#particularly mika from like 15 years ago

[crunchsomebones]

I forgot how attracted I am to internationally renowned musical artist Mika???? oh my gd??? holy fuck.?.? I just watched the music video for Love Today and I Need That Twink Carnally. i want him so bad. what the FUCK

[hanjiist]

i got tagged omg!! (i forgot this was a thing)

Tagged by: @levi-robbed-my-tea-cupboard I’m not even sure we interacted before? anyway tysm I feel very flattered, it’s been so long since I’ve done one of these haha

RULES: answer 20 questions, and then tag some more people (arg who will I tag??)

1. NAME: Lucie (nice to meet you uwu) 2. NICKNAMES: I love nicknames but don’t really have any, feel free to interact with me, message me and give me literally any name you want. I’m Lu for my family and a very long time ago I kind of went by Hanji 3. ZODIAC SIGN: Leo but why would you care 4. HEIGHT: 1m68, I’m not far away from Hanji’s height 5. LANGUAGES: French is my mother tongue, but I’m also pretty fluent in English, it’s the language of my studies. I’ve been studying Japanese in school for four years so I’m also quite good at it. I have primitive notions of Korean and German. 6. NATIONALITY: Belgian 7. FAVOURITE SEASON: Summer, I like long vacations, sun and drinking Japanese ice tea (but I love the wind and rain of the shit-weather city I live in rn) 8. FAVOURITE FLOWER: idk sunflower? 9. FAVOURITE SCENT: opening a bottle of Oi Ocha. Bread baking. Vanilla. The smell of the stuffed toys I sleep with. 10. FAVOURITE COLOR: Purple & pink. 11. FAVOURITE ANIMAL: Pigs & elephants (I love these with all my heart aaah... idk if you guys know this pain of absolutely loving animals you basically never see. I somehow manage to come across pigs maybe once or twice a year and I haven’t seen an elephant in like four years) 12. FAVOURITE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS: yasss fiction is my passion~ Mari Ohara from Love Live Sunshine is my ult alongside Hanji Zoe. Then I love all Love Live girls (particularly Ayumu, Rin, Umi, Shizuku and Chika), Salia from Cross Ange, Yuki from Haruhi Suzumiya, and basically everyone from Psycho Pass (Gino, Akane, Shion, Mika, Kei) and Tokyo Ghoul (Tooru, Kaneki, Akira, Hairu). In terms of novels I love everyone from the Count of Monte-Cristo and from Q (by Joumana Haddad). Also Ubu. And Constance from Ocean’s 8. And I’m forgetting so many but anyhow fiction = life 13. COFFEE, TEA, OR HOT CHOCOLATE: Black coffee no sugar, but I also enjoy tea quite a lot and I’m a total sucker for japanese green tea, hot or cold, and traditional macha 14. AVERAGE SLEEP HOURS: 7+ 15. DOG OR CAT PERSON: ewww 16. NUMBER OF BLANKETS YOU SLEEP WITH: I have my duvet and then a Mulan plaid on top of that 17. DREAM TRIP: visiting Uchiura & Numazu in Japan (if everything goes fine I’m going this summer aaah), and then I want to go back to the US with my two high school friends and also I wish to return to an amazing monastery in North Macedonia that’s called St Joakim Osogovski, it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world and I really want to stay there a write a book in this amazing setting 18. BLOG ESTABLISHED: I think around september 2016? 19. FOLLOWERS: 540 (and I’m very proud ok, thank you to everyone from the bottom of my heart) 20. RANDOM FACT: I really like the trolls from David the Gnome for no particular reason

Tagged people: @hanji-the-shitty-glasses @myoceanlivesinyoureyes @chaiiro-me @hanjithenewcommander @meijidamia @shushu3991 I just like your blogs but yeah I don’t really have tumblr friends anymore

[knoepfchen]

tagged by @meet-the-girl-who-can on the share 30, tag 20 thing - thank you Alex! <3

1. Name/Nicknames: i go by laurel on here :)

2. Gender: female

3. Star Sign: scorpio

4. Height: i think it’s actually dead on the national average

5. Time: quarter to six!

6. Birthday: 10 November

7. Favourite Band: Bastille

8. Favourite Solo Artist: this changes every month, but MIKA, probably

9. Song Stuck in My Head: “I’m Not Angry Anymore” by Paramore

10. Last Movie: La Dolce Vita, I think? Unless I count that film of the 2012 Jesus Christ Superstar arena tour, but I don’t want to give Andrew Lloyd Webber the credit tbh

11. Last Show: currently watching Leverage, but have also started Billions after two people independently of each other told me I remind them of one of the characters. (you may guess whom if you know it, but please don’t think any worse of me^^)

12. When I Created This Blog: everyone was very specific about this so I assume there is a way of looking this up? but all i’ve got for you is *probably* 2012

13. What I Post: i tend to reblog fanart nigh compulsively when i see it on my dash (atm that’s mostly TOG and some Good Omens).

14. Last Thing I Googled: ‘baby socks knit pattern’ (if you’ve got some good ones hmu please, everyone i know is pregnant and i’m turning into molly weasley apparently)

15. Other Blogs: i had a romantic academia (?) sideblog but then i couldn’t be bothered to treat my online presence like some social media manager anymore, and now here we are

16. Do I get asks?: i had an anon who’d come to my inbox every sunday about half a year ago with messages vaguely sexualising marwan kenzari and/or luca marinelli, but i think i’ve driven them away bc i am... not all that keen on doing that to people who are non-fictional on here. other than that, eh. ;)

17. Why I Chose My URL: there’s a character in the raven cycle who can take objects from his dreams, who is referred to as a ‘greywaren’. he’s not a particularly morally grey character tbh, but i like morally grey characters and can never resist word play, so.

18. Following: close to 1k, but that’s because i follow blogs for many different interests and only unfollow people once they start actively annoying me - if you just go quiet or post in timezones i can’t see you in, you’re stuck with me!

19. Followers: ~1.5k, but i think 2/3 of that are abandoned blogs

20. Average Hours of Sleep: ... 6? (although i’ve been known to get close to 8 when there’s someone to take the phone out of my hand and tell me to ‘stop reading under the covers like a grounded child’. long-distance is clearly working out well^^)

21. Lucky Number: 5

22. Instruments: played classical guitar as a child, dabbled on the piano as a teen

23. What I Am Wearing: indubitably one of the three jumper - mini skirt - fuzzy sock combos that are my lockdown rotation

24. Dream Job: tbh just any kind of consulting gig that let’s me work with people but still be my own boss (this is a key clue to the Billions character if you’re guessing btw)

25. Dream Trip: really want to go to Istanbul, or take a long train journey from St Petersburg to China, and I kind of want to visit Bhutan before it gets drawn into some war situation. also, jordan.

26. Favourite Food: any cultural variation of the dumpling. you know the post. 

27. Nationality: German

28. Favourite Song: Vienna, but the Ben Platt version because I am insufferable musical theatre person, sorry

29. Last Book I Read: currently reading Blood Orange which is, okay, I guess, last book I finished was Woyzeck, which was as upsetting as I remembered it from school

30. Top 3 fictional universes I would love to live in: so i may be a romantic at heart, but i am also a pretty rational person most of the time, and the truth of the matter is, most fictional universes have so much shit going down that I’d much rather just stay in this one. (i’m aware that there is a lot of shit going down in this one as well, don’t worry, i just rather the shit i know than suddenly having to deal with an overpowered space hitler trying to take over.)

I’m supposed to tag 20 people now, but I don’t know if I even know that many people on here and I’m not sure if there’s one of the people I do know who hasn’t been tagged in this yet, so.. anyone who wants to, feel free?

[raccoonwritings]

A Drink Away from Honesty Chapter 2

Childhood Friends AU (angst with a happy ending, be warned)

Lucas is an oversharing drunk, Eliott is both desperate and dramatic, and everyone is trying to just keep everything straight.

Or alternatively, Lucas and Eliott were childhood best friends until a storm tears them apart and brings them back together.

(Title from “Don’t Miss Me?” by Marianas Trench)

Chapter 2: Meet Choupi

Lucas (16) and Eliott (18)

Samedi 11:34

Lucas wakes up with a headache that thumps and a need for water that is overpowered by the desire to get more sleep. He shouldn’t have gotten crossed, he knows, but it was all he could do to keep himself from thinking about Eliott. Meeting him again after this long must have been a dream, right? Ugh, thinking about it makes Lucas’ head pound more. He just needs to sleep.

 Samedi 13:02

Lucas definitely hasn’t slept enough when Mika abruptly opens the door, shouting at Lucas to get his lazy ass out of bed, and pulling the blinds up to allow sunlight into the room.

“Up, kitten, up! You live in that bed!” Mika enthusiastically chants while crawling into Lucas’ bed with him. How ironic.

“Hnggg,” Lucas responds intelligently with his face smushed up against his incredibly flat pillow. He should really buy a new one. If his dad ever sends him money, of course.

“Well, aren’t you just the master of words this morning,” Mika sing songs. He snuggles up next to Lucas and receives a glare and another unintelligible noise. He soon finds Lisa joining the both of them in bed.

“You know what would get him up, Mika?” Lisa ponders knowingly.

“Why didn’t you mention sooner?” Mika extracts his phone from his pocket and pulls up Tinder. Lucas sees him clip the app icon and he is out. Despite having no energy and the pounding headache from before, he frantically detaches himself from the mattress and climbs over Lisa to reach the door.

“Sorry Mika, I have no desire to see the dicks of your Tinder hookups, or pictures of your dick,” Lucas grumbles, pushing down on the door handle and heading towards the bathroom.

Maybe a shower would help. Plus, he does smell a little of weed and shitty beer. A shower it is.

He walks out of the bathroom 20 minutes later, toweling his hair dry. Opting to grab some water before crawling back into bed, he makes a beeline for kitchen and searches the cabinet for a clean glass. There are used glasses in his room, on his desk, that he could wash and reuse, but that is far too much effort. Rearranging the far-left cabinet leads Lucas to find the secret set of nice glasses Mika must use for special occasions? Maybe they belonged to Manon and she left them here when she moved? Who knows. All that matters is that Lucas has a glass and can finally retreat back into his room.

With a half full glass of water – he chugged the first half – and a slightly damp towel, he treks back into bed. Finally, he’s alone. The water has helped his headache a little, but a pain killer couldn’t hurt. He downs a store brand equivalent of Tylenol and pulls out his phone for the first time that day to check his messages. Most were from the boys, just talking about the party last night, asking Lucas how far he went with Chloe, which he ignores with his entire being. He doesn’t want to talk about Chloe, who – of course – just then sends him a friend request on Facebook. He hates that he accepts, but he has to keep up the façade that he’s into her. This is enough to make him toss his phone aside and curl up in his singular blanket. Glancing around his room for something, anything to distract him, his eyes land on the recently empty cage that’s perched on his dresser. He really doesn’t want to think about that or anything else for that matter and actively ignores everything until his phone pings a short time later.

From: Unknown Number

Hey

 To: Unknown Number

Who is this?

 From: Unknown Number

How was your night with that girl?

 Lucas couldn’t help but let out a huff. Who the fuck was this person asking about yesterday? He didn’t want to talk about it.

To: Unknown Number

Who is this?

 Lucas isn’t answering any questions until he knows who he’s talking to. Unfortunately, he was waiting for a good hour before he discovered who has his number.

From: Unknown Number

You never gave me back my orange marker

 For the love of God. Lucas is over this. He has no desire to talk to Eliott at all, except Eliott is obviously not feeling the same.

From: Don’t Answer

I was really attached to that orange marker, Lucas. It meant a lot to me!

It broke my heart when you never returned it.

 It broke his heart? The audacity of him, honestly, to say that Lucas broke his heart. His sympathy and any naïve thought to respond was gone in an instant, only to be replaced by an all-consuming anger. A deep-seated sadness. This was the person who changed everything for him and left him to deal with the aftermath. The person who left him to retreat back into a skin he craved to shed. The person who forgot about him and was back again only to remind him of that.

