#romain i think you should retire

[celuloideycarbono]

Cancellara statements in Vélo d'or award ceremony, about Tadej Pogacar (in Vélo magazine):

"Winning with 2, 3, or 5 minutes is cool once, but it’s not cool when it becomes repetitive. It helps no one, neither him, nor his rivals, nor cycling in general. Winning six stages in the Giro or the Tour is fine; it generates pride, greatness, resonance, and prestige—it goes in that direction, but it can also go the other way. The Vuelta, for example, was much more interesting to follow without him. In the Giro, our daily briefings were based on the idea that the breakaway would make it to the finish. And in the end, it didn’t. Pogacar even immediately reacted one day to an attack from our rider Michael Storer, as if he represented a threat to him. Managing a Grand Tour is about losing as little time as possible, but he operates in the opposite logic. That’s his way of doing things, well...

You don’t need to have friends in the peloton. He is, in a way, the "voice" of the peloton due to his status. But he’s not really in the peloton; he stands out, as if he lives on its margins. He lacks generosity. I come from a cycling world that followed different rules, where winning was important but so was leaving something for others, even if only out of self-interest."

Bardet statements in Vélo d'or award ceremony, about Tadej Pogacar (in Vélo magazine):

"As much as I have numerous exchanges with Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar lives in his own bubble. He is polite, kind—that’s not the issue—but he’s in his own world. With Jonas, we’re both fathers, and he has a discretion similar to mine; we enjoy talking about various things. But I don’t have that kind of relationship with Pogacar because he’s always caught up in the day-to-day dynamic, relishing what he’s doing. Everything seems to roll off him; I’ve never seen him get upset. When we have to race in bad conditions, we complain a bit among ourselves, but it’s as if none of that affects him.

I stand by what I’ve said, but there’s no need to read between the lines. I judge based on my own trajectory, and I’m not casting blame. I will leave this world without bitterness, without resentment, but with the feeling that I’m no longer in tune with it. I reached my peak around the age of 28, and I believe young riders now have a five-year head start on that timeline. My performance levels are the same as in my best years, but I’ve moved down the hierarchy: it’s just that the baseline has become more competitive."

Pogacar statements:

"As a team, we can win even more races, but we’re not looking to take everything; we’re not desperate. Yes, as you said, we need friends in the peloton, but if a whole group is fully committed to you and victory is possible, then it’s your duty to go for it. I’m playful on the bike, but we’re paid to perform, not to add fun to the game. I have to win just like you have to write your article—otherwise, neither of us deserves our salary. Wouldn’t you agree?

I prefer the idea of being a classics rider who wins Grand Tours, even if I started with a victory in the Tour. It’s certainly the stage races that have helped me become who I am in one-day races. I love the classics—they’re pure adrenaline, a one-day shock that has nothing to do with the suffering spread over three weeks. You have to be physically and mentally ready to fight for six hours, often in bad weather, on roads that are always the same and that everyone knows by heart. The decisive move can happen anywhere; you need to be the strongest, the luckiest, the most inspired—everything has to align, and there are no second chances. Since everything is decided in just one day, the emotion of victory is incomparable."

[eirianerisdar]

hi! i'm really loving icarus, you're a wonderful writer! but i just had a quick question. i love the flock graphics, and they're super helpful! would it be possible for you to maybe list the species of birds for the main 'characters' of the story as well? you don't have to post example photos or anything crazy, but i think just a list like that would be helpful too. sometimes i forget who has what kind of wings, and i think having a list so i can google image the bird would be great.

if that's not something you want to do or don't have time to do or something, no worries!! i really appreciate you taking the time to write icarus in the first place <3

Oof I might as well do a general guide! I never thought a maxiel wingfic would spawn so many specific wing allocations but here's the general list:

Paddock wings in Icarus:

Current grid:

Daniel Ricciardo - Scarlet Macaw (colourful, nimble flyers)

Max Verstappen - Peregrine Falcon (raw speed, inherited from his mother)

Sergio Perez -Crested Caracara (a type of mexican bird of prey)

Lewis Hamilton - Greater Bird of Paradise (beautiful wing plumes, lovely singer)

George Russell - Blue swallow (beautiful metallic-blue feathers, scream like madmen when they fly)

Carlos Sainz - Spanish Imperial Eagle (white epaulets, very regal)

Charles Leclerc - White Dove (need I say more? Perfect white wings, exploited because they're pretty but so intelligent in pathfinding)

Lando Norris - Lucifer Hummingbird (Small, colourful, likes to hover in place)

Oscar Piastri - Little Lorikeet (One of the smaller types of Australian parrot. Very cute)

Yuki Tsunoda - Japanese Long-tailed tit (Photos should be self explanatory. They fly like ballistic missiles)

Alexander Albon - Crested Fireback (National bird of Thailand. Beautiful dark blue and fiery plumage)

Logan - Blue Jay (Commonly found in Florida. Blue, like Logan's current posting, and his eyes)

Pierre Gasly - Osprey (A bird of prey often found near coasts along the European shoreline, and Pierre is from Normandy)

Esteban Ocon - Black Stork (Tall, gangly, also migrates through France)

Fernando Alonso - Kestrel (a type of small bird of prey, hunts by biding their time and waiting then divebombing)

Lance Stroll - Snowy Owl (Lance is cuddly ok and I didn't want to make him a Canadian goose because that's his dad)

Valtteri Bottas - Bullfinch (Look it up. The picture is self-explanatory. The manliest of men)

Zhou Guanyu - Chinese Red-Crowned Crane (A crowned crane for the champion of the universe, as translates his name)

Kevin Magnussen - Raven (Viking. quoth the raven.)

