#mostly got this for the toiletry bag tbh

[robinsnest2111]

still feeling very mentally ill and unreal, went out in the pouring rain to buy ingredients for a baking project, the universe taunted me by showing me two stranger things gift sets for an affordable but out of budget price for me BUT THEN

boom, the gift set I was most interested in, marked down 40% due to damage to the box, all contents still inside

I know capitalism preying on people by tempting them with products based on things they like and mindless consumption are bad but I am a very mentally unwell Eddie simp and I needed a treat

[siodium]

ＤＡＹ ＯＮＥ： ２２ ＳＥＰ， ＢＡＮＧＫＯＫ， ＣＬＯＵＤＹ

took the BTS to our hotel and checked in early

had a shrimpy omelette at the siam paragon food court

enjoyed a lychee yoghurt frappe from Fire Tiger

explored the malls and shophouses around the siam area

took a break at Everyday I love My Life cafe

snacked on a thick, buttery toast at MIL Toast House

struck by a sudden heavy downpour in the evening

ended the day with a relaxing thai massage

ＭＩＳＳＩＯＮ ＣＬＥＡＲＥＤ！

ＮＯＷ ＣＡＬＣＵＬＡＴＩＮＧ ＲＥＷＡＲＤＳ．．．

.

.

.

aaa it’s been a week since i returned from my trip and i’ve been so busy with other things i haven’t had time to sort out the pics (there are a lot!!)

anyway i’ve mostly got my shit together now (kinda??) so i decided that it was about time to start writing about my bangkok adventures before the memory loss hits me

honestly i wasn’t expecting to travel this year bc of covid restrictions and all but the opportunity came and i took it!! may have grabbed it a bit too aggressively bc i booked the flight tickets without telling my parents that i was going and they were not happy about it but what can they do about it?? nag at me about how unsafe bangkok is?? yeah well that’s exactly what they did ://

now that i’m safely back home i can just say this: the most unsafe thing about bangkok is prob those electrical wires that dangle above ground bc electrocution hazard yo (ok but even though i say this, it’s always good to observe your surroundings and trust your intuition!! and ofc avoid sketchy places and staying out too late at night i guess??)

i did experience some Troubles during my trip thanks to my insomnia (what is sleep...) and uncooperative stomach (prob got worse bc i wasn’t eating at my usual timings) i couldn’t rly eat much ))-:

as such i think my physical condition visibly deteriorated day after day lmao

even so!! i had fun and 10/10 would want to go again

.

.

.

ＤＡＹ ＺＥＲＯ： ２１ ＳＥＰ， ＰＲＥ－ＤＥＰＡＲＴＵＲＥ

for this trip i decided to pack minimally!! was it a good idea?? maybe,, i mean it was nice not having to lug around a heavy luggage

and we were all sharing a 40 kg weight limit for checked bags

i tried to one-bag with my 16L kanken (excluding toiletries which i was planning to yeet into someone’s luggage bc ~liquids~) but i failed miserably lmaooo overestimated my packing abilities

it was good attempt anyway since the estimated weight of all my belongings was about 5 to 6 kg in total?? not too bad

i actually wanna share my packing list somewhere for my own reference in the future (and for anyone else who wants to know??) tbh i could’ve done without some items like my heavy powerbank especially since i wasn’t tasked with navigating

the flight there was at 6:30 am so we decided to take the last train to the airport the night before and stay overnight until the check-in time

prob not a good idea bc there was no proper rest spot at the airport??? i couldn’t even nap in the afternoon :///

i met up with alfur at her place so i could unload stuff into her luggage before heading off to the airport togetherrr

also i was fomo-ing bc everyone else was in long pants and sneakers and i was in shorts and sandals ㅜㅜ i didn’t bring any long pants or sneakers bc (1) had to conserve space for other more essential items and (2) i was afraid of heavy rain/floods?? it’s the rainy season in bangkok after all

it was not the best decision bc the airport was so cold at night :O having to wait for hours there without a jacket was not very fun

strangely it wasn’t that cold on the plane?? hmmm

in the end none of us caught any good quality snooze time rip

the 2.5 hours on the plane was prob the best rest i got aND IT WAS MOST DEFINITELY NOT ENOUGH

.

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.