 Lucas (9) and Eliott (11)

Mercredi 15:19

“Mom says I can get a dog!” Lucas exclaims as he sits on Eliott’s bed. They had both gotten out of a class not long ago and it was tradition that they head to Eliott’s to watch movies and goof off.

“That’s cool! Except, dogs are so last year,” Eliott replies, sitting across from Lucas in his neon yellow desk chair. Lucas huffs.

“What do you mean “so last year”? All the kids in my class are getting dogs for Christmas this year!” Lucas defends his desire for a fluffy companion. Dogs were, are a classic.

“They were like all the craze last year. You know what animal is on the rise this year?” Eliott responds animatedly. Lucas loves seeing his best friend like this even though he sounds like a complete idiot.

“What animal is on the rise this year, Eliott? Please, enlighten me,” Lucas rolls his eyes and emphasizes the ‘enlighten’. If Eliott didn’t get that he was being sarcastic, than he would really wouldn’t understand people at all.

“Obviously, my sarcasm has rubbed off on you, and normally I’d say that you following in my footsteps is the way it should be, but considering you’re only nine, I’d say maybe dial it back a bit. Okay?” He smiles, crooked and genuine. Lucas nods and returns a toothy smile, encouraging Eliott to continue since he still hasn’t unveiled what animal has become the most popular. “Alright, so a dog is great, yeah, but what about a hedgehog?!” Eliott finishes his question with another smile and jazz hands, causing Lucas to burst out in laughs.

“A hedgehog? Really? How are they better than a dog?” Lucas crosses his arms over his body and awaits the other boy’s response.

“They are! They’re cute, don’t require walks, or are ridiculously needy. I don’t know, they just remind me you a bit, too.” Lucas’ heart warms at Eliott indirectly calling him cute. He doesn’t understand exactly why, but it makes him feel good. He knows his cheeks are reddening, but luckily Eliott has turned around to face his laptop and is in the process of searching for pictures of baby hedgehogs. He finds a particularly cute picture and beckons Lucas to his side, which he immediately follows.

Lucas can’t not admit that the baby hedgehog is quite cute, but he’d never admit that to his friend. He would never admit to him that he wanted one now, slightly because of the fact that these small animals reminded Eliott of him and very much because of the idea of not having to put forth a ton of effort in walking it and cleaning up its shit.

Lucas also wouldn’t admit, at least right now, that when he arrives at home that night for dinner, he asks his mom, pleads with her, to let him get a hedgehog. She denies him for the moment and asks him why he’s had a sudden change of heart, considering he had been pleading for a dog for months on end. He wouldn’t admit the real reason to her either.

Months later, after Lucas’ 10th birthday, Eliott is bounding up the stairs leading to Lucas’ bedroom and knocking open the door with clumsy force. Lucas is standing in front of his dresser, which dons a shiny new cage, with his arms wrapped around something small. He turns and smiles wide at his best friend.

“Meet Choupi!” He exclaims, removing one of his hands to reveal a baby hedgehog. Eliott’s grin is wild.

“You took my advice!” He says, bouncing his way over to Lucas on the other side of the room. He leans down to get a closer look at the small animal when he makes a revelation. “Wait, Choupi?! Really, Lucas?” Eliott laughs with his body and looks to see his friend blushing.

“I’m not that creative, okay! There’s no need to make fun.” Lucas says, turning away from his friend. He’s a bit embarrassed now.

“Hey, hey, I didn’t mean it to be mean. It’s cute, I like it. It reminds me of you,” Eliott says, smiling tentatively. Lucas’ is no longer embarrassed when he meets his friends eyes, eyes that are full of nothing but warmth.

“Want to hold him?”

“YES!” Lucas giggles at the excitement. He tells Eliott to open his hands and slowly glides Choupi into his palm. It’s not a surprise that Choupi takes an immediate liking to his best friend. He totally understands.

 Lucas (16) and Eliott (18)

Samedi 14:06

Lucas just stares at his phone. He can feel the anger bubbling. How dare he come back into his life like this. How dare he up root all the damage control he’s done. Well, he hasn’t exactly done anything yet, but Lucas knows a storm is coming. Eliott left with a storm and he’ll come back with a storm, Lucas knows. He used to love those storms.

He loses himself in his thoughts and doesn’t feel his phone ping again.

From: Don’t Answer

Please talk to me.

 Lucas feels torn. A deep part of him, a part he has worked so hard to push down, wants to talk to him. He wants to feel connected to him again, but he knows that it is only going to hurt more in the end. He’s just going to leave again and Lucas can’t survive another one of that. He’s out of tape to piece his heart back together.

To: Don’t Answer

Leave me alone

 From: Don’t Answer

Aha!  You’re talking to me!

 Lucas rolls his eyes.

From: Don’t Answer

So, how are you?

I’m good, thanks for asking

I could go for a coffee though

Wanna join me?

I’ll be down at the coffee shop

You know the one

The one we always went to

Our coffee shop

 Lucas is dumb found. ‘Our coffee shop.’ They weren’t a ‘we.’ There was no ‘our.’ At least not anymore. Lucas contemplates for a several minutes before another ping from his cellphone makes the decision for him.

From: Don’t Answer

Shit, I forgot. I have to see Lucille later. I’m really sorry. Raincheck?

 Lucas laughs bitterly, tossing his phone to the side. Yeah, raincheck.

[theloudpedal]

2018 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion: New Blood

Ahhh, August....our favorite month of the year.

We always look forward to August because it means that we're heading down to the Monterey Peninsula for Car Week!  Gearheads make this pilgrimage every year and with different motivations, and there are many motivations.  Our primary drive (pardon the pun) is the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.  This year was particularly notable for a couple of reasons.  The first thing to note is that this was the first Reunion since Laguna Seca signed a new primary sponsorship deal with WeatherTech, paving a way to a more stable future with many changes and improvements already underway.  It also marks the first year that the event featured a Japanese manufacturer, and Nissan was more than willing and able to represent it's brand and to celebrate its 50th anniversary of corporate involvement in motorsports. 

We applaud the organizers on their decision to choose Nissan/Datsun at the featured marque, not only because it is long overdue, but also because we feel that in order to keep events like this (and vintage racing in general) alive, it is imperative to bring new audiences.  As the paddock clearly displayed, the Nissan/Datsun community were ready, willing and eager to show the crowd what the brand, its history and it's community are all about. More than 50 of the 551 total participants selected out of over 1,000 applicants based on authenticity and race provenance were attributed to the Nissan and Datsun brands. 

Now we don't purport to be Nissan/Datsun fanboys or aficionados, though we do love a well executed 510, early Z cars, modern and ancient GTRs and just about anything with a little age and some fender mirrors and/or overfenders.  That said, Nissan corporate and Nissan collector/driver/and media personality Adam Carolla brought the heat for the weekend. 

The hottest of the heat, was the glorious 1969 Nissan R382 Group 7 racing car.  Admittedly, we didn't even know if this cars existence, but now we have come to know and understand a part of Nissan's racing past.  This 600 horsepower 6 liter DOHC monster beat out Porsche and Toyota to win the 1969 Japan Grand Prix.  This thing is as lovely as it was menacing in its day.  The example Nissan brought was understated and stunning.

The second car of note is one that many in our demographic have a soft spot for.  For many of us, it's a treat to get to see a car we've driven a million times in any number of racing games and simulators.  It's an even bigger geek-out when we get feast our eyes on one we've only seen in the digital realm, and one that we never thought we'd ever see in the flesh...er um carbon fiber.  This thing was as impressive in real life as it is in any video game.  The Nissan R390 GT1 road car was glorious from any/every angle.  It was long, lean, sexy and powerful...everything needed to compete at Le Mans and everything it needed to achieve 220+ mph speeds.  We won't soon forget being in the presence of the 3R90.

For those not familiar with Adam Carolla's vehicular exploits, let's just say he's kind of a big deal these days.  Though his automotive tastes are broad and wide, he has a soft spot for classic Datsuns and Nissans, and he collects and races them to boot.  Some of these cars (approximately 10 of his collection) were actively and successfully campaigned by actor and philanthropist (and King of Cool), Paul Newman.  Carolla brought a few of these cars (and a vintage Hino hauler too!) from his collection to share.  We got up close and personal to he and his 1988 Turbo Z on the pregrid, and it was glorious!

And among all of the vintage racing goodness from Nissan/Datsun was a car so new, it isn't even on sale yet.  Straight from its debut at Goodwood appeared Nissan's collaboration with Italdesign, the GT-R50.  This thing was cool...really cool!  Yeah, it's gonna have turbos and like 700 horsepower, but that rear end!  We came upon the car for the first time on one of the track's service roads.  It was about to depart for one its numerous pressers.  It was unmistakably GT-R...a bit reserved, but with great little details and styling queues...but then we got around back and then....WOW!  Simple, shocking, amazing...that is all.   

Not to be outdone by it's Japanese auto making rival, Mazda brought its "A" game too, as they have for the last several years.  Under their prominently placed tent were several heavy hitters and crowd favorites.  The two that stood out for us were the iconic, "Charge" liveried 1989 767B that competed at the 1989 24 hours of Le Mans race #wankel.  The other Mazda on display was one that we've been waiting to see, in person, all racing season.  We are unabashed fans of Reinhold Joest and were pumped when plans were made public that he was going to be in charge of Mazda's WeatherTech racing effort this year.  We were thinking that our first opportunity to see it would be at the upcoming WeatherTech race at Laguna Seca.  Imagine our surprise when we happened upon the gleaming ruby colored RT24-P.  This thing is ridiculously good looking.

Mazda also treated, well everyone within 5 miles with working ears to a an audio display that has become somewhat of a tradition at the Reunion.  At a quiet time in the afternoon's schedule, they rolled the aforementioned 767B, a 1990 787, a 1991 RX-7 IMSA GTO, and the spectacularly fantastically looking 1992 RX-792P into the sunshine for a rotary racing rev-off.  The sound of all of those uniquely pitched beasts at once is unforgettable and loud....really really loud.

As has become the trend in recent years, the Reunion does more than just highlight a single featured car and/or manufacturer.  It has become a social outing and showcase for manufacturers both great and small.  This year featured significant displays by Audi, Jaguar, Ford, Singer/Michelin and Porsche.  All in attendance were treated to up-close access to Ford's latest GT (and their first gen, both in Gulf/heritage livery), the New Audi e-tron BP 18 prototype, and the all new Jaguar I-Pace HSE (which also set the track's record for an unmodified electric vehicle (with Randy Pobst at the wheel), and yes, the drool-worthy new Singer you've been seeing all over social media! Yeah, the event is the "Historic Motorsports Reunion," but everyone seems to love the new stuff and commensurate car swag and test drives that come with them.  We give a special shout out to Jaguar for providing sweet hats for anyone willing to give up their email address and automotive preferences!

THE SPECIAL DISPLAYS

 As much as we love all that stuff, we don't make the three hour drive for any amount of new hardware.  We're vintage car types, and this event is our hallowed ground, and did it ever deliver this year.  We don't know how the quantity of cars stacks up to past years, but the paddock was as full as we've ever seen it, and the quantity of entrants was only exceeded their quality.  This abundance made for larger than usual racing groups, thus more of what we all want to see.  From the moment we arrived it was clear that this was a big one.  The paddock was packed to capacity with cars spanning multiple eras and multiple discisplines of racings such as early IMSA GT cars to historic Formula 1 and the beast of Formula 5000.

Among the moments was two time Formula 1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen taking to the track in McLaren's 1995 Le Mans-winning F1 GTR for demonstration laps.  The McLaren F1 GTR, based on the monumental road going F1 and still considered the greatest hyper car ever created.  The F1 GTR even 28 years later still brings chills with the sound of its BMW V12 screaming around the track sounding just as vicious as it must have those years ago when it took the victory at the famous Le Mans circuit.  For many at the event it was their first time to come within range of a car that set the standard for all that follow.

We commend our hosts at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Nissan, all of the corporate sponsorship and track staff (both paid and volunteer) for putting on such a great show (and a special shout to Mother Nature for providing the spectacular weather!)  Though we always fret about the future of vintage racing, this years Reunion showed the strong footing of this thing we love, at this place we love.  Laguna Seca's much needed face lift coupled with the excellent choice of featured car/manufacturer, and the fact that the crowd was more diverse by every measure possible tells us the universe really wants more vintage racing.  Life is good.

