowledge of the area’s history as we zigged and zagged through the back roads of vineyards. We learned about the importance of the soil; the area mostly comprised of limestone and clay - the perfect soil suitable for merlot and cab franc. The other 6 riders in our group were all Australian and what an entertaining lot they were! As we made our way through the hills, we eventually made our first stop at Château Panet. Here we walked through the Château where the wine was being made, learning about the process along the way. We ended the tour with an outdoor picnic of wine, cheeses, meats, and breads. We chatted with the rest of the group, learning that they all are from Melbourne. One of the riders complimented me on my accent, which was the first and likely the last time that will ever happen. Who ever thought an American accent could be “charming”? 

Our final stop on our tour was Château Saint-Georges, a true castle once owned by the king of France. We walked around the breathtaking grounds, stopping to try the smells and flavors in the garden. Each item in the garden was carefully chosen to help represent different notes within the wine. They also told us about how much the weather impacts the harvest, and why you often hear wine connoisseurs say things like, “2015 is an excellent vintage” or “that’s a good year”. We learned how you identify older wines vs younger by the color. We discovered so much about wine that we didn’t know, in such a short span of time.

Paris

8/3/18 - Paris, the world’s most visited city in the world, is its own breed. Comparing it to the rest of France isn’t a fair comparison really. We stayed at an Airbnb apartment within the heart of the city. Everything was within walking distance, with places like Notre Dame just a short walk away. Sure, in a city like Paris you’re going to come across a few homeless people digging through the trash and you have to be mindful of the possibility of pickpockets. If you’re able to avoid this and/or not allow it to spoil your visit, Paris can be very charming. Keeping a loose agenda and simply walking along the river, stumbling across places as you go, is the best way to do it. We stopped by a cafe, where a friend of a friend had just opened business (Jozi Cafe). He gave us some great advice on things to see and things to avoid. We joked with him about how he’d never been to the Louvre, much like we’ve never gone on Ride the Ducks in Seattle and how you’re often not the tourist in your own city. We visited Shakespeare and Co. bookstore to check out the 1920′s gathering spot for famous writers such as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. We even bought Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway, a nonfiction that he wrote describing his time in Paris. Don’t forget to have the store clerk stamp your book with a Shakespeare & Co. stamp before you go! 

The Eiffel Tower - the symbol of romance in Paris. You can find an Eiffel Tower in the states on shirts, bags, or home decor. Seeing it in person really depicts its grandness. We needn’t bother go up the tower; we simply wanted to see it up close and in-person. Our 4th Wedding Anniversary we spent at a restaurant on the water, just beneath the tower. While enjoying our meal and our view, we did our favorite thing to do when we travel; people watch. We noticed our server speaking Spanish to the table to our right and French to the table on our left. He spoke English to us, so this was pretty impressive how he could just switch gears in a matter of moments. Tipping is not a custom in France, but you can certainly leave one if you feel the service was superb. While the boat tour on the river had been going on for hours, we opted to skip it during the day. The weather was hot, muggy, and uncomfortable. Instead, we did the tour during the sunset which proved to be both romantic and a much more comfortable and rewarding experience. 

We spent our last day at The Louvre. We managed to see all of our favorites within 3 hours. The renaissance paintings being our favorite. Liberty Leading the People left the biggest impression on me. It was a must see and I wouldn’t recommend skipping it if you’re in Paris. Overall, we loved France and have every intention of visiting again one day. Travelling really teaches you a lot of lessons and opens your eyes to the big beautiful world out there. You also learn a lot about your own country through the perspective of other countries. Our craving for travel continues so stay tuned! We aren’t certain where our next trip will be. Brazil, Hong Kong, Singapore, Iceland, and the UK are all on the horizon. Thanks for reading; until next time.

[blinkerfluidcars-blog]

Dear Ford, Don’t Forget the Drivers

Pictured above is my ‘14 Focus ST, the first (and only) new car I’ve ever purchased. 

Welcome

First of all, welcome to BlinkerFluid, and thanks for taking the time to check it out. For a long time, I’ve wanted to start some sort of car-centric social media whosamuhwhatsit, with a nice balance of substance and humor (hence the page name), and I finally took the jump. I hope you enjoy it. This first post turned out to be a mini-book, but I needed to get it off my chest after Ford’s recent announcement. After all, it’s what finally got me off my butt and up to the keyboard to write for you fine folks.