ＤＡＹ ＯＮＥ： ２２ ＳＥＰ， ＡＲＲＩＶＡＬ ＩＮ ＢＡＮＧＫＯＫ

glad we landed safely bc the plane was shaking so hard from turbulence (seems to be a smol plane problem??) much scare

the airport was nice and empty when we arrived~~~

we ordered BTS (the bangkok equivalent of MRT) cards online via klook and were supposed to collect them when we reached the airport but they moved their counter somewhere else without putting up a notice or update?? luckily there were newer reviews on the site and they directed us to the correct klook kiosk. phew almost got scammed!!

can’t believe they have lawsons in bangkok :O bought an orange bread snack to get some smaller change so we can buy train tickets and stuff

bread snack review: nice, mild orange flavour but kinda dense/hard?? dunno if it was bc i kept it all the way til i returned home to eat it and if so then it’s my bad

took the airport railway to phaya thai station and switched to the BTS for another four stops to phloen chit where our hotel was located

i think the whole experience was pretty pleasant!! there was no early morning rush hour crowd and the weather was nice and cooling

the only problem was trying to lug heavy suitcases up the stairs bc we didn’t know where the elevators were (or if there were even any)

the hotel let us to check-in early!! rly needed a nice hot shower bc i felt so gross after rolling around random places in the airport while trying to find a comfy nap spot

had lunch at the siam paragon food court which looked just like sg’s food courts?? wow

i took a video to show my family bc they gave me the idea that sg was the only place in the world with food courts and now that i’m looking at the footage i can see why i’m not a vlogger ://

let me sidetrack a little: i actually wanted to bring my camera along but i changed my mind after seeing the weather situation (my camera is not rain-proof) and i’m glad i made that decision bc #spoiler it rained EVERY SINGLE DAY while we were there!! not for the whole day of course, but it was still a significant chunk of the day. anyway when i decided to leave my camera at home, i thought that i’d try vlogging as a replacement?? guess who completely forgot about that plan lol

ordered a prawn omelette with rice!! the portion was a little underwhelming but it tasted not bad... kinda got that homely feel to it

luwi got a curry omelette from the same stall and it looked kinda sus (a bit like mapo tofu?? but brown??) but it tasted so good!! super flavourful and salty and not spicy at all

visited a supermarket!! chi found the cheese section

did a lot of window shopping around the area!! i decided not to buy anything (or to shelf my temptations) bc i wanted to save my money for the weekend markets lol

got a lychee yoghurt frappe from Fire Tiger (seems to be a popular bbt chain that’s popular for their brown sugar drinks??) it was nice!! the yoghurt made it less sweet (idk why but a 0% sugar bbt over there has the sweetness of a 50% sugar bbt in sg?? what?? i hope it’s stevia??) and the lychee was very fragrant~ there were even lychee fruits at the bottom of the drink but before i got around to eating them some water from the ceiling fell into my almost-finished drink and i decided that it was not worth the risk of food poisoning ://

OH i almost forgot to mention this but when the staff gave me my drink they put it through the tiger’s mouth!!! niCE

first time visiting a prop(?) shop overseas!! tbh i have no idea what a prop shop actually is but by my definition it's a shop that’s very aesthetic and sells pretty but useless things

the one we went to was called Everyday I Love My Life lmao so cute and it mainly sells room fragrances?? there’s a cafe at the topmost floor and we took a break there

we all shared one(1) chocolate chip walnut cookie!! it was tasty oqo

(spot shoron heheh)

we chanced upon MIL toast house which was something i put in the itinerary!! bruh i thought it was walking distance from our hotel but it’s actually two stations away?? wat

waaa the toasts looked so yummy so we decided to get one (the combo butter + souffle french toast with vanilla ice cream and) to share

it did not disappoint!! can’t go wrong with a buttery thicc toast paired with maple syrup and ice cream!!

they were also selling merch???

i thought the milk bottles were super cute but my lactose intolerance said no

chi and cha are judging the sus bunnies that luwi got from a gacha machine (they’re cute tho)

after that we went to a mall to grab dinner but i decided to skip bc my stomach was acting up

went back to the hotel for a bit to rest before heading out for our massage!! the massage parlor was a walking distance away from our hotel so we were expecting a quick and smooth journey bUT!! it started drizzling all of a sudden

and within a few seconds it just started pouring

that was the shortest rain warning i’ve ever experienced

anyway we were drenched when we reached the massage place (One More Thai Massage and Spa) ;; the full body thai massage was gr8!!! i was surprisingly not crunchy for this one??? it felt like i was being choked at some points (particularly when my masseuse was pressing down on my upper back) but the service was great (we got tea and snacks before and after the massage!!) and the massage rly relieved my stiff neck and shoulders and achy legs

felt a little bad about them having to touch my soggy feet tho i thought they’d at least ask us to go wash our feet first or something but they didn’t