As is always the case, there is no way to condense the depth and breadth of Car Week, let alone this single event, into one story.  We just give you our perspective and our musings and images from the few hours we spent at the track.  Please take some time to look through the gallery below.  As you probably know, our pictures are a lot better than our words.

Broadcast coverage of the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion will be available on Premier on September 23 (noon ET/9 a.m. PT), Encore on September 23 (5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT) and Encore 2 on September 26 (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT). The livestream will also re-air on Motor Trend OnDemand and the Motor Trend YouTube page.

Next year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) on August 15-18, 2019.

Full Gallery

[atlasifyllm]

Because yes

1. Your first OC ever?

I would say Queen Mana, my self insert alicorn pony princess, but in all honesty I'd say my Littlest Pet Shop toys from 3rd grade that I gave each a persona or my mouse character "Licky" and his sister "Lucky". Yeah Licky had quite the unfortunate name. As for my LPS toys, I'm not sure which was my FIRST among all of them, but I do know the first ones were Trevor and Erica! They were a happy married couple~

2. Do you have a personal favourite among your OCs?

Ooh, I gotta say I have one for each story. Though among all of them? I HAVE to go with Cobalt Zaffre from DOTS: DD. Honestly my fave out of the DOTS peeps, I love his design (thanks Raven), her persona, his character arc, god I love this dickhead

3. Have you ever adopted a character or gotten a character from someone else?

Honesty no? I did base Rose off of a friend's OC, but that was years ago and she's more original now.

4. A character you rarely talk about?

I gotta say Agent Silver and Agent Neon from MAR, mostly since I've been pretty dry with MAR ideas and have near no hope to revamping them both from their 5th grade counterparts. That and the protag of D.exe, since I'm revamping them too. Pretty much any character I've planned on revamping but haven't really gotten to yet...

5. If you could make only one of your OCs popular/known, who would it be?

COBALT ZAFFRE. I honestly feel like he's worth the fame, though I'm probably biased-

6. Two OCs of yours that look alike despite not being related?

Yang and Tig! When designing one of them into DOTS, I created Yang with Tig's original palette concepts of 2016 with no intentions of bringing Tig into the story yet. Though that changed, and I brought Tig into DOTS: DD and got too attatched to their palettes to change them. I have thought of changing Yang's design, but I got too attached so Tig and Yang just so happen to share the same hair and skin tone.

7. Are your OCs part of any story or stories?

The real question is who ISN'T apart of any story? I get too attached to OCs easily so I'd either need to make a story or put them into a story! I did have a void character for a week named Benvolio, though I found him a place in "Dragon Destiny"

8. Do you RP as any of your OCs? If you do, introduce one of your RP OCs here!

I've never actually roleplayed before! I have thought of opening an askblog for Turquoise Sky from DOTS: DD, though I've lost most motivation for continuing it

9. Would you ever be willing to give any of your OCs to someone else?

I'm too attached to my babies!

But in all honesty my brain makes so many character concepts that I could legit probably sell them at this point for the characters I REALLY don't need.

10. Introduce an OC with a complicated design?

I don't have a picture of her on-hand, but the first that comes to mind is Nio from Chrisis! Mostly due to her rainbow sleeves and cards...

A close second is Iris from the DOTSverse, though it's honestly just due to her hair being a gradient AND layer mode at the same time.

I'm sure there's more though, I can never keeo track of them all!

11. Is there any OC of yours you could describe as a “cinnamon roll”?

Rose Morganite from DOTS: DD and Nimbus Fulmen from AuAg! Both are sorta naive kids who don't know what's going in too well...

My other kid OC is basically Ed Elric except with Queen Moon's look-

12. Name an OC that isn’t yours but who you like a lot

fuck it i'm calling them out @ravenwolfie97

I REALLY LIKE SKYLAR BINCH

13. Do you have any troublemaker OCs?

Tig is sorta on the border between troublemaker and full-blown villain. Though my new OC Roman Rho from Dragon Destiny seems to fit that description? Others include Kaiser and Shadow from Last Light, Aquamarine from SOTGC, the entire cast of Sky Games, Viobalt and Charoite from Chrisis, Ater from the DOTSverse (somewhat), Ala Blaster from DOTS: SF, Reed from ROP, Akumu from D.exe, Mika from ZP, and... yeah I hope that's all of them

14. Introduce an OC with a tragic backstory

Cobalt Zaffre from DOTS has a pretty angsty backstory so far, though I can't spoil that right now. Iris actually has a sad story too, but I can't spoil that either. Have some runner ups!

- Bluebot (Beyond Repair) Bluebot is the only android that is utterly seen as useless by Eris, the main AI

- Storm Gray (Dragon Destiny) Storm was treated more as an experiment than child by the scientist who made him, having him be bullied by his scientist's son, Roman

- Ventus Fulmen (AuAg) while he isn't a full blown "angst son", Ventus got into prison thinking his girlfriend was shot dead by soldiers

- Viobalt (Chrisis) Viobalt is trying to strive beyond the void since his own universe was erased from existence by the creator

- Pretty much all the Darksiders in Last Light. Each Darksider succumbed to a dark, deep form of Despair, which caused them to turn into monsterous beings seeking revenge, acceptance, pain, or freedom

- The Squire (A Story Told) The Squire lost his kingdom to an evil king, and wants to try and get it back

Those are the ones from the top of my head!

15. Do you like to talk about your OCs with other people?

Oh honey I could talk about my OCs all year

16. Which one of your OCs would be the best at biology (school subject)?

I'm gonna say the scientists in Dragon Destiny, since out of the two other brands of scientists in my story (D.exe and BR), the DraDes scientists had to deal with organic matter way more in order to create the dragons. Vincent from D.exe is a close second, though he's more of a specifically neuroscientist than biologist

17. Any OC OTPs?

- Storm x Orlene in DraDes

- Cobalt x Ruri in DOTS: DD (and by extension, DOTS: SF)

- Ruby x Blaze in DOTS: DD

- Yin x Tigerlily in DOTS: DD

- Yang x Vio in DOTS: DD

- Ventus x Vepris in AuAg

- Momo x Ringo in PSG!

- Alpha x Zetto in DOTS: 5x5

- Iris x Alba in DOTS: 5x5

18. Any OC crackships?

- Cobalt x Yang in DOTS: DD. The two palabros honestly are hilarious together as a hugely dumb couple

- Reed from ROP x Zetto from DOTS: 5x5. This is a REALLY odd one, but one time I had a dream that created a new OC that looked like a fusion between the two with a dark blue color scheme. So of course I joked about them having a son, though it's extra funny when Zetto is just a humanoid snorlax made of pure light and eats flowers, and Reed is an energetic anime prince protag boy who's... well, not made of light. And of course, some crossover ships are absolutely hilarious

But my favorite:

- Turquoise x Cobalt in DOTS: DD. Gotta get that good ol fashion Oncest 👍

19. Introduce an OC that means a lot to you (and explain why)

All the Chrises tbh, but especially Cobalt in particular. Cobalt (and by extension, the other Chrises) is based off of the guy who inspired me to continue making stories and OCs, and I can never thank him enough for helping me find that spark that gave me a purpose. Cobalt's everything to me, a coping character and a tribute to the man who inspired me to be this creative. I created the other Chrises because I want the creativity that the guy gave me to be a symbol of all my stories, and a tribute to the man himself. Cobalt as I've developed him has represented all the things that remind me of the guy, so he's the closest to him but also with my own twists I adore so I can't help but love him so much! Cobalt, out of all the Chrises, represents the man who's inspired me to be a creator to this extent the most, so he means so much to me. The other Chrises are a VERY close second, since they represent him in various ways too that is both a tribute to him and a symbol of me, though Cobalt represents him the most.

20. Do any of your OCs sing? If they sing, care to share more details (headcanon voice, what kind of songs they like etc)?

HA! EASY! The Zero Percent crew 100% (pun intended)

Robin I can see sounding probably like a mix of the singer from Set It Off (Sorry I don't know his name!), Natewantstobattle, and I think Billie Joe Armstrong/Gerard Way?? There's so many good voices crie-

He likes rock music tho! He's in a band so that's a given but... yeah.

Elliot is a newer OC from the same story, but not from Robin's band! He's a lone singer cause I wanted a singer OC who sounded like Adam Lambert-

Outside ZP, I had the headcanon that Yang from DOTS: DD had an embarassing rap phase in high school. Ash Embers from the same story was also in a band, though it disbanded as soon as it was made ;n; I'm not sure if she was the vocalist though? Def rockstar, though. Cobalt I can see having a good singing voice since I've really liked Chris Niosi's singing (sing more Chris ;o;), and Ruri too since her voice claim is Rose Quartz from SU! Not sure on their genres, though... Other punk rockers include Ruby, I have been thinking her voice claim changing to Hayley Williams? Not sure, though...

Lastly, The Bard in A Story Told. She plays medieval music, though it's not particularly good since she'e pretty much a drunken bard who gets around by riding her horse backwards.

Anyway that's 20 questions, hope you 5 peeps enjoyed it, ehehe-

[tabrisfam]

tagged by @hollywoodcassiecage (thank u!!)

1.) Nicknames: i dont think so

2.) Gender: trans dude

3.) Star sign: gemini ♊

4.) Height: 5'6’’ (169cm)

5.) Time: 9:20am

6.) Birthday: may 25

7.) Favorite band: the black eyed peas

8.) Favorite solo artist: stromae, mika, christina perri

9.) Song stuck in my head: if we ever meet again by timbaland, ive been listening to a lot of songs from my childhood while drawing these days (yeah im gen z)

10.) Last movie you watched: love actually, i remember two years ago our english teacher screened it in class and i hated it so i watched it again to see just how bad it was and its uh pretty fucking horrendous

((max honeslty dont expect much, it praises itself for portraying all sorts of love but no one is gay and all the women above 30 end up sad and alone lmao))

11.) Last show you watched: the big fat quiz

12.) When did I create my blog: june 2014

13.) What do I post: general art, dragon age, whatever i like atm, nothing particularly consistent, if you see me posting too much of something then its likely i found out its unpopular in some way and that strengthened my love for it (i.e.: anders)

14) Last thing I googled: for example in latin

15.) Do you have other blogs: yeah but i dont post there anymore, the “”“biggest”“” one being @naruto-spin-off , the rest is just junk- one archive blog, one draft blog, one mbti blog and a url holder called testiclestick

it seems 16) got lost in the system somewhere so imma add my own

16.) Biggest muse at the moment: definitely dragon age, it helped me crawl out of an artblock i had since fucking december, im even filling up an actual sketchbook with da stuff its incredible lmao

17.) Why did you choose your url: its a word i came up with myself while playing a game on my shitty laptop so i used it since i like when artists have an original pseudonym, but ive been thinking of changing it lately for both cosmetic and privacy purposes

18.) Following: 245

19.) Followers: 378

20.) Favorite colors: white, brown, desaturated green and red

21.) Average hours of sleep: like five

22.) Lucky number(s): 5 is a reoccurring number in my life, also 2

23.) Instruments I played: piano, self taught guitar

24.) What am I wearing: my usual outfit - jeans, long sleeved black and white baseball shirt, violet hoodie, army green parka, fingerless gloves, and white socks

25.) How many blankets I sleep with: 2

26.) Dream job: illustrator, comic artist, stay-at-home dad :’)

27.) Dream trip: just my towns outskirts, when the weather is lovely average

28.) Favorite food: žemlovka, those toasts i make, schnitzel with fries, and ham mushroom pizza with corn

29.) Nationality: czech

30.) Favorite song: that dope beat from [pmv] dork, i would sell my soul to find the original as well as what genre it is. ultimately tho id say its id love to change the world by jetta (matstubs remix)

I tag @pastelfrood , @maxtrashpng , @eiricthemammoth !