Nico Hulkenberg - Crow (he keeps coming back. As wily as many of their bird counterparts but has a bad rep for being a bad omen)

Retired drivers or drivers not currently on the grid:

Sebastian Vettel - Swiftlet (Extremely good fliers, reaching up to 160km/h and pulls insane G-forces)

Mick Schumacher - European robin (Very cute. Universally liked. Same wings as his father)

Nico Rosberg - Eurasian Sparrowhawk (a bird of prey that hunts by ambushing before a high-speed, agile chase)

Jenson Button - Northern Harrier (hunts in a high-speed flight close to the ground, exceptionally good listeners)

Mark Webber - Cassowary (look up a photo. Just look at it.)

Kimi Raikkonen - Giant Albatross (King of gives no shits, flies very long distances without a care)

David Coulthard - Bush-Stone Curlew (White trousers!)

Romain Grosjean - Red-tailed Hawk (I chose the bird of prey that could best mesh with the phoenix metaphor)

Antonio Giovannazi - White-spotted Starling (Very pretty plumage)

Daniil Kyvat - Great Bustard (I honestly don't remember why. Distributes in Russia)

Nyck De Vries - Common European Sparrow (Small. Commonly found. Unfortunately often hunted)

Nikita Mazepin - Flamingo (Need I say more)

Sir Jackie Stewart - (Clipped) Merlin Wings (Extremely fast Scottish bird of prey. In-fic, Jackie was one of the generation of drivers that clipped their wings, permanently robbing them of flight)

Team Principals and people in the paddock:

Toto Wolff - Black Swan (self-explanatory)

Christian Horner - Golden Eagle (A bit pompous. Matches his hair)

James Vowles - Magpie (Utterly clever, not from any particular prestige)

Fred Vasseur - Partridge (Affable. Cuddly.)

Guenther Steiner - Shoebill (self-explanatory, look up a photo)

Cyril Abiteboul - Eagle Owl (something about his face is very Eagle Owl)

Micheal Italiano - Kookaburra (laughs when they shouldn't)

Zak Brown - Chicken (self-explanatory. Literally and metaphorically)

Andreas (mclaren) - Common Quail (short lifespan)

Mattia Binotto - Pigeon (wants to be as pretty and loved as Charles. Is a public nuisance instead)

Otmar sznafnauer - Peacock (Struts around, can't really fly)

Resident Bastard:

Jos Verstappen - Cuckoo (Cuckoos are brood parasites, and lay their eggs in nests of birds of other species'. The cuckoo parent therefore does nothing while other birds raise their young)

[bridenore]

HD BDSM fic recs

Here are a few BDSM fic recs. Listed in alphabetical order, as always.

Another Mask Behind You by @letteredlettered [116k]

Draco is a high-end prostitute who hides his identity.  Harry unknowingly hires him.  And then there is porn, questions about identity, domestic bliss, more porn, and truth as seen through a web of lies.  (And then more porn.  Seriously, if you don’t want sex scene after sex scene you probably shouldn’t read this.  And please read the warnings.)

Breaking The Line by @kedavranox [19k]

Draco was a Dom for hire. Harry was his best client. But Harry disappeared and now Draco’s retired. Draco’s doing fine (he’s even attending parties!) but who should show up to the latest BDSM shindig, but Harry Potter himself? Can Draco play with his ex-client without breaking the line?

Freedom to be by @quicksilvermaid [169k]

Harry Potter is the Boy Who Lived. 12 years after the war, he’s become the Boy Who Lived For Everyone Else. He has the perfect wife. The perfect house. The perfect job. The perfect friends. Only nothing feels perfect. Until one day he stumbles across a club called Release and begins a journey of self-discovery that takes him to a very different place.

Give Me Sweet Oblivion by @tryslora [4k]

Italy seems like a long way to go to keep a fetish secret. But the club is exclusive, and the far away location, and Muggle nature, promises anonymity from Wizarding Britain. The only problem is that sometimes, great minds think alike.

Hades Paradox by Romaine [32k]

For reasons unknown to most, Draco Malfoy came to Hogwarts soon after the battle and for five years had never left its premises. Auror Harry Potter comes to Hogwarts to deal with his psychological daemons, but soon realises Professor Draco Malfoy has his own magical and physical daemons to deal with. However, much to Harry’s surprise, Draco is coping well with help from the person Harry aspires to be.

The Hand That Feeds You by @gracerene09 [17k]

Harry needs something only Draco can provide.

Moneymaker by @dictacontrion [16k]

As a top trader, Draco has power and money, suits and cars, houses and good champagne - everything a person could want. So when Auror Potter comes looking for help, Draco can’t think of anything that might persuade him to lend a hand. Well…maybe one thing.

Take My Pure (Wash It All Away) by peachydreamxx [16k]

The only thing Draco is good at is using his mouth. The only thing Harry Potter is good at is everything, apparently. (The one where both of them are total sluts for each other and they don't care who knows it)

The Unspeakable by @the-sinking-ship [24k]

Healer Draco Malfoy took the job at the International Department of Mysteries for the paycheck and the prestige. But what he got was Unspeakable Harry Potter and the most fascinating curse he’d ever seen.