alfur and luwi opted for the aromatherapy massage and they got oiled lmaooo i was expecting to get oiled myself bc i’ve had a thai massage in sg before and that was part of the massage

well the place was kinda cold so i guess i’m glad i didn’t have to strip down :x i wore the pajamas looking outfit they gave me and omg every time my pants would ride up my leg my masseuse would pull them back down!!! so nice of her

it’s too bad we didn’t have that much time with how packed our itinerary was otherwise i’d have liked to go again before we returned to sg

when we got back to the hotel rinrin ordered mac delivery for supper aND the mcnuggies came with the option of either plum sauce or barbecue sauce (i think?? it was something pretty standard)!! ofc i had to try the plum sauce!! it was sweet and quite addictive... and a great dipping sauce for the fruits that shoron bought from the supermarket

i also tried a bit of the ramune strong zero that we found in the supermarket. luwi was very hyped about this new flavour but it tasted like cough syrup!! the pink one!!! not sure if i’d recommend

oh yeah we also drew lots to decide which bed/room we’ll be using and i got the��“sofa” in the living room lmaoo the hotel did set up an extra bed in the living room with no extra charge so i didn’t actually have to sleep on the sofa

bUT THERE WAS A SPOODER ON IT

i had to check the bed every single day for spooders bc i don’t trust it anymore......

also the bed was actually facing the dresser mirror and my initial plan was to just cover up the mirror before i went to bed but rinrin helped me move the bed so that it was sideways along the window~

i think the bed was alright in terms of comfiness?? i didn’t rly try the other beds to compare tho

and that’s about it for the first day

i rly did end up producing a wall of text wew

[organictaeyong]

travelling w/ taeyong

• travelling with taeyong is probably the most organised form of travelling you’ll ever experience • guaranteed he’s had the trip planned for at least three months • ((tried to keep it a secret at first)) • (((but is bad at keeping secrets from you))) • ((((and also started stressing out about packing at least two months before you were even due to leave)))) • the type to have made a checklist so you know you haven’t forgotten anything • “”listen y/n I know you’re trying to help, but the checklist says we need to put the towels in before the toiletries”” • “”okay but does it really matter???”” • “”…….i can’t believe you just asked me that””

• lowkey gives you the silent treatment for all of five minutes • before he needs your help closing up the suitcases • sets at least eight alarms the night before you guys go • doesn’t want to accidentally oversleep and miss the flight • but the end result of that is one of the alarms going off at three in the morning • which is like three hours before you need to be up • and then neither of you can get back to sleep • ((a little bit because you’re excited about the trip)) • (((but mostly because you can almost see taeyong’s stress levels rising))) • so both of you get up • get ready • and you just watch as taeyong goes over his checklist like eighteen more times • “”we might have missed something y/n stop looking at me like that”” • refuses to let you carry any of the luggage at the airport • you practically have to wrestle with him to carry your own hand luggage • he finally relents • but that’s mostly because he just wants a hand free so he can grab his camera quickly • because you can bet he’s gonna photograph as much of the trip as he can • even if it’s just pics of you drinking coffee at the airport • wants to capture every moment • he makes you let him take the window seat on the plane • so he can get those #aesthetic shots out the window • suits you just fine tbh • like you’re so tired after waking up at three in the morning that all you want to do is sleep lowkey • so you don’t feel completely dead when you land • taeyong offers up his shoulder as a pillow • ((not comfy at all really he’s so skinny)) • but it is comfy when he wraps his arm around you • and kind of pulls you into him • puts his jacket over you so you aren’t cold • tries his hardest not to move • so you can just sleep • ((fails almost immediately)) • makes sure to wake you up really gently when the plane lands • and this time doesn’t let you carry anything • holds both your bags in one hand • and grabs your hand with his free one • ((has to let go when you get your luggage)) • guaranteed taeyong has somehow picked the perfect hotel • with the perfect view • ((perfect for some more #artsy shots for his holiday album)) • and it’s perfectly located for everything you guys want to do ?? • which • speaking of • taeyong isn’t the type to really love relaxing holidays • like • the boy needs to relax every now and then • and definitely enjoys them • but he’s more about sightseeing holidays ?? • wants to actually do things • guaranteed the boy is tryna live it up like a local wherever you go • fully embraces everything that is thrown his way • tries all the food • even when you’re fairly certain he won’t like it • “”haha I don’t want to be rude y/n :-))) besides, look how pretty it looks on my plate ! :-))”” • you make sure to snap as many photos as possible of his face when he realises that • you were right • he doesn’t like it • and you send them straight to the other nct members • ((because if you don’t supply them with material to mock taeyong with who will ???)) • makes you share your meal with him instead • not that you really mind • prepare to spend like all your day walking unrelated • because you can be certain that taeyong has prepared a schedule for every day you’re there • with scheduled lunch breaks and everything • wants to make sure he’s seen as many things as possible before you guys have to go back • and take as many pics as he possibly can • ((usually of you in front of various things)) • (((sometimes they’re genuine touristy things))) • ((((other times its just a wall he thought was pretty)))) • makes sure he’s either holding your hand or got an arm around you whenever there’s a load of tourists around • paranoid he’s somehow gonna lose you in amongst the crowds of people • ((one time you tried to mess with him and ducked out of sight)) • (((abandoned the plan after like thirty seconds when he realised you were gone and looked like he was about to burst into tears))) • so you just let him get on with it • not that you mind • like at all • always has something interesting to say about the things you guys are looking at • because you know he’s spent at least a month researching everything beforehand • to “”enhance the experience”” • sometimes you force him to abandon the schedule • because you see something that you want to do • like when you saw the nice shop selling souvenirs that you thought would be perfect for the nct members • and dragged taeyong inside to buy each of them something • of course taeyong refused to let you pay • refuses to let you pay for anything • like you gotta be real fast to get in there to pay before he does • like blink once and bam he’s already got his card out • claims he just wants to treat you because it’s “””what you deserve, y/n!!””” • you’re not so sure how its him treating you when you’re tryna buy souvenirs for other people but like • you don’t question it • either way you walk out with a bag full of souvenirs • and something for you and ty to remember the trip by • tbh the end of your trips always seem to come by like way too fast • neither of you ever want to leave • because you just have so much fun when you’re spending time together ??? • ((and also ty has embraced the local culture so much that he’s maybe starting to think that he is one of the locals)) • (((catch him thinking he’s suddenly a fully integrated member of the community after spending like a week there))) • but alas #allgoodthingsmustcometoanend • and you guys gotta drag yourselves back onto the plane • ((though you’re already lowkey planning your next trip)) • (((and by lowkey I mean taeyong is already buying tickets))) • ((((and putting together a new schedule))))