[tryingtomystrade]

Rules: Answer 28 questions and tag blogs you would like to know better

Tagged by the great Pam er... Pamela? @bokkle-oran-doove ;) 

Name: TryingToMystrade

Nickname: I sign everything here as TTM but people call me Batman or Scribble Gender: Non-Binary (He/They/Them pronouns) Star sign: Libra but only for the memes Height: Smol™ at 4'11'' Time: 00:42 (GMT) Birthday: 30th September Favourite bands: Fall Out Boy, P!ATD, Pentatonix, Queen, Crème Brulee ;), The Overtones, Alt-J, The Baseballs, The Hoosiers... SO MANY I love all music really Favourite Solo Artists: Mika, Stromae, Alfie Boe, Childish Gambino, Andy Grammer, Billy Currington, Ingrid Michaelson, Jack Johnson AGAIN WHERE DO I STOP Song stuck in my head: “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman OH MY DAYS it’s the best!

Last movie watched: Iron Man 2 (I’m attempting a chronological Marvel marathon between revision)

When did I create this blog: I don’t know exactly. Some very many years ago. TryingToMystrade is a secondary blog that has become my main but I can’t change it... stoopid Tumblr.

Last thing I googled: Minimum variance portfolio (I did say I was between revision, I’m not that interesting)

Do I have any other blogs: Yes, my main Tumblr is DoctorOCD which I no longer use but it will be what comes up when I follow you or like stuff. I also have TryingToScribble which is my multifandom blog that I need to spend more time on than I do(Yeah, I know I don’t spend time here, either shhh)

Do I get asks: Yes, I get prompts and headcanons which I take a million years to get to even though I keep asking for more I’M SORRY 

Why did I choose my URL: TryingToMystrade was me trying to find a mystrade name that hadn’t already been taken then giving up and putting a spin on my AO3 name (and other blog, now) TryingToScribble

Following: 361

Followers: TTM has 1913 followers AND I LOVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU

Average hours of sleep: Not enough and too much

Lucky number: I don’t believe in luck

Instruments: guitar and learning piano and drums when I can

What am I wearing: purple pjs and a TARDIS hoodie

Dream job: Teacher

Dream trip: I want to go everywhere but particularly a backpack trip around America (US comic cons duh)

Favourite foods: Nutella (chocolate in general), bolognese, love a good roast dinner as long as it’s drowning in gravy, not at all obsessed with tartar sauce and garlic mayo (I am)

Nationality: British

Favourite song atm: “Wait For It” from Hamilton or “GUY.EXE” by Superfruit when I’m not buzzing over The Greatest Showman

Favourite author: Derek Landy, Trudy Canavan, Brandon Sanderson, Joseph Delaney, Darren Shan (yes, there’s a theme, I LOVE Sci-fi and fantasy!)

BONUS Favourite book: Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

There are so many people already tagged so @alliaskofyou @harrinoodles and my last 15 followers @lucifer13c @aliasblack73 @justified-reality @ttjtea @hamishlestrade @ijustlovemyharem @minamik642 @ryanthewolfy @thisbitchisjohnlocked @babynovak05 @littlebeekeeper @thebloodygenius13 @livelylunalovegood @fabladykermit @n0tg0d

[dragonslaved]

rules: answer 30 questions and then tag 20 blogs you would like to know better.

tagged by @diloolie

1. nickname: jack

2. gender: nonbinary/agender

3. star sign: capricorn/sagittarius cusp. most horoscopes can't decide

4. height: 5'1" while in shoes

5. time: 7:18pm WEST COAST BEST COAST

6. birthday: hahahahaha what is this the government

7. favorite band(s): tally hall, jukebox the ghost, fall out boy, linkin park, say anything, coheed and cambria, freak kitchen, love live? I'm counting love live, perfume, halestorm, akfg

8. favorite solo artist(s): I don't trust anyone that doesn't like Beyonce, jonny cash, I'm counting griffin mcelroy in this at this point bc holy shit the music he did for taz, mika, pink, britney spears

9. song stuck in my head: fall out boy's new single has been in my head nonstop

10. last movie I watched: I literally just saw Kingsmen 2 this morning and have a lot of mixed feelings

11. last show I watched: I've been going between keeping up with BNHA anime, and rewatching Archer, B99, and Will&Grace

12. when did I create my blog: this particular blog was made about 2 years ago. My original blog that I moved away from was made in 2009

13. what do I post: 90% reblogs of fandoms and dumb jokes, 5% art, 3% back and forth with folks, and 2% introspection/personal

14. last thing I googled: I don't... fucking know, I think it may have actually been "does kingsmen 2 have an after credits scene" while at the theater (btw in case you're wondering, it does not)

15. do you have other blogs: I've got @casadekeith solely for voltron reblogs, a bpd vent sideblog, a code testing blog for new layouts, and I've had my hands on @askjimhawkins for literally YEARS now imported over from my old tumblr. been thinking of actually using it.

17. why did you choose your url: I love Lina Inverse so much? Her confidence and unapologetic attitude is just inspirational to me and at the time of making this blog, I really sorely needed that, so I chose her signature move the "dragonslave".

18: following: 101

19. followers: I usually keep this blocked out but for this, looks like I'm sitting at 134

20. favorite color: greens. any and all shades of green, I'm particularly fond of mint/teal/aqua

21. average hours of sleep: between 3-5 hours a night

22. lucky number: 3

23. instruments: these bomb ass vocal chords. I took piano when I was a kid until we soon realized my hands are too small to continue playing; I can't reach all the keys. when I get settled again I want to learn guitar

24. what am I wearing: theeeeeeeeeee rooster teeth Off Topic shirt, and that kinda fake-satin blue rubber ducky pj pants

25. how many blankets do I sleep with: 1 flat sheet in the summer, and then in winter add on a big thick down comforter

26. dream job: I don't. really know anymore. Either something kinda mindless and monotonous, or something repetitious that I can use my hands for.  ultimate dream is to own and run a bakery but that’ll likely never happen 

27. dream trip: Ireland. It's the last country my gramma went to see before she got too sick to continue traveling.

28. favorite food: shrimp. give me shrimp I love shrimp I will eat it all, shrimp heaven is in my stomach

(there's no 29??? ok)

30. favorite song now:  that same fuckin FOB single that's out right now holy shit

[thrashermaxey]

20 Fantasy Hockey Thoughts

Every Sunday, we'll share 20 Fantasy Thoughts from our writers at DobberHockey. These thoughts are curated from the past week's 'Daily Ramblings'.

Writers: Michael Clifford, Ian Gooding, Cam Robinson, and Dobber

  1. It’s been a long road for Robby Fabbri. Injuries limited his 2016-17 season to 51 games and then he missed all last year. He looked ready for the 2018-19 season and then he had this minor groin issue flare up.

That it’s been so long since Fabbri was in the NHL makes it easy to forget how good he was. Though his raw numbers were just 29 goals in 123 regular season games, his goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five was 0.85, tied with names like Alex Galchenyuk, Corey Perry, and Jordan Eberle for the 2015-17 seasons. He also had that great postseason in 2016 where he posted 15 points in 20 games. This was a budding top-line forward before the injuries hit.

The question is what player we get back. Is he going to be the same guy right out of the gate once his conditioning stint is over? Probably not. Can he get there in a couple months? Maybe. There’s a left wing spot next to Ryan O’Reilly with Fabrri’s name written all over it, though. (oct25)

  2. What can I say about Steven Stamkos? I keep opining here that he is a 35- or 40-goal, 65- or 70-point player with the ability to mesh very well with superstars. When he had Martin St. Louis on his line, he was getting 97 points. When he had Nikita Kucherov on his line, he was getting 86 points (last year). We all assumed that he would play with Kucherov again this year but so far it hasn’t really happened. The offense is being spread out with Stamkos playing with Brayden Point and Yanni Gourde, while the Triplets (Kucherov, Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson) are reunited. J.T. Miller is playing with fourth-line players and still leading the team (tied) in points. (oct22)

  3. Carey Price picked up a shutout against the Bruins on Saturday, stopping all 33 shots he faced. With his first shutout of the season, Price equaled his shutout total from all last season. So that should give you a hint as to whether he has improved over last season. With a 2.13 GAA and .922 SV%, Price has looked like the Price of old so far. In other words, the kind of goalie that has now won more games than Patrick Roy in a Habs’ uniform.

  4. Watch out for Jaroslav Halak in Boston. The former starting netminder may have eyes for the full-time crease job with the Bruins with his and Tuukka Rask's early-season play. Here's a look at the stats:

Rask: 3-3-0, 3.15 GAA, .902 SV%

Halak: 3-0-2, 1.43 GAA, .945 SV%

Coach Bruce Cassidy proved he wouldn't shy away from cutting into Rask's workload when he ran with Anton Khudobin for stretches last year. Halak could prove to be one of the better waiver wire grabs this season. Or not. Who knows with goalies.

  5. The Bruins are still without Torey Krug and Charlie McAvoy. After careful thought and consideration, I believe Matt Grzelcyk will be paired on the second power-play unit with McAvoy once both Krug and McAvoy return. Until then, he’s only 1 percent owned in Yahoo leagues, so he’ll be available in a lot of deep leagues too. (oct24)

  6. I have to mention Zach Sanford, who scored a goal and two assists for the Blues while playing on a line with Ryan O’Reilly and David Perron on Saturday. After being called up from the AHL two weeks ago, Sanford has racked up six points (3g-3a) with a plus-6 in just five games. If his name is in any way familiar, it’s because he was part of the return for the Blues in the Kevin Shattenkirk trade with Washington. He might be worth taking a flier on in deeper leagues, particularly if this line arrangement continues.

  7. I guess John Tavares is the insurance policy that the Leafs needed. Auston Matthews, who entered Saturday’s game with no points in his last three games, left Saturday’s game with a shoulder injury. Given the player and the team he plays for, you’ll probably be provided with plenty of updates. The shoulder injury was to his left shoulder, not the same one that was injured last season. Mike Babcock has already said that Matthews won’t practice on Sunday and won’t play Monday against Calgary. It sounds like this injury will cost him multiple games, so you’ll want to look for an alternative for next week.

The injury resulted in Nazem Kadri moving up to the top line alongside Patrick Marleau and Kasperi Kapanen. Just as it was thought that Kadri would lose value with the Tavares addition, Kadri should probably gain value as a result of the Matthews injury.

  8. Sebastian Aho extended his season-long point streak to 10 games and 15 points. Aho is driving the bus in Carolina. He’s sporting a Corsi rating of 64 percent in all situations, playing more than 19 minutes a game and rocking a 4.87 points-per-60 output. He’s on a heater, no doubt. But, this is a player capable of sustaining a point-per-game over the long haul.

  9. Los Angeles has been a massive disappointment this year and Ilya Kovalchuk with them. Kovalchuk is on pace for a 41-point season, not that bad for a 35-year old in today’s NHL. Consider that no player aged 35 or older cracked 60 points last year and it gives you a good barometer of what to expect for Kovalchuk. My preseason prediction had him at 58 points, so, he’s got some work to do. (oct26)

  10. There was a huge gap between Anders Lee for Max Pacioretty in their final preseason average draft positions (ADP) – something in the realm of five or six rounds. My personal rankings for standard Yahoo leagues had them a lot closer – something in the realm of about a round and half (player 55 vs player 73). In a lot of ways, at least fantasy-wise, they are similar players. Both are known for goals rather than assists, both had questions coming into this year (no John Tavares vs new team off a down year), and both can put up stout hit totals. I think if we’re talking standard leagues, we’re shuffling deck chairs for the most part. (oct26)

  11. Here’s the thing with Nate Schmidt, who signed a six-year extension with Vegas this past week. For a long time, the analytics community had been clamoring for the Capitals to give him more minutes and he never really got them – his career-high for minutes per game in Washington was his rookie year. As such, we have one year of Schmidt playing top pair minutes (admittedly, with good results) and one year of Schmidt cracking 20 points.