I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did!

[sunskate]

Hi! If you don’t mind I have a few questions after the RD.

1. I read somewhere that Caroline and Michael had the highest base value of any team but obviously sit in 5th. So is it all GOE from there that they’re not getting?

2. Why do you think Marjo and Zak have trouble with their levels? They seem to skate confidently and consistently, but then miss out on base value and levels.

3. Madi Chock I think gets a lot of flak from the inter web about her skating skills and I was wondering what you thought of her level 4 today? Do you think her skills have improved since moving to IAM? What could she be doing better? I know it’s about delivering good programs for judges, not the internet, but sometimes it seems like nothing she does will ever satisfy anybody.

4. Not a question but hope you enjoyed today! So glad figure skating is back! Maybe a quick fun question - what was your favorite dance of the day?

aww thank you! hope you did too - i was happy watching LaLa yesterday- the commitment, intensity and how much they changed in just 3 weeks, i just enjoy them as a team so much

C/B and Gr/Pa both had base value of 31.7 and L/B had 31.69. so it was essentially a 3-way tie for highest BV. C/B are getting GOE on another level from literally everyone else here, so Gr/Pa weren't going to catch them. but where they were lower than the other top teams across the board in GOE was in the Choreo RS and their twizzles

Marjo and Zak missed levels on their Midline and PSt in the RD. i would chalk that up in part to them being less trained because of his injuries this summer. plus maybe that performing to the rafters with speed can make you less precise. and mistakes happen- i'm sure they'll be focusing on levels on steps

ever since the judges looked the other way at Madi falling at Worlds, you're right, the criticisms online can make it seem like she can do no right. i'm against telling anyone they should retire, but that had gotten louder since Beijing. and there's the common observation that her skating skills aren't the best - Romain!! even said so in the IAM web series 😬

in person, CB's blades sound high and wispy on the ice - where skaters like HB or Olivia have this deeper consistent rasp/hum as they carve into the ice. you can see the difference in knee action in CB vs HB or HD. but yes she has improved - Evan used to move her around the ice more. she's a stronger skater and athlete than she was. they do skate well in unison, she's a beautiful performer who understands how to use her body and face to project and create pictures. their packaging and programs have improved since the move to IAM - they're also a more mature team in every way. but her biggest strengths aren't in her skating itself

when judging seems to reward a team across the board rather than giving them high marks for what they do well and lower ones for what they don't, it's disappointing. CB and FG get sky high PCS in skating skills, or FG get high marks in Composition when they seem to be getting the message bts that the program needs fixing. anyway, when a team seems favored to the point that their mistakes and weaknesses aren't counted against them as they are for everyone else, people can direct their frustration at the skaters

[hyacinthsdiamonds]

For the most part, F1 has been a generally safe sport in the last decade or so. Sure, we've had bad crashes, Romain Grosjean's in Bahrain 2020, Zhou Guanyu and Max Verstappen's in Silverstone (2022 & 2021 respectively) to name a few but they've all thankfully walked away from them when in the past (before the sport's advancement in technology and safety) they wouldn't have.

Those of you who are newer to the sport or are younger fans, won't know or remember a time where this wasn't the case. In the sport's younger years, it was not uncommon to lose at least three drivers in various crashes over the course of a season. Drivers like Jackie Stewart pushed for more to be done to ensure better safety for drivers, marshals and spectators but it wasn't until the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix that the sport as a whole pushed for better safety.

That ominous race weekend in Imola saw multiple incidents that injured driver Rubens Barrichello as well as mechanics, marshals and spectators alike and horrific crashes that ended the lives of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger. The events of that weekend devasted the sport and it's impact is still felt nearly three decades later. The measures that were taken in the aftermath to improve safety had a substantial impact; the 2000s remain the only decade to date where there were no driver fatalities in F1.

Unfortunately twenty years after that fateful San Marino Grand Prix weekend, Jules Bianchi was involved in a crash at Suzuka, a crash which he sadly never recovered from. He passed away seven years ago today.

Jules' legacy is one that is still being written. He has helped save countless lives due to the safety procedures that were implemented to prevent another crash like his. Romain Grosjean credits those with saving his life in Bahrain. His godson Charles Leclerc, the promised prince of Ferrari, il predestinato is battling for his first world championship with the team they both loved so much. His number, the number 17 was retired in his honor.

I always think of Jules during this time of year and I know he'll not be far from my thoughts in October when F1 returns to Japan for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. The week of the Japanese grand prix also marks the eighth anniversary of his crash. I'll never forget that weekend, that sickening, sinking feeling as I can began to understand that something had gone horrifically, horribly wrong. Those are moments I hope I never see the like of again. Those are the moments I remember every single time I see someone hoping for a driver they dislike to be involved in some sort of crash. Those are moments no one should wish on anyone.

Jules Bianchi... Seven years on, it almost feels like yesterday. People like to talk about the career he could've had in F1 but today let's simply remember the beautiful person we lost. Jules, a beloved son, godfather, friend, etc, who had an undeniable talent and who was taken too soon and is greatly missed.

[mcgnussen]

Hi 😊 don't know if you take asks, but I like your updates and breakdowns and wanted to add a point to your Mick defence post.

I think a big reason for people underestimating Kevin is because of the reputation that his teammates have had. Like a lot of people were talking about Jenson being old and ready for retirement in Kevin's rookie season. So when he ended the season with twice the amount of points as Kevin, and a team not completely ready to admit that the car was shit, it kinda took away the shine from his debut race.