[chocolate-failure]

Currently at the airport about to jump on a plane in about an hour. It was easier than last time not by a lot because it only gets so easy, not that’s it’s remotely difficult but it does get marginally easier after the first time you do it by yourself. I have a shit load of shit I’m bringing with me this time. Like a 23lb bag with just toiletries and stuff, it’s kind of ridiculous. I have my skin stuff, hair stuff, meds... lots of fucking meds. Really any meds are a lot but I have 3 different prescription things for my face and 3 types of pills. They take up a lot of space.  I also have sleeping pills, migraine meds, and pain meds for my fucked up ass teeth [I got a cavity filled yesterday and prob need a root canel cuz this shit hurts]. Last time I had braids so I didn’t have to worry about my hair stuff but having natural hair is an investment christ. I have shampoo and detangler of course but also have the castor/tea tree oil for my bald spot, my blow dryer, straightener, and a moisturizer. I hate taking care of it tbh, I mean I like that it’s mostly healthy but taking care of it is a fucking tax.

Digett gave me a ride to the airport even though his mom had an appointment. I think he’s going out of his way to show that he cares. I get it I guess. He wants to make it seem like he’s invested in the goings on of my life but he hasn’t put much of an effort into knowing me outside of the things he chooses to know because they’re attractive attributes or w/e. He gave me a letter the night before while I was packing pretty much saying whatever you want to do with your gender go ahead and that he wishes I’d talk to him. He doesn’t know how to fucking listen and I don’t have the patience to deal with him being dense and narrowminded.

He’s a lot like his dad far more than he cares to admit and I’ve seen it through the whole cancer shitstorm. I mean I always knew he was condescending and dismissive but he’s JUST like his dad only he knows less about science so he’s uses logic to make you stfu. Stfu is my preferred state so I don’t  have a problem with doing it but I realize communication is important and I he’d be upset if I just fucking left without saying anything. But there are issues that need to addressed that are dealbreakers so to speak. I mentioned to him that if his mom has cirrhosis and it’s not from hep A-E then it’s probably from some kind of exposure. I posed it as a hazard to her but it’s an issue for everyone living in the house. She’s the person who’s spent the most time in the house and while she’s by far the most sick everyone in that fucking house is fucking sick. I suggested we have the house inspected and he said there’s no use in doing that as there is no other place we can take his mom if there’s something wrong. What kind of backwards ass stupid ass bullshit is that?? Like there is no such thing as remediation or the fact that other people are being chronically exposed to whatever possibly gave your mom fucking CANCER.. neither of those are enough to spur you into action? I suppose it’s not entirely fair to be upset with him as he doesn’t understand that I won’t choose to continuously subject myself to potentially lethal toxicants. I don’t see the harm in checking but I’m in a position where I can gtfo if I needed to.