Schmidt is 27 years old and currently serving a 20-game suspension. It feels like a lot of money for a guy with that kind of track record at that age. This contract will render him useless in cap leagues, by the way. If you’re in a dynasty cap league, the time to trade him will be before the All-Star break. (oct26)

  12. After a bit of a slow start, Mika Zibanejad has really heated up. Zibanejad is a high-volume option both in terms of ice time (20:54 ATOI) and shots on goal (tied for 10th with 42 SOG). His 47 points and minus-23 last season pushed him down many fantasy cheatsheet, so it’s easy to overlook the fact that he also had career highs in both goals (27) and shots on goal (212 SOG). This should give you an idea of what to expect from Zibanejad going forward. (oct24)

  13. With the production from Max Lajoie and the superlative play of Thomas Chabot, not to mention good days from Chris Wideman, Cody Ceci may never see the power play. On the other hand, he’s not drafted in fantasy leagues for point production anyway. All this does is limit his upside. As long as the even strength and PK minutes are there, so too will his peripherals. (oct23)

  14. Although he eventually settled down after allowing two first-period goals, Mike Smith again didn’t provide his owners with what they needed on Saturday. Smith has allowed at least three goals in six of his eight starts this season. Although I can’t see him losing the starting job outright, Smith might have to give way to David Rittich (2.37 GAA, .933 SV%) more often than we expected during the preseason. If I owned Smith (which fortunately I don’t right now), I’d keep him on the bench for now.

  15. The Oilers called up Cooper Marody from the AHL, where he had six points in five games to lead Bakersfield in scoring early on. All this is happening, of course, because Ty Rattie is sidelined for “multiple” weeks with a mid-body injury. *Cough*cough* Bochenski. Remember Brandon Bochenski? Led the preseason in scoring with the Senators because he clicked so well with Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza. Then a game or two into the season he suffered an injury that cost him a big chunk of games – maybe 20? Anyway, he returned and couldn’t regain his mojo. The rest, we say, is history – he now dominates the KHL with eight consecutive years of being one of the top scorers there.

Is that Ty Rattie’s fate? Gawd I hope not. I paid to acquire him. What does ‘multi-week’ mean? I will assume three weeks and assume he misses 11 games. (oct22)

  16. Martin Necas was sent to the minors a few days ago and it’s only a matter of time before another highly-touted rookie goes the same route; Casey Mittelstadt has had a miserable time in the NHL so far this year with one point in nine games. This is despite substantial power-play time and having pretty solid linemates (usually Jeff Skinner and Kyle Okposo, but Evan Rodrigues, too). I think both Necas and Mittelstadt could do well with 30 games in the AHL, get back the swagger and then return for a better NHL splash. (oct22)

  17. Why don’t the Rangers try a Legion of Doom line? Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider and Brett Howden? Each at or over 6-3 and boasting a lot of talent. Just a random thought. A rambling, if you will.

I can’t believe Neal Pionk is second on the Rangers in ice time. He was a healthy scratch last week and now he’s a big minute-muncher. He has six points in eight games now with five of them on the power play. Last year, five of his 14 points were on the power play. In all, he has 20 points in 36 games and is starting to eat away at Kevin Shattenkirk’s power-play time. (oct22)

  18. Ryan Pulock and Brandon Montour. I believe in both players; just play the long game with these two. You can’t give up on your strong hunches in the first 10 games when everything else is lining up properly (steady, high ice time, PP time, etc.). Montour owners are already getting rewarded for their patience. Pulock owners will, too. (oct22)

  19. Despite playing early on with Josh Bailey and Mathew Barzal mostly, Anthony Beauvillier has one point in eight games. At this point, I start looking into acquiring the latter. Perhaps his owner will drop him soon (in limited keepers with lots of transactions), or perhaps his owner is just getting impatient. I think he’ll figure it out eventually, though I wouldn’t give up a ton to get him. (oct22)

  20. Twenty-six-year-old Micheal Ferland is going to surprise us with 60-plus points this year and that is just how Brad Marchand surprised us when he was 27. I don’t think he can take the next step the way Marchand did but while many poolies will be in full ‘sell-high’ mode for Ferland the way they were with Marchand back in 2016, I will be in ‘buy’ mode. He’ll have another gear. I am very confident of this, I just wish I caught the obvious logic sooner. (oct22)

  Have a good week, folks!!

  from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/20-fantasy-hockey-thoughts/20-fantasy-hockey-thoughts-47/

[yahoo-puck-daddy-blog]

Trending Topics: The Rangers are doing the right thing

New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist isn’t enough to keep his team competitive. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

There comes a time in every team’s cycle of having fostered a good and competitive roster when that roster is no longer particularly good or competitive.

In a salary cap world, there’s no way to be like the Red Wings from the mid-’90s to the late 2000s, and just continually reload every time you lose a borderline Hall of Fame talent and replacee him with a different borderline Hall of Fame talent. Unfortunately, the way the NHL is set up since the implementation of the salary cap — and loser point — is to obfuscate that fact where fans are concerned.

Sure, it’s intellectually disingenuous for a team like, say, Vancouver to be mired in a years-long game of cat-and-mouse with its fans, feigning an earnest interest in rebuilding before not doing it and in fact trading young talent for older guys who kinda suck. The fact that Canucks fans see their team sitting 15 points out of a playoff spot and genuinely have no idea whether they’re going to be sellers at the deadline is a marvel, but it’s indicative of this sleight-of-hand loser-point nonsense that goes on with the standings these days, and happens literally everywhere eventually.

Which is what makes the New York Rangers’ decision yesterday, to come out publicly as an organization and say, “Look, this isn’t working any more.”

While the Canucks are saying, “Ah jeez, who knows what we’re gonna do?” the Rangers are three points out of a playoff spot and saying, “We have to blow this up.” Now, to be fair, at the draft this past summer, Jeff Gorton went on the record and definitively used The R Word — “rebuild” — in an interview. It was, at the time, appended by the sneaky little parachute: “on the fly.”

It’s very difficult to make a rebuild on the fly work, especially when most of the guys you consider your core are not just out of their primes, but also at least 28 and signed for at least a few more years. Mats Zuccarello, Rick Nash, Kevin Shattenkirk, Marc Staal, Ryan McDonagh, Brendan Smith and of course Henrik Lundqvist might have had another good season or two in them, if everything had gone right. Turns out it didn’t go right. And that was despite Jeff Gorton’s best efforts: He bought out Dan Girardi (smart), he traded Derick Brassard for Mika Zibanejad, he made reasonable-ish middle-term signings for guys who could help his blue line.

None of it worked, at least not to the extent to which Gorton might have hoped. And given that this is a league which basically functions on the single premise that if you can make the last playoff spot, you can win a Cup, to say, “It’s all or nothing for us,” is kind of remarkable. How many years were the Calgary Flames, as an example, content to aspire to be just the 16th-best team in the league or so, and to what end? The Rangers could have been happy to shovel that crap down their fans’ throats, but instead — after getting humiliated by the Bruins on home ice with Boston coming off a game the previous night — they not only said, “Screw it, we’re gonna blow things up…” they said, “…starting with some mistakes we made like seven months ago.”

Brendan Smith is a guy the Rangers gave up a second- and third-round pick for at the deadline last year, and he was pretty good for them. So good in fact that they fell into the same market inefficiency that sprang up around middle-pairing defenseman about the time of the Adam Larsson trade and gave Smith four years at $4.35 million AAV with a limited no-trade clause. The Rangers put him on waivers yesterday.

Smith, for his part, hasn’t been anywhere close to the Rangers’ worst defenseman — only four more years on that Marc Staal deal! — but he was horrible against the Bruins in that 6-1 loss and unlike a lot of offensive defenders on the team, doesn’t have a no-move clause (Staal and Shattenkirk) to prevent a waiver transaction, and wouldn’t get claimed in a second (McDonagh).

Meanwhile, when asked point-blank whether coach Alain Vigneault — who’s certainly above-average at his job — would be back next season, Gorton dodged the question with aplomb. He likes Vigneault as a coach and a person, and respects him, and thinks he’s good, but also he’s not gonna answer the question. Which is to say Vigneault is probably out of a job at the end of the season, if not before that.

There’s a degree of emotional earnestness here to which everyone should aspire. To be able to admit it before trying to wring a few more years of face-saving out of the deal is the kind of self-awareness you only see in Mountain Goats song, not that  a weekend (or more) in Hartford won’t fix what’s wrong with Smith and his contract.

Who knows who gets moved in the next couple weeks for the Rangers here, but if Gorton and Glen Sather are standing as a united front and putting their cards on the table like this, one imagines the prices might not be as steep for guys like Rick Nash and Michael Grabner as they were just a few days ago. And also that the likelihood of the Rangers being willing to pay those guys again this summer has diminished greatly.

Now, you could argue that this is a bit of an overreaction to one admittedly horrible game in which everyone who wasn’t Rick Nash was pretty much giving a bottom-of-the-barrel performance. You wouldn’t exactly be wrong, but let’s say the Rangers win that game 6-1 instead. Would trying to scrape something together with this roster, even if you’re still open to selling at the deadline, be any more advisable? Obviously not, so no matter what the impetus to rethink the team’s approach, and drop the “on the fly” from its long-term plans — even without saying the word “rebuild” in the statement” — all that matters is that they got there, rather than how.

This is a years-long process into which the Rangers have just entered. They’ll get a new coach, a rash of new, young, skilled players and picks, and focus on getting things to where they ought to be again.

That statement Sather and Gorton put out together really does tell the story. They’ve played 129 playoff games in the cap era (second-most in the league behind only the three-time Cup champ Penguins). They won a Presidents’ Trophy (and in fact have the sixth-best record over the last thousand-plus games). They went to three Conference Finals (tied for third in the league) and even made a Cup Final. That’s a pretty good run even if they never could win it for Lundqvist.

And to turn your back on it relatively quickly — the Rangers had 102 points just last season! — because you’ve seen this movie before and know where everything is headed?

That’s beyond commendable. It’s basically unheard of in the NHL, but let’s hope this serves as an example to everyone else: If a big-market, perennially contending cap-ceiling team like the Rangers can do it after one mediocre-and-honestly-not-even-bad season, you can too.

And frankly you probably should.

Ryan Lambert is a Puck Daddy columnist. His email is here and his Twitter is here.

[skincare-us-blog]

Dee Poku, Women's Advocate + Entrepreneur

New Post has been published on http://skincareee.com/dee-poku-womens-advocate-entrepreneur/

Dee Poku, Women's Advocate + Entrepreneur

“I grew up in London, but lived in Ghana for a few years, which was a very formative experience for me. My parents missed home and wanted their children to have the same experience that they had. I think particularly as a woman of color, it was very grounding for me to be in that environment where everybody looked like me. I was able to aspire to be anything I wanted to be, without worrying about any sort of impediment to my success. In Ghana, education is everything so I really thought about my studies in a very serious way.

I was a young teenager when I went back to London, which is a very insecure time in anyone’s life, particularly for young girls. I was different, I had picked up a bit of an accent, and was a bit of a nerd. As far from being in a cool crowd as you can get. [Laughs] Going to university was a revelation for me. It was very freeing. I initially wanted to study chemical engineering, but I ended up switching to math. It’s so interesting that now there’s this push to girls into tech…at the time I remember thinking, what am I doing here? Out of my class of 150 people there were only 2, 3 girls. It didn’t feel like a very comfortable place for me to be in.

CAREER My initial plan was to go into finance—which would have made my parents very happy—but I just had a change of heart and I decided to take a year off. I think I’ve always tried to be creative and I was boxed into a science box. I interned at this fashion PR company, called Lynne Franks, and then they offered me a job. Its claim to fame is the founder Lynne was the inspiration for one of the main characters in Absolutely Fabulous… Do you know that TV show? It’s actually really funny. Then I moved out of fashion and into film marketing, which is where I spent most of my career for 15 years. Before I had any commitments in my life, I would just sit in movie theaters all weekend long and just watch movies. I found my calling in them. I was very lucky in respect that I got to work with such incredible filmmakers. I’ve worked on so many good movies—Lost in Translation, Brokeback Mountain, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind…

For a while, I was using my marketing background to consult for various non-profit companies—quite a few in the women’s space. That ended up segueing into the global branded company I founded, WIE, Women in Inspiration and Enterprise. It kind of happened by accident. I was at The Important Dinner for Women in 2010, which brought together all these powerful, impressive women—Queen Rania, Wendi Murdoch, Christy Turlington, Hillary, Oprah, you name it. We were all asked to make a pledge, to go off and do something with it. I was just so in awe of the success, intelligence and experience I was surrounded by and thought how incredible that women like me and behind me can have this sort of access in such a rarified environment. We started out with just one conference, and it has since grown into a network of women with a variety of different events designed to create those connections and learn from one another. I didn’t know I had a voice in making a difference in that space, and then the more I got to learn about other people, the more it inspired me to do that, too. Ultimately I just want to see parity in the workplace, more women in leadership positions, founding and growing major companies.