When he came back to f1 in Renault they expected him to beat Palmer extensively both in the team and externally, since he wasn't really respected. So when Kevin beat him it didn't really do anything for him, since he was just expected to.

Then he got to Haas and Romain and here his biggest problem was that once he found form in 2018 Romain had a shocker of a first half of the season, leading to people ridiculing him. I think that this was the beginning of the end for Romains reputation in f1. People forgot how got he was and when Kevin beat him it wasn't a big deal because Romain was a "screw up that don't deserve to be in f1". Even in qualifying where Romain previously was known to be one of the beat and quickest, when Kevin started to routinely beat him it wasn't seen as a big deal. Seriously I saw videos about Kevin this year, when he was first announced that described Kevin as not being good qualifier?! What?!

I'm really glad you are defending Mick now, both because I think he has the potential to become really great for Haas, but also because I hated it when people keept devaluing Kevin's performances, based on the public opinion of his teammate.

Sorry for the long ask, just wanted to add my opinion ❤

thank you, anon! i love this, all very good points! i’m very happy to hear opinions and people commenting with their own points ♥

i agree with you on everything, it should have been expected that kev would lose to jenson during his rookie season, but then people were so hooked on that podium that suddenly everything else was not good enough and a rookie was expected to beat/keep up with a world champion. i mean jenson didn't score any podiums that year because yes, mclaren was on the decline. i am still sad that kevin's best car in all his seasons in f1 was that 2014 mclaren in his rookie season. imagine that being the best car you’ve ever had, it’s just so sad he has not gotten a shot with one of the top teams yet.

based on everything you said, i also think it is important for kevin that mick is treated well and respected. he has really gone out of his way to defend him and saying good things, which shows how much kevin cares for and believes in mick ♥  

[georgeousrussell]

Callum should have won f2 last year. It makes me so sad again. I thought I’d get it over by now but ahhh it still breaks my heart. That was his one solid shot. Mick, who i love just as much, will always get a seat anyway. Plus he already has that f3 championship. But with Callum being a runner up and not having won any of the previous lower formula championships, it’s really hard to make a case. The kids he is competing against for a seat in F1 are all so strong and impressive: pourchaire who is a priority because he is a sauber acad driver, piastri who won everything on his rookie year and is now leading f2 again as a rookie, even shwartzman is really strong and has that smp bank russian backing plus I get the feeling that rob is a ferrari favorite. Part of me wants him to move on and kill the competition in indycar. He’ll do good there. I dont want him wasting his time on the sideline hoping something comes up.

OOH hello anon sorry it's taken me a while to gather my thoughts on this

I was originally referring to how every time something looks up for Callum, F1 seems to come back in the picture. For instance in this case he has a drive in an Indycar race and it's awesome and the literal next major news in motorsports after his announcement is Alfa is calling on a reserve driver for a race weekend... and it's like the one time he's not available.

but i have thoughts on your other points so I'm putting this below a cut because I rambled a bit too much

Yeah I hear you on the f2 thing. I was convinced that as long as mick landed in the top three he would have gotten a seat, but I was never too sure about callum. I honestly don't think Callum would have gotten a seat even if he won the freaking championship. Alpha was always going to take Yuki, Ferrari would have gotten Mick in that Haas in a heartbeat and a half, and we all know why egghead is in the seat. Unless Kimi retired last year, Callum was SOL in any case. At least that's my two cents on this.

I would however argue that while pourchaire is def a priority he would need at least 1-2 years more in F2 (unless he wins next year). He's just too young and not up to pace yet in my eyes. Pourchaire just drove an F1 car for the first time last month. He's definitely not ready for a full seat right now.

Piastri is a def strong contender, but he's in the Alpine Academy and I would be more likely to put him in Alonso's seat than a Ferrari-affiliated seat.

Rob has the financial backing from Russia and I agree there was pressure from there with Ferrari. Especially since he went into this season with a SL I'm pretty sure. But it honestly doesn't seem like anyone really looked at him for the seat?

Callum might have just been more visible as the reserve driver for Alfa but throughout the year it really seemed like Vasseur was looking to Callum for the seat since Callum was originally promised like what 7 FP1s? The man's done 1 or 2. Came 17th in FP1 Portugal, even beating Mick's time iirc. He's appeared in a couple of their marketing videos, showing at least some further interest. He's got the talent, Ferrari clearly saw it before to make him ferrari test driver, alfa romeo reserve and give him a ton of fp1s in theory, so what happened now?

It seems like right now his competition for the seat are people like Hulkenberg and Bottas. I'm not a huge fan of Hulk coming back AGAIN and Bottas I understand him wanting to stay in F1 and he's damn good even if I'm not a fan of him (in a "good driver, not a bad guy, just not my cup of tea to stan" kind of way). I'd love a Gio/Callum line-up honestly but I'm not sure if Gio's done enough to keep the seat with the likes of Bottas and Hulk knocking. I'd love for alfa to have one experienced driver in Bottas or Gio who knows the car or hell even Alex (even though I'm looking at him in Williams) and Callum as a rookie.

So don't get me wrong, if Indy is where he ends up, I'm extremely proud of him and I will 100% drive to my nearest GPs (the benefit of living by IMS means romain and him would BOTH fly into the airport near me hehe) and cheer him on as hard as I can. But DAMN do I wish he could have gotten the chance he so rightly deserves.