But yeah... he’s real bad about it... his word is the last word, not as bad as his dad but that’s not a compliment. He has a tendency to dismiss things he understands immediately if not entirely convinced and seems to put little thought into it afterwords. For things he does not understand he minimizes them until they don’t matter and can therefore be dismissed. All these efforts are to arrive at the final conclusion that other’s opinions and thoughts do not matter. He’s just fucking contrary for no reason, like people should’t feel like they should have to defend their thoughts, opinions, and feelings because they don’t fit into his neat little box of what they should be. I fucking hate it tbh. He got on his mom for being annoyed about this stop sign the HOA put directly in front of their house effectively making it an intersection. It annoyed her that it was there but it was even more annoying to her that people didn’t use it. He come at her like “why would you be even more annoyed?” “you’d think that people not using it properly would give you even more validation in how useless it was”... And I was like bitch no?? Why do you have to challenge every little thing that everyone says? How you gonna dictate how something should feel about something? IT IS THE MOST ANNOYING SHIT but it wouldn’t be so bad if he didn’t do it ALL THE TIME. like christ don’t you have something better to add than your stupid ass thoughts on how people’s minds should work?

[coopdigitalnewsletter]

12 May 2020: Back to normal? Or a new normal?

Hello, this is the Co-op Digital newsletter - it looks at what's happening in the internet/digital world and how it's relevant to the Co-op, to retail businesses, and most importantly to people, communities and society. Thank you for reading - send ideas and feedback to @rod on Twitter. Please tell a friend about it!

[Image: AlexisOng/Sellabella/ArsTechnica]

Back to normal? Or a new normal?

HelloFresh reports fast rise in first quarter turnover as customers flock to subscribe to meal kits. Online grocer Ocado is now worth more than Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Marks & Spencer combined after lockdown boost. Online grocery shopping has obviously had a big jump up, but will it fall back to previous levels as shopper fears about the virus recede?

Behind these news stories is a question. Is this the “new normal”, or will we “go back to normal” after the virus? It is tempting to see these changes as temporary. Toilet roll shortages, hunting for online delivery slots, working from home, schooling at home - all temporary. Carnival Cruises bookings for August are going well. Back to normal.

On the other hand, there may not be an “After” the virus at all, if you think of After in terms of getting back to Exactly The Way Things Were Before. This is for a few reasons.

First, having moved some activities online, we might decide that they work well enough. Some companies are going to stay remote, because offices and commuting are expensive. Some shopping is going to stay online. As you’d expect, 9 in 10 UK shoppers say they’ve reduced or stopped visits to shops. But over 40% say they’ll continue shopping as they do now. And 20% say they’ll do more grocery shopping online.

Second, going to a supermarket and many other activities are going to remain socially distanced for a long time. Lockdown infrastructure and bureaucratic process will be with us for years (in the same way that you still see 9/11 infrastructure - shoes, the toiletries bags - if you go to an airport today). It’s interesting to think how that changes the experience of shopping, and eventually its design. Today shopping aisles are taped up or stickered to show distance markers, next year the markings might be painted, and after that the shop itself might be designed differently. 

Do unusual store formats help with social distancing? Separating display from inventory and transaction from handover might make it easy to adapt (like IKEA, Argos or Screwfix). McDonalds already has loads of ordering kiosks and drive throughs. Banks and post offices already maintain distance between staff and public in branches.

Third, the virus is an amplifier that massively accelerates the economic trends that were already happening: shopping was already going online, or at least to parts of town with better and cheaper parking. Fighting that to try get back to Before is too hard: you can’t turn back technology change and shopper behaviour. (This is also why efforts to save the high street have always been doomed if they were just about conserving the idea of the high street of 2010, or 1990. The high street is changing, was already changing. *Preserving* the high street doesn’t work, but *remaking* it can.) You have to do something different.

So you wonder if the bit after the lockdown will eventually be an endless Now, a time of increased change, uncertainty, provisional adaptation. What does it mean for large organisations? More change, faster transformation, a greater need to experiment. How to get closer to the customer while staying further apart?

Online shopping and Tesco’s doomsday exercise

“At the time people said it was a bit ridiculous and extreme” - How Tesco's 'doomsday exercise' helped it cope with the coronavirus. 