I got a bit of shock the other day when, before I’d rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, I came across a post someone shared in an ST Facebook group I joined. Ford announced that it was axing every car in its North American lineup, except for the Mustang. Of course Ford can’t kill the Mustang, and they shouldn’t. They’re axing the cars in the lineup to expand the offerings of crossovers, SUVs, and trucks. I also read that a second car would remain, or rather it would be brought to the American market from Ford’s product lineup in China. They call it the Focus Active. I understand it’s more of a mini-crossover than an actual car. Will there be an ST variant of the Focus Active for the real drivers? One that would replace the current ST? Since Ford plans to offer an Explorer ST, I’d say the chances are good. But will the car be good? It will certainly be taller, which doesn’t help when it comes to performance. Right now it’s hard to say if the car can be worthy of the ST name, but Ford has a lot of questions to answer. And seriously, an Explorer ST? Yeah, there’s a track ready driver’s car. Let’s see how many pennies we can squeeze out of this ST thing before we kill it. And here I thought autonomous cars were the closest threat to drivers’ cars.

Will the real drivers please stand up

So what do I mean by the real drivers? Well, it’s simple really...and if you’re spending your valuable time by reading this, odds are you might be one too. I believe that there are two types of drivers: Drivers and Commuters. Drivers are the glorious misfits like you and me who enjoy the sport of the drive. We get behind the wheel for the fun of the drive, not the destination. We take the long way home to get those few extra minutes on the road (or off). We relish that connection between man and machine. When we’re not behind the wheel, we think about being behind the wheel. We watch Smokey and the Bandit, and the Cannonball Run, and yet another Fastest/Furious movie. Why? Because Vroom. That’s why. And we’re a damn proud bunch.

Then there are commuters. Commuters aren’t bad people, but they just don’t get us drivers. “Why spend all that money on a car?” “Why customize a car?” Commuters climb into a car to get from point A to point B. That’s it. They drive a stock Toyota Camry with mismatched hubcaps. *Shudders thinking about hubcaps*. They drive a car like they use a washing machine. Why? Because a vehicle is really nothing more than an appliance to them. I have to give Motor Trend the credit for that comparison, having read a number of articles where they compare the Camrys/Accords of the world to being automotive appliances. Just soulless. 

What is being lost exactly...

I’m going to focus (the pun really isn’t intended) on the ST/RS vehicles. When Ford launched the Focus ST in 2013, and later the Fiesta ST, they demonstrated that they understood the drivers. A vehicle that offers ONLY a manual transmission? There’s the mark of a real driver’s car if ever there was one. YOU WILL NEVER SEE A COMMUTER DRIVE A MANUAL. EVER. And the STs were affordable. Affordability was what drove the original 1964 1/2 Mustang to such enormous success. The ST was launched at exactly the right time, too. Can you imagine if the previous generation Focus had been given the launch of the ST? That car was hideous. 

The Focus ST is a fabulous car. It’s quick, fun, and always feels like it’s ready for more action. There’s a slew of other things I love about my car. Although I can’t speak from experience, I understand the Fiesta ST is also an excellent car. The Focus RS is in another league, and it’s a highly respected track car. When Ford offered these cars, it demonstrated that it understood there was a market of drivers who were looking for sport in something other than a Mustang. I’m not targeting the Mustang in the least, but it’s influenced to fit the desires of a wide range of buyers. You see, sometimes commuters fancy themselves enjoying a sports car. Good for them. You can see that influence in the Mustang: Auto transmissions are very common, the cars are a bit hefty with some optimization for commuting, and the price tag can climb pretty quickly with the wide range of optional equipment and features. You don’t see that influence bleed over into the STs and RS. You have colors and several trim packages from which to choose and that’s about it. Why? Becuase in this market, cusomization is huge, and creature comforts and little gizmos aren’t the primary concern. That money is better spent in the aftermarket realm.

The timing for the ST/RS cars was right because then CEO Alan Mulally, the man who deserves every bit of credit he received for saving Ford, brought over the long-desired European Focus that American drivers actually wanted. His philosophy was straightforward: build the best damn car because that’s what the customers want. It involved globalizing the Ford product line and using its strengths from each geographical market to produce the best cars (and cut costs drastically). If you get the chance, I recommend reading “American Icon” by Bryce Hoffman. It’s got a slight feel of being Ford propaganda, but the company gave the author unprecedented access that revealed how close the company was to total collapse, and what it took to save it.

Let me get to the point

Ford’s recent announcement feels like they’ve forgotten Mulally’s philosophy. And their deep-rooted history in racing. Just look at the Henry Ford II/Carroll Shelby fight to defeat Ferrari in the 1960s at Le Mans (read Go Like Hell, by AJ Baime). The decision feels like an affront to those of us who would have remained loyal to the ST/RS brand. It feels like the company’s primary goal is to make money, not cars. Let me be clear: I know the company needs to make money, and take care of the stockholders, and bla bla bla. I get that. And I don’t like to brag, but I own literally tens of dollars worth of Ford stock. I’m sobbing into some Jacksons as I write this.