[callumilott-archive]

Do you think the Haas looks worse than it is because it's being driven by two rookies who are still adjusting to F1? Mazepin and Mick both have more F1 experience than other rookies (Mazepin through buying rides and Mick through Ferrari) but they are still very inexperienced compared to everyone on the grid except for Yuki.

Or was it this bad last year but the experience of Romain and Kevin masked how bad the car is?

Part of me wishes the Haas was horribly slow so the FIA could use the 107% rule.

i think it might play a significant part yeah, mick seems to have less incidents because his driving style is very different to mazepin’s, a lot less aggressive, and the car doesnt seem to like aggressive driving. honestly i don’t think romain and kevin’s experience masked much at all, as far as i remember the haas was also dogshit last year, kevin had probably the most technical retirements of anyone in the field, romain complained about the car pretty much 3 times every round and there were some particular incidents. my memory is godawful so i’m not sure if these incidents happened in 2019 or 2020. last year in imola kevin complained of a horrible headache on the radio, probably because the vibrations in the car were so bad, and they ultimately retired him because it wasnt possible for him to continue. i also remember kevin saying this was the worst experience he’d ever had in a race car ever (my brain says this mightve been canada 2019 but i’m not sure - but the 2019 car wasn’t any better). and of course there was romain’s crash in bahrain. now i don’t know how much of that could be attributed to the car being shit, but i do know that f1 cars should not explode upon impact in any situation. 

if anything, i think romain’s reputation for being a crasher/spinner/whatever made people take his complaints a lot less seriously, but neither him nor kevin were happy with that car in any way. what worries me is that haas have already said in no unclear terms that there will be no development on the car this year. obviously it’s pointless to try and have them fight for points, but the fact that it’s so unstable and terrible where you have 2 experienced drivers complain about it, and now put 2 rookies in it with hardly any experience? i can only pray that we end this season with everyone safe and sound tbh. and the fia just allowing them to let this piece of garbage (the car, before we start on mazepin. hes also a piece of garbage but i meant the car in this particular situation) on track? we been knew the fia doesn’t consider safety its biggest priority even if they say they do, but the blatant disregard for the safety of their drivers just has me seeing red. motorsport is dangerous enough as it is, accidents can happen anywhere at any time to anyone, but it sure aint helpful to let a soapbox on wheels on track

[race-week]

About who will replace Romain in the GPD: I talked about it once jokingly, saying that it should be George. I just wrote down the name of all the 2021 drivers and thought about it more seriously : can't be someone that could be leaving soon either bc their career could come to an end soon or in a few years (Lewis :(, Kimi, Fernando), can't be a 2021 rookie (so not Mick, Nikita or eventually Yuki if Daniil leaves), not Max for obvious reasons lol, then there's the one who i think wouldn't 1/2

Cont: “want to take on that responsibility (Antonio, Lando, Valterri, Esteban, Nicholas, Alex and Lance).

This leaves us with Pierre, Carlos, Daniel, Charles (idk if he'd want to work alongside Seb) and George.

Daniel is the more experienced one, I think he would be appreciated idk everyone loves him so why not, but I think it may be better that Seb teaches the "ropes" to a younger one for him to be more experienced and ready when he retires and someone else has to join the one that will be joining this year.

Carlos maybe because he seems really invested when voicing his opinion on security and stuff and he's one of the most experienced after Daniel.

Pierre because he's a precious baby baguette and i love him idk.

THEN George bc he seems like a bit of a nerd like Seb, i think they would get along, he's calm, thoughtful, works hard, great at communicating even in situations that aren't positive, I'm actually using google translate and i can't come up with the words even in my own language but you know.... he's George. In conclusion I think it will either be Daniel or George (but most likely George) (please let it be George)”

I absolutely adore the analysis of every option done here - fully agree with what you’ve said, I think any driver who gets voted into that position will give it their all and each one of them would bring something slightly different to the role - I could see Seb taking whoever it is under his wing especially if it’s a younger driver as I cannot believe he’s been director for 10 years, basically from when he was George’s age.

I could see Seb working well with Daniel the two have a lot of respect for each other from their time as teammates but I could also see them leaning more towards one of the younger guys like Pierre, George or Nicky (if they are interested) or Carlos as the middle ground between youth and experience.

A factor that’ll probably play a part is how long Seb expects to stay in F1, Aston Martin didn’t disclose how long his contract is other than it’s a “multi year” deal. I wouldn’t expect them to sign a younger driver if Seb is only doing 2021/2022 but who knows

It’s fun to speculate about these things

[rememberblackhorizon]

DRIVE TO SURVIVE

Season 1. Episode 1

Yeah, you just read that and thought whaaaaat she is really late to the party - and yes, I am. But nevertheless I will give my valuable comments about this show because I love F1 (well, watching for a while now, but hype started at the end of October 2020). So, let's get this party started (I might also create a name for this whole thing). I also would love to read your comments on my thoughts and questions!! 💞

||

First of all: wow, season 2018. I can hardly remember anything. The show starts with a lovely sum-up of how F1 works and I already squeaked because of the drivers.. I mean Hülki (um Hulk) was still there, Max & Daniel in a team, phoenix dad being younger phoenix dad, Seb being younger german dad. *sighs* Ok, stop simping before it starts.

Well, it starts with Dan in Australia. Well, obvious because first race is Australian GP.

Huh, there were still fans. Oh my, I want to be there too, any race would be fine.