SKINCARE My philosophy is that beauty absolutely comes from within. I always look my best when I am looking after myself. For me it starts more with little rituals—diet, lemon water in the morning, pure cranberry juice—things that are constantly cleansing. I don’t drink coffee at all, I like to drink green tea. My skin is really in-between and when I am not looking out after myself, I can breakout. I just got a breakout today. This week I had a gazillion things going on, and I didn’t sleep much or eat well—it’s just that simple. I was like, ‘Great, I have a photoshoot and a zit.’ [Laughs]

I started using Ole Henriksen years ago because their headquarters was right by my apartment in LA. I used to go there for facials. In the morning, I use the On The Go Cleanser [ed note: discontinued] with a mitt and then once a week, I use the Clarisonic brush. I also use the Aesop Fabulous Face Cleanser because it smells really nice, and it’s not too harsh. I think I’m always looking for things that are not too drying or stripping for my skin. I gravitate towards clean beauty and I love Gwyneth and Goop. [Laughs] I love the philosophy, so that’s what I started to use and that worked well for me. I really like the Replenishing Night Cream, but I have run out. I also like using the Skinceuticals CE Ferulic Serum, which a facialist told me about. Sometimes at night I will use micellar water and wipe that off, because I can’t be bothered washing my face. I also like to use the No7 Total Renewal Micro-Dermabrasion Exfoliator once a week. That’s from my English days, its super grainy. I also like the Boots Botanicals Ionic Clay Mask which I use once a month.

MAKEUP In my fashion PR days, I experimented with makeup more, although I don’t know that I did it very well. [Laughs] Now, it’s about finding that confidence in yourself and knowing what you look like. It comes with age, it’s like when you know what suits you when you go to the store and pull out what’s best for you.

If I wear foundation, it’s always so hard to get the right shade so I mix two. I like the Make Up For Ever HD Foundation in #178 and the Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Tinted Moisturizer in R5. A makeup artist first suggested that I mixed them and I was thrilled. I used to have a fear of photoshoots because makeup artists just never get it right on my skin. I mean unless you’ve got Pat McGrath, it’s not the right shade and you just have to kind of take your own.

My lashes aren’t very long, so I am always looking for anything that enhances my eyelashes and eyes. I find that Maybelline brands are just really good. I use the Maybelline Falsies Push Up Angel Mascara. It’s not a brush, it’s a thin comb but it really coats the top and bottom lashes. I’ve run out but I really like the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner that comes in a pot with a brush. I do the whole of the top and half of the bottom. And I love it. People are always talking about Ruby Woo, but it’s really the best lipstick ever invented. It’s not too bright, not too pink, it’s a deep, rich red. Sometimes I don’t wear any makeup during the day and then if I have a meeting or if I go out, I put mascara and lipstick on and that does me fine.

HAIR I cut my hair last year and it’s the best. Just so freeing. I was definitely someone who liked to hide behind their hair. I just felt I couldn’t pull off short hair, and my husband really thought that I could. He has fancier hairdresser than I do—so does my son—they both use Mika at Salon AKS. They were having their hair cut and my son was just like, ‘Mommy get your hair cut, too,’ and suddenly that was that. There’s still such a gap in the market and there really aren’t any great salons for black hair. I find the women from the Caribbean and Islands just get it, so I go to Harlem for a great, cheap blowdry or braids. I really like the Aveda Be Curly Shampoo and their Brilliant Conditioner. I also use the Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonnaise as a really good home treatment, it’s very enriching and puts moisture back in your hair. The Redken Glass Look Smoothing Complex is great when I am using a straightening iron and then I would use the Living Proof Frizz Nourishing Oil to protect it.

BODY Having moved to Brooklyn three months ago, my routine has definitely changed. I have a 5 year old who’s very active—he wants to ride his bike, scooter, play basketball and run around obviously here he can do those things. The thing about LA or London is that you have a garden, and parks on every corner, it’s just different. But I love it here, I’m definitely a city girl. I’ve lived in cities my whole life, I crave that hustle and bustle.

Right now we’re very into oils. When my son was born in 2012, I did so much research into products for him that I could use as well. We use these cocoa butters from Everyday Shea, they’re very simple and great. There’s this brand called Daughter of the Land, and it’s an organic, fair trade oil that is great to use all over the face and body. They have three different ones with different grades of heaviness and I combine them all. I do like fragrances though. Over the years I’ve gone through four bottles of the Bvlgari. It’s really great and clean. I also love the Cartier So Pretty. I used to wear it all the time although I think it was discontinued, and I certainly haven’t seen it in America.

Once in awhile and I’ve been meaning to go back, I get facials with Mamie, she’s kind of the one. She’s great with black skin and there are a lot of people that go to her, she has very fancy clients. I try to go to her every few months for a deep clean facial, and I feel like it lasts a long time. I love, love saunas, Hammam, anything with steam. I used to go to a spa on Greenwich street in Tribeca—Aire Ancient Baths. I also used to be obsessed with Russian Turkish Baths. It wasn’t the most glamorous place, but I loved it.

I think that in general, the more I can incorporate my beauty and health routine into my day to day, the better it works for me. I don’t exercise that much, I’m very simple. I used to run and do yoga, but that had fallen by the wayside a little bit. I would rather not take a car or subway than go to gym, so I just walk everywhere and take the stairs. It’s cheaper, and you can multitask. I am about to try—just because I’ve been hearing so much about her and following her on Instagram—Taryn Toomey’s The Class. It looks amazing. I’m about to give that a go, maybe I’ll do it by the time this comes out. [Laughs]”

—as told to ITG

Dee Poku photographed by Tom Newton in New York on June 2, 2017.

[movietvtechgeeks]

Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/nick-viall-not-feeling-vanessa-grimaldi-donald-trump-low-blows-mika/

Nick Viall not feeling Vanessa Grimaldi and Donald Trump low blows Mika

Rumors have recently come to light, claiming that things are rocky between Bachelor couple Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi. As you may know, Nick and Vanessa got engaged at the end of the last season of The Bachelor, in which Nick presented the Montreal-native with the final rose. While the two have been together for several months now, sources close to the pair say that things may not end up working out for the reality show lovebirds. Just last weekend, both Nick and Vanessa were spotted in Puerto Vallarta, as they attended fellow Bachelor stars Carly Waddell and Evan Bass’s wedding. Despite being in such a romantic setting, according to insiders, Vanessa and Nick looked quite “miserable” while at the ceremony. One source that was on the same flight as the duo coming back from Mexico told media publication US Weekly, “[Nick and Vanessa] didn’t exchange five words the entire flight [from Mexico back to Los Angeles]. They were angled completely away from each other.” The same source went on to spill, “Nick grabbed his bag and ran ahead of Vanessa…they really don’t seem to like each other.” Ever since they wrapped up Nick’s season of The Bachelor, both Vanessa and Nick have been bombarded with wedding-related questions. However, the reality show couple has been adamant that they are looking to take things “slow” and let their relationship naturally evolve. Insiders have been telling the media that the two stars are constantly bickering with each other. One Bachelor insider claimed, “It’s not a solid relationship, and it won’t last.” Unfortunately, the success rate of Bachelor couples is extremely low. In fact, the Bachelor star before Nick, Ben Higgins, just recently split from the winner of his season, Lauren Bushnell. We will just have to wait and see if Nick and Vanessa are able to make it past this rocky patch in their relationship or if Nick will return to the franchise for the fourth time… President Donald Trump ridiculed the looks and temperament of a female cable television host whose show he says he has stopped watching. In a series of tweets Thursday morning, the president went after Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, who have criticized Trump on their MSNBC show "Morning Joe." https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/880408582310776832 "I heard poorly rated @Morning Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came ... to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!" https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/880410114456465411 Brzezinski responded on Twitter by posting a photograph of a Cheerios box that has the phrase "made for little hands." Critics looking to get under the president's skin have long suggested that his hands appear smaller than usual for his frame. https://twitter.com/morningmika/status/880415526371176448 "It's a sad day for America when the president spends his time bullying, lying and spewing petty personal attacks instead of doing his job," NBC News spokeswoman Lorie Acio said in a statement. The White House did not immediately respond to questions about the tweets, including what it was that set the president off. About two hours before the president's tweets, Brzezinski said on the show that "it's not normal behavior" for any leader to be tweeting about people's appearances, bullying, lying, undermining managers and throwing people under the bus. Saying that if any business executive behaved the way Trump does, "There would be concern that perhaps the person who runs the company is out of his mind." On their Wednesday show, Brzezinski and Scarborough roundly mocked Trump for displaying in several of his golf resorts a fake Time Magazine cover featuring himself. "That's needy," Brzezinski said on the show. About 15 minutes before the president himself tweeted, White House social media director Dan Scavino similarly attacked the hosts. "#DumbAsARockMika and lover #JealousJoe are lost, confused & saddened since @POTUS @realDonaldTrump stopped returning their calls! Unhinged," Scavino wrote on his personal account. Trump was correct that the MSNBC hosts spent time at the president's Florida resort, a visit that Scarborough said was to arrange a Trump interview. The hosts confirmed they are engaged to be married earlier this month. Is it actually the Hello, Goodbye tour for Adele? Pop superstar Adele has hinted that her current tour for Grammy-winning album "25" will be her last. The 29-year-old included a signed, handwritten note in the program for her Wednesday night show at Wembley Stadium in London stating, "I don't know if I'll ever tour again and so I want my last time to be at home." Her announcement comes at the end of a 15-month tour throughout Europe, the US, Australia and New Zealand. "Touring is a peculiar thing, it doesn't suit me particularly well," she said. The "Hello" singer will perform three more shows in London, finishing her tour on Sunday after a total of 123 performances. Rob Lowe says he thought he was going to be killed during an encounter with a bigfoot creature while filming his new A&E docuseries. Lowe tells Entertainment Weekly the encounter took place in the Ozark Mountains, which stretch between Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Lowe says he and his sons were camping there to investigate a Bigfoot-like creature known to locals as a "wood ape" during a shoot for "The Lowe Files" when something began to approach their camp. Lowe says he was lying on the ground thinking he was going to be killed. He adds that he's "fully aware" the story makes him sound like "a crazy, Hollywood kook." "The Lowe Files" follows the actor and sons Matthew and John Owen as they explore mysterious phenomena across the country. Michelle Rodriguez is threatening to leave "The Fast and the Furious" franchise unless its female characters are treated differently. Rodriguez wrote on Instagram on Tuesday that she hopes filmmakers decide "to show some love to the women of the franchise" in its next installment. If not, she says, she "just might have to say goodbye."

Gary Gray directed the eighth film in the series, "The Fate of the Furious," and is defending the treatment of women in that movie.