What bothers me is that the move to an almost entirely crossover, SUV, and truck lineup is a decision that was driven by the hoards of commuters who flock mindlessly to dealer showrooms demanding such utilitarian vehicles. But here’s the thing: Commuters are flaky. They want the trendy, shiny object, regardless of what it is, and regardless of the brand. They buy their cars like they buy paper plates. They consider them disposable. The case is not so with drivers. But we are on the losing end, because we will never be a majority in the buyers’ market.

History repeats?

What really grinds my gears about this whole ordeal is that according to one article I read, Ford is cutting billions of dollars from its engineering budget. It’s unclear whehter they’re moving the investment away from engineering, or if they’re saving that much by cutting the cars. But if they plan to add models that don’t currently exist, I don’t see how they’re going to do that without investing in the engineering budget. They must not have long memories in Ford’s boardroom, because the Big 3 nearly went extinct when the economy tanked in the late 2000s. Ford, GM, and Chrysler had been neglecting what was important (the customers) for decades, and the cars they were building (with some exceptions) reflected the lack of investment the companies made in them. They were in the money business, not the car business. 

The only reason Ford didn’t have to take a bailout was because they finally woke up and saw the disaster looming (losing billions of dollars each quarter). The other 2 had to declare bankruptcy and were actually owned by the U.S. government for a while. Part of the price that GM had to pay was killing some of its brands in an effort to cut costs. The long-neglected (and recently resurgent) Pontiac was killed and it was a damn shame. Just as the G8 was launched. And yet Buick survived. The only reason Buick survived was because it was making serious money in China, it sure as hell wasn’t making that much off of Grandma and Grandpa back here in the states. Either way, Buick was making money now, and that was the ticket to live. It didn’t matter that Pontiac had a bright future. 

In response to Ford’s recent announcement, GM says that it remains committed to cars, whatever that means. They’re all a bunch of appliances, minus the Camaro/Corvette. Good appliances, but appliances nonetheless. I'd love to see a Cruze SS, I think it could be a really great car. Dodge showed serious potential with the Dart, but killed it before it really had a chance to solidify itself in the small car market. An SRT Dart could have been killer! I love the Challengers, but like the Mustang, they're heavy, and expensive. Committed to cars or not, it seems all 3 American automakers are far more focused on building utilities and pickups. Even Mazda has moved away from its long and rich history of building driver's cars to building cars aimed at the commuter market.

I finally got to the point

Unfortunately, it appears that the bean-counting has begun again, at least at Ford. And as a true-blue Ford man, I am so disappointed in that. I’m not stupid, I know the company has to make money. A small, sad, soulless part of me almost admires how bold the move is...I just don’t like what that move is. So the big question for me is, will the Focus ST survive, when the new model arrives from Ford’s China lineup, and will it be any good? I sure hope so, but right now I’m just waiting on answers. Meanwhile, the drivers who came to Ford for the ST and RS are already eyeballing other brands for their next ride. Brands that will continue to offer true driver’s cars.

I didn’t write this inaugural post to bash Ford, by any means. I wrote it to make a point...that the drivers of the world shouldn’t be forgotten. We aren’t all racecar drivers, but driving is a sport for us, nonetheless. And that matters, plain and simple. As I develop this blog and add more writers, I plan for it to be about all things cars. Stories, photos, fun, whatever. 

Thanks for reading!

[formyboys]

Jack 2 yrs old

10/18/18

Baby Jack, you were born 2 years ago and 2 days! Oh man I remember those few days. You were so tiny and shmushed and new. I remember how I immediately realized I needed you to be next to me all the time or you needed to be next to me. We needed each other. The first night or two it was just so natural to have you curled up under my arm, it ended up being the only way you or I would sleep for the first 8-9 months of your life. I always felt so guilty like I was doing it wrong, but there was no other way I could do it. It made us both so content. I think all that cuddling and warmth was really good and hopefully you’ll always be that affectionate and warm.

So for your 2nd birthday we had a huge bash. We’ve lived in our house on Oakbury for almost a year and I didn’t really throw you a first birthday party because we were staying in Airbnb’s. So I wanted to throw you a party and see all our friends and fam. It was such a great party! We had in the backyard with a Pizza place that brought their own brick ovens, a balloon making man, activities for the kids and Dakota Fanning even showed up. I mean, that’s pretty damn cool, even if it’s just because we’re next door neighbors. You were the cutest, running everywhere, playing with all the kids, getting in the ball pit trying to coerce partygoers into giving you gummy bears. Lol. I don’t think you succeeded but I heard it was really hard to turn you down.