"There's so much anticipation being drawn to that first race in March." - Daniel Ricciardo. I think we can all agree on that being in the winter break.

Wow, was it really a thing, that Daniel had sort of a final shot in 2018 for being world champion? Had no clue. But yeah, I heard that DTS is "a bit" dramatic.

Wow, Sebs peak haircut. Didn't knew this was in 2018.

Btw I love all the accents! Can't unhear all those german homies LOL.

Nawww the recap of Sebs Red Bull titles.

Whoops, that was a dramatic shot of Valtteris crash in qualifying. Sorry to say so, but I'm also a fan of destruction in general and loved the slowmo (but I do not take joy in drivers being hurt!).

I love the fact that this show is also a rewatch of the season. Magnus and Romain being happy there. Lewis takes pole, Kimi second. Kids, do you still remember these times? *grandma voice* Seb third, Max fourth, Kevin fifth.

Wow, unusual hearing "[Kevin Magnussen] managed to get past Max Verstappen". And then team radio telling Max after complaining "We don't got time for this". Lol

Holy mac n cheese balls, we fans act like being their parents when we watch and react to the race, right? I keep gaining insights here.

Another wow, but it shows how mentally absent I was in 2018: Stoffel drove actual F1 races for McLaren?!?!?!

Oh no, Kevin and Romain both retiring from a good place because of a fucked up tyre change, reminds me of Sakhir 20 *cries in the corner*

"We lost it all in two laps. In Formula One, the highs are very high, the lows are very low." - Günther Steiner.

Seb wins the race, Lewis second, Kimi third, Daniel fourth.

"Every race should have a story, and the story should not be all the time Mercedes or Ferrari wins, because that story gets old pretty quickly." - Günther Steiner. Bold of him to assume there would be any change huh? Ferrari out, Red Bull up in 2020.

||

That's it. That's the post.

[mistressemmedi]

What happened to Estenecks career? I only just started rewatching F1 this year

Omg it was a glorious disaster and he 100% brought it upon himself with his attitude. 

Settle down because this will be a long one lmao (putting it under the cut)

So Esteneck started out at Haas with Grosjean, and his ‘comeback’ season started off great when he collided with Alonso at the AustralianGP (The car almost yeeted Fernando but that’s another story). This was 2016.

By Spain, he was already criticizing the team since the car had some mechanical issues that needed to be addressed - this was after the team defended him after he nailed Hulkie at the Russian GP on the first lap of the race lmao (100% his fault)

We gotta point out that this was Haas’ first year in the sport - there were obviously going to be issues lol but whatever 

In Baku, he made contact with Hulkie at the start of the race again. 

By this time, Romain had scored points 3 times, whereas Esteban was at a big fat zero. So after the EuropeanGP he released an interview saying that he had been sick for a virus for a months and that’s why he was not performing up to expectations. 

After the BritishGP, he was out of the points again. At this point, Gunther was interviewed and confirmed that Romain had a deal with Haas for the following season but that no decision was made about Esteban. Obviously this nerd goes out there, screaming from the rooftops, “OH YEAH, ME AND MY MEXICAN $$$ WILL BE ON THE GRID IN 2017″

HungarianGP comes around and this amazing specimen of a driver decided it would be a good idea to impede Lewis Hamilton and not allow the Brit to lap him (Lewis was fighting Nico for the win and points in the championship). When Lewis finally passed him, he extended the international gesture of displeasure towards Esteban. Then went on a rampage after with the media, while Esteban was all like “I didn’t see him or the 3 blue flags that were waved at me”. Cherry on top was the quote “ Not a very respectful move from him, I have to say. I've spoken to him in the past - he's the world champion but he shouldn't do these kinds of things, he should respect all of the competitors."You never know, maybe in the future I will be fighting [for] the championship with him so he has to respect that." 

FIA and Lewis called bullshit on all that, and he was penalized for ignoring the blue flags. Great banter. (Note - during all this, that saint of a man Steiner was defending Gutierrez)

You would think that at this point, Esteban would have taken a good hard look at his driving but his ego is as big as his neck, so that didn’t happen.

GermanGP comes around and Teflon Daniel lost it on Gutierrez and went on a rant about how the Esteban ignored the blue flags AGAIN and almost cost him the race. Obviously Esteban was like “who, meeee? :(” 

At this point Steiner again said “Yeah, driver :) decision :) in :) Monza :)” 

In Spa, Gutierrez decided that he would drive the car like he was on a leisurely stroll in the MIDDLE OF RAIDILLON while Pascal Wehrlein was coming up behind him on a flying lap (this happened in qualifying). Poor Pascal had to use his Manor car as a lawnmore to avoid an accident. The result was Esteban being penalized with drop of 5 spots from his quali result (quite harsh, but justified) - Gutierrez obviously wasn't happy,

Around comes the ItalianGP - no announcement from Haas LMAO 

Singapore comes around, with a Haas update (no announcement yet) and Gutierrez ONCE AGAIN decided that blue flags are for plebeians and decided to ignore them when Nico showed up behind him. Toto Wolff went on a lovely tirade about the Mexican afterwards - good times. 

By the end of September, Grosjean had scored 28 points for Haas, Esteban still at 0. Steiner was interviewed in Malaysia saying that they were in no rush to confirm drivers, meanwhile Esteban was giving out interviews saying he had ‘plenty of options’ - LMAO 

Malaysia was also a double retirement for Haas - technical issues for both cars. 