Tesco is doing 1.2m online grocery delivery slots weekly now. Comparisons: Waitrose is at 120,000 orders a week, and Morrisons has trebled online slots and 1% of sales now come from Amazon.

NHS contact tracing app

NHSX published some good information about the contract tracing app, how it works, its approach to privacy, and so on. The security behind the NHS contact tracing app is a good read. The app has its own website now, and the source code has been released (which itself must have been a significant political achievement). There are still critics, and the app may be refined or even adopt the decentralised model promoted by Apple and Google. 

Logistics partnerships for good

EDF Energy partners with Boots to deliver essential medicine to most vulnerable: employee volunteers will deliver critical medicines.

And British Gas engineers are helping the Trussell Trust deliver food bank packages.

Animal Crossing

When popular games have scarce goods, there are often ways to “monetise” the hard graft of collecting items and progressing through the game: “I got laid off due to COVID so I'm farming bells in [Animal Crossing]”. Some players are speeding up their clocks to accelerate their collection of bells, but this adds a lot of risk to their deals on the Turnip market, so the newsletter cannot recommend doing that.

World’s first Animal Crossing interior design service launches, offering consultants £40 an hour to perfect in-game homes. Expect to see rival interior design services launch soon (tbh from this household).

Other news

“Bo hasn’t failed”, but Royal Bank of Scotland is closing its new digital challenger bank. It’ll be merged with RBS’s app-only small biz bank Mettle.

Privacy-first search engine DuckDuckGo now does about 63m searches daily, which is about 1% of Google’s traffic.

Did you know that Amazon has a video chat product like Zoom, Hangouts and all the others? It’s called Chime. The pricing seems aligned with the AWS philosophy: pay as you go, increasing complexity once you start looking deeper. It mostly works, and had no adverts for office equipment delivered the next day (sample size - one call).

Co-op Digital news

“Trying to read in motion or after a long tiring day – accessibility is surprisingly relevant to everyone and it is about time we engrain it in our DNA.” - How we’re making accessibility more relatable.

Why an up-to-date service map is essential when teams change direction.

Federation House’s online events:

Free of charge 

Introduction to QGIS – Webinar – 12 May – 18.30 

NW Drupal User Group – Monthly Meet Up – 12 May – 19.00 

Online Jam Startup Bootcamp – Webinar – 16 May – 11.00 

Introduction to UK Data Service – Webinar – 19 May – 18.30 

Social Impact Day 2020 – Webinar – 20 May – 12.30 

Open Data Manchester – Open Data Surgeries – Various dates/times in May & June 

Amity Mental Spa Session – 1-2-1 Mental Health Chat – Various dates/times in May – Aug 

Paid for 

Understanding Disconnection & Polarisation - Webinar 1 of 3 - 13 May – 13.00  

JCI Manchester – How to do a Ted Talk, In conversation with Vikas Shah MBE – 14 May – 19.00 

The Perils of Perception – Webinar 2 of 3 – 20 May – 13.00 

AGM & Speedmating - WI Manchester – 26 May – 19.15 

An ethnographic case study on linking with left behind communities - Webinar 3 of 3 – 27 May – 13.00 

Cariad Yoga – Online Yoga – Various Dates & Times in May & June 

Thank you for reading

Thank you, beloved readers and contributors. Please continue to send ideas, questions, corrections, improvements, etc to the newsletter’s typist @rod on Twitter. If you have enjoyed reading, please tell a friend!

If you want to find out more about Co-op Digital, follow us @CoopDigital on Twitter and read the Co-op Digital Blog. Previous newsletters.

[junker-town]

Bowl game gifts 2018, categorized

Bowls are allowed to give players small gift packages, and these days, they do a good job of putting together interesting gifts.

Bowl games are good, mainly because most players view them as rewards for successful seasons. One part of that reward: bowl gifts, or the small handouts bowls are allowed by the NCAA to give players.

Sports Business Daily came through with the full rundown of who’s getting what this year. Sure, the NCAA-mandated $550 limit for each player isn’t much, but that’s not the fault of these bowl games. Let’s run through them all.

Gifts that are the most fun!

Frisco Bowl (San Diego State vs. Ohio): Gift suite; Justin cowboy hat; beanie cap; coin; pin; Big Game football

Hawaii Bowl (Louisiana Tech vs. Hawaii): Electronics gift suite; Oakley backpack; Oakley sunglasses; Tori Richard aloha shirt; shorts/swim trunks; performance T-shirt; beach towel

WANT:

Amazon

Orange Bowl (Alabama vs. Oklahoma): Gift suite; Tourneau watch; personalized bobblehead of each student-athlete; sling bag

Hey Orange Bowl, how does one get a personalized bobblehead even if they aren’t a player on either team?