He tells Business Insider he "thought the combination of female characters was pretty strong." Gray notes that Charlize Theron played the antagonist in the film and Helen Mirren made a cameo. The ninth film in the franchise is due out in 2019. MTV says it doesn't condone driving under the influence after a cast member was shown nodding off behind the wheel during the most recent episode of "Teen Mom OG." Monday's episode of the reality series shows Ryan Edwards nodding off while driving fiancee Mackenzie Standifer to their elopement. Standifer eventually turned the dashboard cameras off and questioned Edwards on whether he took Xanax. Edwards denied doing so. An MTV representative says Edwards' "erratic behavior was due to actions that he took without anyone's prior knowledge." No production members were in the vehicle during the shoot. The couple got married during the episode. Edwards says he entered rehab facility more than 30 days ago. He says he is at home now and "life could not be better." Forest fires affect hundreds, if not thousands, of Americans every year. This year is no different, as forest fires continue to pop up across the country. Unfortunately, Big Bang Theory star Johnny Galecki’s home got caught up in one of these fires earlier this week. According to numerous reports, Johnny’s Californian home was completely destroyed, as it found itself in the path of a massive forest fire. The actor’s home, which was situated in the Santa Margarita area, fell victim to a 1200-acre fire that devastated the surrounding area. As of Tuesday, Johnny had yet to see the damage. However, sources claim that the star was planning to return to his destroyed home once he got the all clear from local firefighters. In a statement made to TMZ, Johnny addressed the tragic situation, saying, “My heart goes out to all in the area who are also experiencing loss from this vicious fire, the threat of which we live with constantly, which may seem crazy to some but we do so because living in a beautiful, rural area makes it worthwhile.” The 42-year-old actor went on to say, “Endless thanks to CalFire and the Sheriff’s Office. I know you guys are fighting the good fight to keep us safe. So very relieved no one has been hurt.” Tennis superstar Serena Williams is the latest female celebrity to bare it all while pregnant. On the latest issue of Vanity Fair, Serena shows off her beautiful bump while posing fiercely for the cover. Serena’s longtime friend, famous photographer Annie Leibovitz, took the photo, which showcases Serena’s incredible-as-ever shape. In addition to starring on the cover of VF, Serena also gave an exclusive interview to the magazine; in which, she spoke candidly about her pregnancy. When asked about how she felt when she first learned she was pregnant, Serena revealed, “I did a double take, and my heart dropped. Like literally it dropped, ‘Oh my god, this can’t be - I’ve got to play a tournament. How am I going to play the Australian Open? I had planned on winning Wimbledon (her third straight) this year.’” Now, even though she is a number of months along in her pregnancy, Serena told Vanity Fair that she continues to be stunned by the fact that she’ll soon be a mother. The tennis athlete gushed, “It just doesn’t seem real. I don’t know why ‘Am I having a baby?’ I don’t know what to do with a baby. I have nothing...I’ve done absolutely nothing for the baby room.’” Fortunately, Serena has her fiancé Alexis Ohanian by her side, who surprised her a few months back with a proposal. When asked about her fiancée’s proposal, Serena admitted that she did [somewhat] see it coming. She told Vanity Fair, “I knew it was coming. I was like ‘Serena, you’re 35, you’re ready. This is what you want.’” You can see more of Serena in the August issue of Vanity Fair.

Movie TV Tech Geeks News

[edgysocial]

New Post has been published on http://edgysocial.com/47-all-time-funniest-songs-to-cheer-you-up/

47 All-Time Funniest Songs To Cheer You Up

When you feel like having a bad day or just having some down time because of the stressful work, some annoying people, or the bad weather; you don’t always want to talk with people about how you feel. You’d probably prefer chilling on your own with some music playing, particularly some songs that would make you smile, right?

As a music lover, I love listening to and playing different kinds of music. Recently I’ve researched on the funniest songs on YouTube and Spotify and have shortlisted 50 funny and upbeat songs that will surely cheer you up! The list of songs ranged from the 70s, 80s and 90s hits to recent pop songs, you’ll definitely find positive vibes from one of them.

Just sing along when you’re feeling down. Some of the music videos are quite funny too! (By the way, if you love these songs, I’ve got you the complete playlist at the end!)

1. Sweat (A La La La La Long) – Inner Circle

Forget about La La Land, and sing aloud “la la la la….”

I’ve been watching you! A La La La La Long A La La La La Long Long Li Long Long Long.

2. Witch Doctor – Cartoons

Annoying but super funny!

Ooo eee oo ah ah Ting tang walla walla bang bang….

3. Wannabe – Spice Girls

Yoooo tell me what you want! I just want some fun!

I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want, So tell me what you want, what you really really want, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna really really really wanna zigazig ha.

4. Dragostea Din Tei – O-Zone

We just can’t help singing along the languages we don’t understand, don’t we?

Mai-ia-hii Mai-ia-huu Mai-ia-ha Mai-ia-haha Mai-ia-hii Mai-ia-huu Mai-ia-ha Mai-ia-haha

5. Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!! – Vengaboys

We just wanna do the “BOOM” sound anyway.

Boom boom boom boom I want to do the boom

6. Barbie Girl – Aqua

Oh who would miss this? Barbie Girl’s just always our favorite! (I always do the lip dub when it’s Ken singing by the way.)

You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere Imagination, life is your creation

7. Friday – Rebecca Black

Well, what’s better than Fridays?

It’s Friday, Friday Gotta get down on Friday Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend, weekend

 8. U Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer

We love the music anyway, for the lyrics? Of course it’s “can’t touch this”!

Can’t touch this (oh-oh oh oh oh-oh-oh) Can’t touch this (oh-oh oh oh oh-oh-oh) My-my-my-my music…

9. Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of….) – Lou Bega

Ladies and gentlemen, just a list of ladies in his life, okay?

A little bit of Monica in my life A little bit of Erica by my side A little bit of Rita is all I need A little bit of Tina is what I see

10 .Call Me Maybe – Carly Ras Jepsen

Oh so it’s call me Maybe, or call me, maybe? Not funny? Fine…

Hey, I just met you, And this is crazy, But here’s my number, So call me, maybe!

11. Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees

Falsetto is the focus here, okay?

Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive. Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive.

12. Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) – C & C Music Factory

Again, falsetto is the focus here, okay?

Ev’rybody dance now! Ev’rybody dance now! Yeah! Yeah! Ev’rybody dance now! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

13. I Like to Move It – Real 2 Real

I know what you’re thinking, it’s not originated from Madagascar!

I like to move it, move it. I like to move it, move it. Ya like to… move it.

14. Y.M.C.A – Village People

Young man, when you’re singing this along, don’t forget your hand gestures for Y-M-C-A.

It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A. It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.

15. Tunak Tunak Tun – Daler Mehndi

Yes, we’re in love with the foreign language. Do you know that Tunak Tunak Tun actually means dear / beloved? It’s a Bhangra Pop song. [1]

Tunak tunak tun, tunak tunak tun, tunak tunak tun, da da da Tunak tunak tun, tunak tunak tun, tunak tunak tun, da da da

16. Lemon Tree – Fools Garden

This is funny in a kind of sad way…

I’m sitting here in a boring room, it’s just another rainy Sunday afternoon. I’m wasting my time, I got nothing to do. I’m hanging around, I’m waiting for you, But nothing ever happens – and I wonder.

17. Macarena – Los Del Rio

Eh,… Macarena – the only word we sing whenever this song plays. It’s actually a pretty funny song about the girl Macarena wanting to meet a boyfriend in the States! [2]

Dale a tu cuerpo alegría Macarena….. ¡Eh,… Macarena! Aaay!

18. Gangnam Style – PSY

This was the most popular song back a few years ago, and I bet you know how to dance to this song!

Op, op, op, op Oppa Gangnam Style Gangnam Style

19. Funky Town – Lipps Inc.

The funky music just makes you feel so energetic and want to keep moving!

Well, I talk about it, talk about it Talk about it, talk about it Talk about, talk about Talk about movin’

20. #SELFIE – The Chainsmokers

A not-so-long ago released song about the common phenomenon of people taking selfie all the time. The monologue is just so cool.

After we go to the bathroom, can we go smoke a cigarette? I really need one But first, Let me take a selfie

21. Lollipop – Mika

This is just a lovely idea to suck on the lollipop haha!

Sucking too hard on your lollipop, Or love’s gonna get you down

22. The Lazy Song – Bruno Mars

This just speaks our minds when we want some slack time.

Today I don’t feel like doing anything I just wanna lay in my bed

23. Hot N Cold – Katy Perry (and the Chipettes version’s even better)

The original Katy Perry version is nice, but I’d also recommend you to try the Chipette version!

You’re up then you’re down You’re wrong when it’s right It’s black and it’s white We fight, we break up We kiss, we make up

24. Dub-I-Dub – Me & My

I can’t even remember other lyrics in the song besides Dub-I-Dub. We just love to sing it along!

Dub-i-dub-i-dub-i-dub-dub-dub Dub-i-dub-i-dub-i-yeah-yeah Dub-i-dub-i-dub-i-dub-dub-dub I don’t need your love

25. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper

Well yes, girls just wanna have fun. Period.

Oh daddy dear you know you’re still number one But girls they want to have fun Oh girls just want to have

26. We No Speak Americano – Yolanda Be Cool, DCup

Just sing along and knot your head with pa pa l’ americano.

Pa pa l’ americano Pa pa l’ americano Pa pa l’ americano

27. Livin’ La Vida Loca – Ricky Martin

Just admit it! You like this song too!

Upside, inside out she’s livin la vida loca She’ll push and pull you down, livin la vida loca

28. Dancing Lasha Tumbai – VERKA SERDUCHKA

It’s a German song about speaking dance, the song sounds really lovely!

Sieben, Sieben, ai lyu lyu Sieben, Sieben, ein, zwei… ein, zwei, drei

29. My First Kiss – 3oh3! feat. Ke$ ha

The sound of the kiss is the thing you definitely can’t miss in the song.

My first kiss went a little like this [muach] and twist [muach muach] and twist

30. We Will Rock You – Queen

Hey buddy, just listen how I’m gonna rock you!

We will we will rock you We will we will rock you

31. Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson are just awesome here, who can resist the beat of this song?

I’m too hot (hot damn) Call the po-lice and the fireman

32. Summer Nights – Olivia Newton-John, John Travolta (soundtrack from Grease)

From the musical Grease, the “tell mer more” song will never bore you!

Tell me more, tell me more How much dough did he spend? Tell me more, tell me more Could she get me a friend?

 33. Rude – MAGIC!

The funny part is how honest the guy is being with his lover’s dad, don’t you think so?

Why you gotta be so rude? Don’t you know I’m human too? Why you gotta be so rude? I’m gonna marry her anyway

34. We Like To Party! – Vengaboys

Yes, we know that they really like to party, yes we get that.

We like to party We like, we like to party…. We like to party

35. Beat It – Michael Jackson

A song about beating up the other, it’s kind of funny. (Don’t get me wrong. This is a really nice song and MJ is a legend!)

Showin’ how funky strong is your fight It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right Just beat it, beat it

36. Sexy And I Know It – LMFAO

Whoever says they’re sexy and they know it is funny enough.

Girl look at that body Girl look at that body I work out  I’m sexy and I know it

37. Waka Waka – Shakira

This is a lovely song and we all like to sing along “waka waka”!

Tsamina mina, eh eh Waka waka, eh eh Tsamina mina zangalewa This time for Africa

38. Pump It – The Black Eyed Peas

Personally I think the part singing “louder” is worth highlighting.

Pump it (louder) Pump it (louder) Pump it (louder) …..

39. Hooked on a Feeling – Blue Swede

I can’t stop this feeling either, the sound of ooga-chaka keeps ringing in my head.

Ooga-chaka Ooga-Ooga Ooga-chaka Ooga-Ooga ….

40. Grace Kelly – Mika

A very cute song about becoming more elegant and look better to impress another person.

I could be brown I could be blue I could be violet sky I could be hurtful I could be purple I could be anything you like

41. Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen

I think this is a very nice song to play (or sing) to someone if they’re trying to stop you from having a good time.

Don’t stop me now I’m having such a good time I’m having a ball Don’t stop me now If you wanna have a good time just give me a call

42. Money Money Money – Abba

Funny but sad song about the reality…

I work all night, I work all day, to pay the bills I have to pay  Ain’t it sad And still there never seems to be a single penny left for me  That’s too bad

43. Beauty School Drop Out – Frankie Avalon (soundtrack from Grease)

Another song from Grease, the approach of trying to motivate the girl is quite funny.

Beauty school dropout, No graduation day for you. Beauty school dropout, Missed your midterms and flunked shampoo!

44. Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice

The rap is cool, but we only remember the vanilla ice baby. Yes, our fault.

Ice ice baby, Vanilla Ice ice baby, Vanilla

45. You Can’t Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd – Roger Miller

The lyrics are just so cute about skating in different places!