In Japan, he had a little scrap with Carlos and he finished behind the Manors if I recall correctly - yikes. 

At the UsaGP things are starting to crash - Steiner (who had ALWAYS defended Gutierrez up to that point) gave out an interview saying that ‘yes, Haas had issues - but the team was expecting waaaay more from Esteban’. 

At the Mexican GP, Esteneck received a hero’s welcome, tanked the race and gave a bitchy interview about Haas and their delay in making a decision. 

When asked about why it was taking so long, his response was:

"It's a question I often ask myself. My performance has been demonstrated in a very clear way within the team.

"I know very well that there have been many external factors that haven't allowed me to have the same opportunities as Romain. I don't see a reason why they need to wait. Maybe there's an external factor that is influencing this."

Pure, golden comedy. 

Obviously when asked, Steiner’s reply was “Oh we’ll let him know soon :)” 

As soon as the MexicanGP was over, Haas announced they took on Kevin to replace Esteban (*insert ooooh snap* gif here). The best was that at the next GP (Brazil) Esteban released an interview saying “It wasn’t fair!” *crying baby GIF*. Then he had a retirement and blew up at the team in the garage, which Steiner considering coming to blows with Gutierrez and his neck (please refer to video)

His lovely attitude and amazing performance ensured that nobody would consider him as a driver in 2017 (despite the $$$$ he had) after the Brazilian blowout - hence the final nail in the coffin comment. 

Besides all that, there was a rumor going around that he was not very nice to his engineers/mechanics behind the scenes, and he staged a ‘meeting’ with them to talk about how crappy they had been as a team and how were they going to fix the car so it didn’t break down on him again - THE BALLS ON THIS GUY LMAO

So that’s the story of how Gutierrez fucked up in ‘comeback’ in F1. 

Fyi that year Grosjean scored 29 points - Esteban? A zero so big, it was directly proportional to his neck 

ABSOLUTE. UNIT.

[fionahasopinions]

The Eifel Grand Prix has had many alias’ through the years. The German Grand Prix, which makes sense as the track is in Germany, the European Grand Prix, which makes sense as the track is in Europe and the Luxemburg Grand Prix which makes sense as it… oh wait a second!

All week I have had to remind myself that the track is in Germany and it not a street race in Paris.

The buzz around this weekend has very little to do with the regular race drivers and is instead directed towards the Alfa Romeo garage where Mick Schumacher is due to take part in his first ever Free Practise session.

Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas, as both of Fridays sessions were cancelled because of fog leaving the medical helicopter unable to fly. This was the only decision that race direction could make, but it was bitterly disappointing for those who had come to the circuit to watch the Formula 2 championship leader make his debut in the pinnacle of Grand Prix racing.

Nico Hulkenberg had plans for this weekend, some casual commentating while drinking copious amounts of coffee to keep awake and warm. But with Lance Stroll out sick Hulkenberg finds himself thrown off the highest diving board into the shark tank that is the Formula One qualifying session with not a single lap completed in the morning practise.

There were no expectations on his shoulders for qualifying, and he found himself eliminated in Q1 with the slowest lap time of the twenty drivers.

In other qualifying news, Bottas took pole, from Hamilton and Verstappen. Giovinazzi made it out of Q1 for the first time this season (it is amazing what being threatened with replacement next season does for your speed!).

Hamilton’s start from second on the grid was slightly better than Bottas’ and he lead the field down to turn one before they both ran wide, allowing Bottas to scramble back onto the track in front of his teammate and into the race lead.

The rest of the field follow the Mercedes team example and all run wide, hopefully this is not in the race directors notes as an area where it is not acceptable for drivers to complete “practise turn ones” or they will all get a ten second penalty!

There was minor contact between Albon and Ricciardo, but no damage to either car and both are able to continue.

Grosjean became the victim of Raikkonen’s car spitting gravel as a stray stone flew up and hit him on the finger, which he advises the team that he thinks it could be broken, as he can’t move it. But he continues to battle through the pain. 

The sky is threatening with dark, rain filled clouds directly above the circuit, which usually livens up races nicely, but it has not rained by lap seven as Alex Albon dives into the pits to get rid of his badly flat-spotted tyres.

A combination of a faster car and DRS helps Daniel Ricciardo get past Charles Leclerc down into turn one and he immediately pulls away as the Ferrari falls back into the clutches of McLaren’s Lando Norris and the Racing Point of Sergio Perez.

It is still not raining as Leclerc pits, Lando Norris starts a race long campaign of moaning, and Vettel spins while trying to avoid hitting the back of Giovinazzi.

Bottas locks up, runs wide and loses the lead to his teammate before coming into the pits.

Kimi Raikkonen is now the most experienced driver on the Formula One grid, today being his 323rd race start, but his move on Russell was amateurish and clumsy, and causes the Williams driver to retire with a damaged suspension, which brings out the virtual safety car. Raikkonen was found to be at fault with the crash and was hit with a ten second time penalty.

This allows Hamilton and Verstappen to both pit and remain ahead of Bottas, and even increases the lead to over ten seconds. It is about time pitting under the virtual safety car was banned!

Alex Albon now on fresher tyres breezes past Danil Kvyat, but manages to wipe out his nose out while sweeping back across on to the racing line for the corner.

It is still not raining as the Stewards hit Albon with a five second penalty and Kvyat pits for a new nose.