Quick Lane Bowl (Minnesota vs. Georgia Tech): $175 Best Buy gift card; JBL E55BT over-ear wireless headphones; life-sized Fathead decal for each participant of his likeness; backpack; shirts; mini helmet; football

Likewise with the Fathead, Quick Lane Bowl:

Fathead

Texas Bowl (Baylor vs. Vanderbilt): Gift suite; Academy Sports + Outdoors gift card; Adidas backpack; belt buckle

The Texas Bowl belt buckle remains one of my all-time favorite gifts, because well, just look at this thing:

Belt Buckles are in! These will be included in the player gift bags along with other various pieces of #bowlswag pic.twitter.com/KBtn07G29D

— Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl (@TexasBowl) December 18, 2013

Cheez-it Bowl (Cal vs. TCU): — Fossil watch with engraved caseback; JBL Charge 3 Bluetooth speaker; Baggo bag toss tailgate cornhole set; Yeti Roadie 20 cooler; Yeti rambler; dry duffel bag; RuMe reveal quart bag; Branded Bills cap; Dollar Shave Club starter set.

Folks, players get one of these bad boys:

Victory Tailgate

Now a lifetime supply of Cheez-Its would also be a good idea for a gift in the future. Just sayin’.

Gifts that give players the most freedom to use how they want

A gift card is one of the closest things to actual money players are allowed by the NCAA to receive, so every bowl should include gift cards.

Camping World Bowl (West Virginia vs. Syracuse): $400 Best Buy gift card; Ogio backpack with luggage tag; Fossil watch

Alamo Bowl (Iowa State vs. Washington State): $425 Amazon gift card; Fossil watch; mini helmet; team panoramic photo

Peach Bowl (Florida vs. Michigan): $300 Vanilla Visa gift card; Fossil watch; Mophie Powerstation XL; Amazon Echo Dot smart speaker (3rd generation); football

A Mophie powerstation is a portable charging station, a very convenient gift.

Outback Bowl (Mississippi State vs. Iowa): Fossil watch; Jostens ring; $125 Best Buy gift card; Outback Steakhouse Gift card; hat

Anything that involves steak is a damn good gift, imo.

Military Bowl (Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech): Dell Mobile Projector M318WL; $100 Amex Gift Card; ISlides

I really didn’t realize how players would make much use of this:

Until I realized this things means you get to stream shows from your phone and then project them anywhere you’d like. So, I take it back!

Citrus Bowl (Kentucky vs. Penn State): $400 Best Buy gift card; Fossil watch; Ogio backpack with luggage tag

The Fiesta Bowl, sponsored by PlayStation, is true to its name

Fiesta Bowl (LSU vs. UCF): PS4 gift package; Fossil watch with engraved caseback; Ogio X-Fit backpack

It should’ve given players another recliner, tbh:

Joe Burrow on Fiesta Bowl gifts (he’s been twice with Ohio State). Said first he got a red recliner (which he still uses), then got headphones the second time. Literally a recliner. Packed it in the car and took it with him to #LSU. It’s in his apartment now.

— Brooks Kubena (@BKubena) December 11, 2018

And some other sweet tech-related gifts

Gator Bowl (NC State vs. Texas A&M): Fossil watch; Maui Jim sunglasses; Amazon Echo; ISlides; SIC tumbler; dopp kit

Amazon Echos seems pretty dope!

Amazon

(Unrelated to technology: a “dopp kit” is just a toiletry bag.)

Red Box Bowl (Michigan State vs. Oregon): Fossil watch; Timbuktu backpack; Roku; headphones; Redbox Bowl merchandise

A Roku is a solid TV streaming platform.

Arizona Bowl (Arkansas State vs. Nevada): Ghostek backpack with a power bank and external USB port; Beats Budst; Fire Kindle with built-in Alexa; hydroflask; cooling towel; Frito Lay products in each bag

Amazon

Dollar General Bowl: (Buffalo vs. Troy): Yamaha sound bar with built-in subwoofer; Timely Watch Co. watch; Maui Jim sunglasses; Wilson game ball

Who doesn’t love shopping trips?

Again, letting players actually choose what they get is preferable to just about anything else.

Belk Bowl (South Carolina vs. Virginia): Shopping trip to Belk department store; Fossil watch

In 2016, an Arkansas player was suspended from the Belk Bowl after he was accused of shoplifting $260 worth of items on the Belk shopping trip, so hopefully something like that doesn’t happen again!