We had your 2nd year check up yesterday and you’re so perfect. 95% height 85% weight and cute as button. Currently our days are filled with Juana and you can pronounce her name now perfectly in Spanish. And you say it all the time over and over. She comes in in the morning and makes us all breakfast and then takes you on a walk where you meet up with Nelly and the kids she nanny’s. Juana makes you lunch and plays with you and then puts you down for your nap. You sleep most days for 1.5-2 hrs. When you don’t sleep we pay for it in the evening with a fussy toddler. She loves you so so much, she’s super positive and I trust her fully. I’m working from home and super busy but at least I don’t feel like I’m missing your childhood. My favorite is when you get up from your naps and you’re a little sleepy but happy and you give the best hugs. You’re super opinionated and you like things done your way, you like to place  everyone where you want them to be, and you take me by the hand to show me things and ask for things. You’ve learned how to get what you want that’s for sure, you’ll say a word like ‘baby’ which means you want my iPhone to look at pics of yourself, but actually you’ll go to YouTube to watch videos, so I’ve taken to deleting YouTube so that you just access the photos. But when you ask you’re so convincing and you’ll make this little smile like, c’mon mom, I’m so cute! And it totally works I’m such a sucker for my Baby Jack. Didn’t know what it was like to love someone like I love you. You’re my whole world and your dad’s world.

10/19/18

Every night either your Dad or I take you to bed at 8pm we get you some milk and take you up, brush your teeth and read some of your favorite books. Right now you are very into Bunnies. You have a stuffed bunny and we saw a real bunny when we were visiting Lolli and Pops in CO and you were very interested in it. We read you The Runaway Bunny at bedtime when you  ask for the ‘Munnies’ and you love to say ‘Muney’ it’s so freaking adorable! We also read to you Good night good night Construction Site, Good night Gorilla, and Opposites, you love the opposites and you say Opposite like ‘apeetah’ so cute. After we read some stories I sing a coulple of songs to you, Hallelujah and Black Bird, I need some new ones. And then I put you in your crib and kiss you through the bars. And now I can just put a blanket over you and you go to sleep without a fuss. And then Dad and I watch a show or a movie and before we go to bed we always go check on you and take a pic and admire our baby. Love of our life.

10.27.18

Today it was just you and me. Your dad was at a 40th bday celebration with 12-14 of his college friends golfing and eating nice dinners. You asked about him all day long, Dada? And I’d tell you again where he is and when he’ll be back. It’s so sweet how much you love him. We went to baby gym today. So fun to watch you play on everything and now you’ll climb up the stairs to the ball pit and just hurl yourself in. You still won’t say your name when it’s your turn but you only just turned 2 last week and most of the kids and between 2-2.5. I can tell it’s hard to be 2. You have a lot of big ideas and it’s especially hard when you can’t have your way. I try to explain every situation so that you’re not blindsided by anything we do, but it’s hard to be a mom too. I don’t always know what I’m doing and a lot of the time we’re busy and don’t have much time. But when you have ideas that we can help you fulfill I always try and help. Not that long ago you would say vroom vroom and get your shoes in the evening and nod your head like, cmon let’s get in the car! So I made sure we all got in the car and drove around the neighborhood a few times. I haven’t figured out what to do about screen time, because truth is your dad and I spend all of our days in front of a screen. Fortunately you have Juana during the week so your screen time is limited to occasional movies and YouTube with her but I’m way more lenient and your dad is too. Lazy parenting. Not proud of that. I planned lots of play dates this weekend though so that helps. Seems like the more people around the less screen time. I’m making a big pumpkin pancake breakfast tomorrow for my buddies, Brooke is spending the night, Ashley, Dayna and fam are coming over in the morning should be a nice day. And then a 2 yr old party for Siena at Baby Gym. You were driving your toy cars over my head as I put you to bed tonight. Melts my heart. Love you so crazy much baby dude.

10.30.18

Oh baby Jack. You have me wrapped around your little finger. You have since day one. Tonight you insisted that I rock you to cheep (sleep) and if I stop rocking you command me to RA. You are crazy about your ‘money’ (bunny) right now. Because we let you watch Peter Rabbit on Netflix which I actually really enjoy and constantly wonder what negative things it might be teaching you. But you insist on having your money with you to go to bed and to take downstairs in the morning. It’s pretty damn cute. Your vocab is growing exponentially. You repeat what we’re saying and some words I can’t understand and you’re so patient saying then over and over for me... but doesn’t usually help. For all I know they could be Spanish words. I love rocking you to cheep. It fills my soul, my heart, I cherish it so much. Your little body pressed against me it’s the best thing in the world. I spend way too much time putting you to bed. Love you little dude. You make my world go round.