Ya can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd  But you can be happy if you’ve a mind to Ya can’t take a shower in a parakeet cage  But you can be happy if you’ve a mind to

46. YOLO – The Lonely Island, Adam Levine, Kendrick Lamar

#YOLO, the way the song’s telling people to live the moment is funny. I particularly like these lines:

Never go to loud clubs  ‘Cause it’s bad for your ears. Your friends will all be sorry  When they can’t hear.

47. Axel F – Crazy Frog

Bing bing bing bing, bing bing, bing bing bing bing, bing bing bing…. BANG BANG… can you think of anything funnier and crazier than this?

Just follow and listen to the complete playlist here on Spotify:

Reference

[1] ^ Quora: What do the lyrics to “Tunak Tunak Tun” mean in English? [2] ^ Lyricstranslate: Macarena

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The post 47 All-Time Funniest Songs To Cheer You Up appeared first on Lifehack.

Lifehack

[theworstbob]

yellin’ at songs: 4.1.2017, 3.31.2007

the songs that debuted on the billboard chart this week and ten years ago this week.

3.31.2007

42) "With Love," Hilary Duff

This was thoroughly unpleasant. Hold up, before I check Wikipedia, I'ma guess Kara DioGuardi was in on this one? I think I've listened to enough 2007 at this point that I can recognize Kara DioGuardi's trademark blechery in here. /checks the credits/ OH MY FUCKING GOD WHY IS SHE SO TRASH. Kara DioGuardi has written plenty of bad songs, including the two most disappointing songs I've heard as part of this project. She's given a credit on "Be Good to Me," which you'll recall was a travesty, and she's given a credit here, on this bad imitation of a Timbaland song. I won't do a Worst 10 or anything like that, because why would I think about things I don't like any longer than I have to, but I guarantee, there’d be multiple Kara DioGuardi joints on a Worst 10. I'm not going to look at her Wikipedia page, for the same reason other people find it difficult to watch Hannibal, but also to keep life full of surprises.

68) "Survivalism," Nine Inch Nails

a fun thing about listening to political songs from 2007 is how quaint they seem now. remember when the problems we have today were still problems but like 1% as bad as they are now? say what you will about dubya, he never flew into a rage on a saturday morning and accused bill clinton of wiretapping the texas rangers. there was some shit being pulled in 2007, like f’rinstance remember that one time the president suspended habeas corpus for undocumented immigrants? that was pretty unchill. but at least he wasn't gleefully racist. at least he didn't propose we spend billions of dollars to build a monument to racism.

76) "Get It Shawty," Lloyd

I didn't hate this! This song is incredibly 2007, but it's 2007 in a way that's somewhat timeless, if that makes any sense. Like, in 2014, I wrote about Nico & Vinz's "Am I Wrong?" that, yeah, there's a few things in there that will mark it as being from 2014, but if you wrote this song in any era, it could have blended in with that era's trends and styles with aplomb, and we would have loved it all the same. There's a lot here that's very 2007, but at its core, this song is kind of perfect, could have been released today and sound like a hit from today and still occupy the same space in my heart. It's like "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)," or Amerie's "One Thing," just a solid song which'll make you go "Oh yeah! This! I loved this!" when it comes on.

90) "You Know I'm No Good," Amy Winehouse ft./Ghostface Killah 91) "Rehab," Amy Winehouse

It is uncouth to speak ill of the dead. It is also uncouth to write that sentence in this context, prolly, but let us be known for what we are. I hope she's doing better. (That bass on "You Know I'm No Good," tho.)

94) "Beautiful Liar," Beyonce & Shakira

Listen, team, we need to talk about restraint for a second, because there are a thousand ways this project could have gone wrong. You get two superstars on the track together, there's absolutely the risk of putting something completely overcooked on the market, some showy vocal battle, but everything here is so understated. The Middle Eastern-y sound could have been laid on too thick, but it's doled out in this tiny, almost imperceptible dose, and that sets the tone for the rest of the track. No one belts anything, because it's understood that there's nothing to belt about, just a dumb boy that isn't worth the effort, and Beyonce and Shakira are compelling singers who don't NEED to be belting all the time to get the point across. This is such a fascinating song! You would expect a song from two titans to attempt to set fire to the world, but this merely simmers, doesn't even boil, just simmers, and it's an agreeable choice.

96) "Like This," Kelly Rowland ft./Eve

The synth track on this song kind of, kind of sounds like the main menu theme of Yoshi's Island, at least sounds close enough to Yoshi's Island that I can completely fuck with this, even if I think the drum track is kind of illogical. (Bob! you should be making jokes, what is this music criticism thing.) UGH FINE oh wow kelly rowland follow beyonce much. you know how like you two used to be in destiny's child but beyonce had a much more successful solo career. hey where's the michelle williams one. um, michelle williams much? that's a person also who was in destiny's child as well, also. she's very less successful! how about that! having fun living a full life and hopefully retiring early after having made smart investments with the money you made from your time in a popular music group? what a putz!

2007 Top 20 In Progress, Except Not Really, Because 2007 Is Kinda Over if You Haven’t Noticed? But I’m Still Ranking These Songs as I Go Because I Don’t Know What Else to Do. 20) "Outside Looking In," by Jordan Pruitt (2.24.2007) 19) "Like a Boy," by Ciara (3.17.2007) 18) "Grace Kelly," by MIKA (2.17.2007) 17) "Get it Shawty," by Lloyd (3.31.2007) 16) "Break 'Em Off," by Paul Wall ft./Lil' KeKe (3.10.2007) 15) "My Oh My," by The Wreckers (1.27.2007) 14) "Mr. Jones," by Mike Jones (1.27.2007) 13) "Settlin'," by Sugarland (2.17.2007) 12) "Movin' On," by Elliott Yamin (3.17.2007) 11) "U + Ur Hand," by P!nk (1.13.2007) 10) "Doe Boy Fresh," by Three 6 Mafia ft./Chamillionaire (1.20.2007) 9) "Beautiful Liar," by Beyonce & Shakira (3.31.2007) 8) "Cupid's Chokehold," by Gym Class Heroes ft./Patrick Stump (1.13.2007) 7) "The River," by Good Charlotte ft./M. Shadows & Synyster Gates (2.10.2007) 6) "Say OK," by Vanessa Hudgens (2.17.2007) 5) "Alyssa Lies," by Jason Michael Carroll (1.13.2007) 4) "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," by Jennifer Hudson (1.13.2007) 3) "Candyman," by Christina Aguilera (1.13.2007) 2) "Because of You," by Ne-Yo (3.17.2007) 1) "Dashboard," by Modest Mouse (2.17.2007) Jordan Pruitt, hanging on for one more week! Can she keep the miracle run near the bottom of the chart going? TUNE IN NEXT WEEK TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH I ENJOY “WHO KNEW.”

4.1.2017

14) "No Frauds," by Nicki Minaj, Drake, & Lil Wayne

This was a very boring song, most of which concerns a topic in which I'm not particularly invested? Like I guess it's kind of interesting to drop a diss track where you sound completely disinterested in the beef, the response is perfunctory and you're only responding because your opponent's name carries some weight and people'll give you shit if you completely ignore it. I’m down for a diss track where the participant is hella bored by this nonsense, but that probably wasn't the intended interpretation. I dunno. If there's one thing I learned from digging through just three months' worth of 2007 hits, it's that there are songs meant to be forgotten, and I have a feeling, if there is a 2027 and we're all still free, there's gonna be another obsessive white dude who's made poor life choices and poorer facial hair choices digging through the 2017 vaults, coming across this song, and realizing sometimes things are forgotten because they're forgettable.

61) "Regret in Your Tears," by Nicki Minaj

I'm of two minds on this. The first one doesn't think we put Nicki Minaj on this earth to make Drake songs. But also, I had a good time! It sounded inspiring, and the idea of a Nicki Minaj break-up song is so inherently interesting to me that I'd almost put it in the "down for this no matter what" category. I just think it could've been a touch more creative than "here's Nicki doing a sad song."

71) "Changed It," by Nicki Minaj & Lil' Wayne

That thing Nicki does at 1:45, "I am Billie Jean and the bitch is my SON," that's why we never stop believing. That's why we listen to this nonsense with entirely too much modern-day Lil' Wayne, because Nicki Minaj will ocassionally do things like that with her voice.

72) "Chanel," by Frank Ocean ft./A$AP Rocky

I DON'T KNOW WHY FRANK DECIDED TO START BEING BREEZY AND MAKE SONGS THAT ARE FUN TO LISTEN TO BUT I APPRECIATE THAT HE'S ZAGGIN' ON 'EM. It feels shitty to give this song a couple of spins and then form a loud all-capsable opinion about it, because that feels like giving the intricacy and depth of Frank Ocean's songs short shrift. But it's his own damn fault for making this song so breezy! It's not necessarily lighthearted, it's not like Frank Ocean is ever gonna take us to his happy place, but it's airy and soft (you know, soft, like air sometimes is), it feels good to just let these sounds envelop you, and I haven't quite yet figured out how to express what I love about the transition to Rocky's verse, but trust that I loved it. (Maybe this doesn't need to go up the date the chart drops?) nah, we’re good

78) "Liability," by Lorde

This feels like a song that's probably going to be really dope in the context of the album, where it can play the supporting role it is clearly meant to play, but as a standalone track, I dunno. It's definitely more interesting than the average piano-'n-strings song, you can really hear that Fun. sound clear as day. It's just not particularly substantive on its own. Though, I suppose if it's being released as a teaser, it performs the job admirably, giving just a hint of what the album could sound like. I'm stoked.

95) "Prblms," by 6LACK

sadness is not the only valid emotion. darkness cannot exist without light. fucking christ, you people won't listen to "Run Up," but you'll listen to a parade of fucking dudes bleat about how shitty their relationships are. i don't get it.

The 2017 Top 20, Which Actually Is in Progress! 20) "Regret in Your Tears," by Nicki Minaj (4.1) 19) "Way Down We Go," by Kaleo (1.14) 18) "Everyday," by Ariana Grande ft./Future (3.4) 17) "Light," by Big Sean ft./Jeremih (2.25) 16) "Draco," by Future (3.11) 15) "Guys My Age," by Hey Violet (2.11) 14) "Good Drank," by 2 Chainz ft./Gucci Mane & Quavo (2.11) 13) "Yeah Boy," Kelsea Ballerini (3.4) 12) "Selfish," by Future ft./Rihanna (3.18) 11) "Slide," by Calvin Harris ft./Frank Ocean & Migos (3.18) 10) "It Ain't Me," by Kygo x Selena Gomez (3.4) 9) "Now & Later," by Sage the Gemini (2.25) 8) "Shape of You," by Ed Sheeran (1.28) 7) "That's What I Like," by Bruno Mars (3.4) 6) "Chanel," by Frank Ocean ft./A$AP Rocky (4.1) 5) "Green Light," by Lorde (3.18) 4) "Run Up," by Major Lazer ft./PARTYNEXTDOOR & Nicki Minaj (2.18) 3) "Despacito," by Luis Fonsi ft./Daddy Yankee (2.4) 2) "Issues," by Julia Michaels (2.11) 1) "iSpy," by KYLE ft./Lil Yachty (1.14) “iSpy” is a freshly-minted Top 10 hit, and I’m so excited for that. Light the way forward, KYLE. Show the world it’s okay to be happy and make fun songs.

Who won the week?

Frank Ocean had the best individual song, and that is to be commended, but oh my stars does 2007 ever take it. “With Love” would sink weaker ships, but we had “Beautiful Liar” and “Get it Shawty” on this one, along with the Yoshi’s Island sounds and the bass line in an Amy Winehouse song. “Chanel” took to the seas with one pretty cool Nicki song, two bleh Nicki songs, fucking 6LACK, and a Lorde song not meant to live on its own. It falls to the bottom of the ocean, and future underwater anthropologists (prolly a thing?) will find it in the wreckage and ask how..

Official Standings 2007: 1 2017: 0 (it kinda won last week, but I’m not counting that as a win, because honestly that was more scouting report than battle.)

Rough week for 2017, but hey: Drake made a new thing! If nothing else, at least this week wasn’t that.