Liberty bowl (Missouri vs. Oklahoma State): Shopping trip to Memphis’ Bass Pro Shops; Bose SoundLink micro Bluetooth speaker; Bulova watch; Nike athletic shoes; sport sandals; backpack and sunglasses; football

Memphis’ Bass Pro is literally inside a pyramid!

Gifts mostly made up “gift suites,” which can mean lots of different things

What are gift suites exactly? They’re private events in which participants can pick from a variety of items — from electronics to jewelry and even furniture — worth up to a total of $550.

Game participants, and often bowl VIPs, are given an order form and allowed to select a gift, or gifts, up to a value that is predetermined by each bowl, not to exceed the NCAA limit.

The NCAA allows each bowl to award up to $550 worth of gifts to 125 participants per school. Schools can, and usually do, buy additional packages that they can distribute to participants beyond that 125 limit. In addition, participants can receive awards worth up to $400 from the school and up to $400 from the conference for postseason play, covering both conference title games and any bowl game.

Rose Bowl (Washington vs. Ohio State): Gift suite; Fossil watch; Ogio backpack; New Era 9Fifty adjustable hat

Sugar Bowl: (Texas vs. Georgia) Gift suite; Fossil watch; New Era cap; Rock ’Em socks; cufflinks

Las Vegas Bowl (Fresno State vs. Arizona State): Gift suite; collectible Las Vegas item TBD; dad hat; beanie; fanny pack

DAD HAT! What is a dad hat?! According to Google, it’s just your standard, run-of-the-mill baseball caps that most dads wear.

Google

New Orleans Bowl (Middle Tennessee vs. Appalachian State): Gift suite; Fossil watch

Cameilla Bowl (Georgia Southern vs. Eastern Michigan): Gift suite; Fossil watch; Samsonite rolling duffle bag; beanie; Big Game football

Boca Raton Bowl (UAB vs. Northern Illinois): Gift suite; drawstring backpack; beach towel; football

Gasparilla Bowl (Marshall vs. South Florida): Gift suite

Hopefully that’s a dope gift suite — if I were the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl, I’d just give a gift suite of lawn mowers filled with presents, tbh.

Sun Bowl (Stanford vs. Pitt): Gift suite; Timely Watch Co. watch; Majestic fleece pullover; Ogio Excelsior backpack; Under Armour cap; coin

Bahamas Bowl (FIU vs. Toledo): Gift suite; Yeti rambler; string backpack; board shorts; towel; pin

Idaho Potato Bowl (Western Michigan vs. BYU): Gift suite; Oakley backpack; hydroflask; beanie

A “hydroflask” is an insulated water bottle — what were you thinking it was?

Amazon

Birmingham Bowl (Memphis vs. Wake Forest): Gift suite; Oakley backpack or sunglasses; cooling hoodie; football

Holiday Bowl (Northwestern vs. Utah): Gift suite; Fossil watch; New Era cap

Armed Forces Bowl (Houston vs. Army): Gift suite; Bluetooth speaker helmet; football

First responder bowl (Boston College vs. Boise State): Gift suite; RFID-blocking Ridge wallet; Big Game football

This wallet looks like it was designed by NASA, tbh:

Amazon

Independence Bowl (Temple vs. Duke): Gift suite; Timely Watch Co. watch; New Era skull cap; football

Music City Bowl (Purdue vs. Auburn): Gift suite; Fossil watch

Sidenote — there are a lot of Fossil watches on here. Sure, Fossil watches are fine, but we should definitely give these players some variety when it comes to timepieces in the next few years!

Grab bags! Little bit of everything in these!

Cure Bowl (Tulane vs. Louisiana): Holloway Force jacket; sunglasses with carry case; Energizer powerbank (similar to the Mophie mentioned above); duffle bag; Pebble Beach slides; dopp kit; Sportek long-sleeve contender T-shirt; cap

New Mexico Bowl (North Texas vs. Utah State): Gift suite; Oakley Jupiter Squared sunglasses; Oakley 5 Speed backpack; Bluetooth speaker; water bottle; beanie; Montgomery pen; Pacific Headwear trucker’s cap

SECRET GIFTS

Pinstripe Bowl: A variety of New Era products

Cotton Bowl (Clemson vs. Notre Dame): Would not disclose gifts

CFP National Championship: Would not disclose gifts

Sure, some of these bowl gifts are better than others, but you can appreciate these games coming up with creative ways to reward players during the holiday season, even if they aren’t allowed to do very much.