The infallible Mercedes lets down Valtteri Bottas and he is forced to retire from the race with a power unit issue, his and the teams first retirement of the season. 

Esteban Ocon announces to the team that he has lost everything. His brakes, his gears, his sanity… His retirement, which is blamed on a hydraulic failure is quickly followed by Alex Albon’s who it is later confirmed had an issue with his power unit.

Lando Norris is still complaining about a lack of power and asks his engineer if he should pit to cover the undercut from Perez who has just pitted. Perez however is still right behind him! And he is advised that he needs to keep going.

Perez and Sainz pit and it is still not raining.

Lap forty, and I think I will check the moto 2. Hamilton has such a massive advantage he could pit, check the race on his phone and still get back out in second place.

Norris’ power unit issues are getting worse and worse and eventually cause him to retire, bringing out a full safety car. Unfortunately, it doesn’t bring us any rain.

The safety car stays out until lap 49 while dealing with the pressure from Hamilton and Verstappen complaining that it is going to slowly and that they can’t keep the temperature in their tyres. Unfortunately they sing from this hymn sheet every week, and not one person is buying it anymore! Sure enough a lap of green flag racing and they are both comfortably back out in front.

And it still won’t rain.

The order remains largely unchanged for the remainder of the race, as Hamilton crosses the line for his 91st career win, from Verstappen and Ricciardo. Perez was fourth for racing point, Carlos Sainz fifth for Mclaren, Pierre Gasly sixth for Alfa Tauri, Charles Leclerc seventh for Ferrari, Nico Hulkenberg eighth for Racing Point, Romain Grosjean ninth for Haas and Antonio Giovinazzi taking the final point for Alfa Romeo in tenth.  

Conclusions from the Eifel Grand Prix.

Pitting under the virtual safety car should be outlawed

Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez both deserve full time drives next season

.Valtteri Bottas has all the luck of someone who has spent their life walking under ladders!

Is it possible to install sprinklers at the tracks to liven up these races?

Formula one needs to make serious changes. It is no good claiming that the midfield battles are competitive. No one cares about that; they want challenges and battles for the win and the championship. If the safety car had not been deployed Hamilton would have lapped third place. That is not competitive, it is a procession!

Get well soon Lance Stroll

 Drive of the Day: Fan Vote: Nico Hulkenberg

Drive of the Day: Fiona’s vote: Nico Hulkenberg. Drafted in at the last minute, last in qualifying having missed the mornings practise session, Nico has once again proved that he deserves a spot on the grid next season.

Fiona’s race rating. Is it possible to give a minus number? 2022 and the new regulations cannot come fast enough! Erm I will give it a hard won 0.5 out of 10, and I will see you next time!

[moonstarphoenix]

Figure Skating Summer Update

What’s up, everyone?

So it’s the first weekend in August and with my influx of new and wonderful followers due to our shared dislike of Avengers: Endgame and Steve’s ending (among other things), I wanted to just do my summer update on my other longtime love...FIGURE SKATING!

First, for my new followers, every year, I try to do recaps of skating competitions usually the weekend of the competition. They are remarkably long winded (imagine that) but I tag each and every one with ‘figure skating’ in addition to skaters so if you don’t want to read them, you can blacklist that and it’ll block all of them.

Now some quick figure skating news for those that do care:

First, Ashley Wagner. I 100% stand with her. I wonder how many other girls have been hurt through the years by men in the sport. Is it as wide spread as gymnastics? God, I hope not. No person should have to go through that. Ashley was incredibly eloquent and brave in telling her story to the public.

On a side note of that, it seems that in the midst of her story, we finally got an official confirmation of her retirement. It’s not a shock at all, but I am sad. I wish her last season had gone better and she had retired on a better note. I do think had she stuck with La La Land instead of going back to an old program then back to La La Land, it might have gone better, but hindsight is 20/20.

In other news:

Little Alysa Liu is finally age eligible for junior international competitions. It’s so odd she won her senior Nationals championship but is just now competing on the junior internationl level. I loved seeing her beat Bradie Tennell but there needs to be some consistency between age requirements. However, it’ll be fun to see her compete against the baby Russians.

Grand Prix Assignments are out. More American men than our top three have assignments so that’s awesome. My French loves, Kevin Aymoz and Romain Ponsart both have two, so I’m happy.

As for the ladies, Tennell skates the first two competitions then she’s done, so yay. Mariah gets a couple and I’m thrilled that Starr Andrews and Ting Cui both got one. I was worried for Starr since she had such a bad season last year. But the big news is KAREN CHEN is back! And her assignment is against Tennell. I’m interested to see how that turns out. Other than that, it’s the usual suspects. Evengia, Mae, Alina, all there.

There hasn’t really been a lot of music choices announced this year. Jason has announced his, his SP (which I can’t remember right now) is a bluesy pop song and Schindler’s List. I’m interested in how he’ll do those. Kevin Aymoz (who’s music I LOVED last year) has hinted at his music but hasn’t announced and I can’t really find anybody else’s. I hope we get a different mix and nothing like the 20 versions of the 1998 Romeo and Juliet from last season and the weird mix of versions of a movie/show like Tennell did with her several different Romeo and Juliet scores (seriously skaters, pick one version for a consistent interpretation).

So that’s the news this summer so far. Pre-Grand Prix competitions start soon, so we’ll have a lot more news coming in the next few weeks.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #210

“made of flame, made of mud, i’m the many, i’m the one.”

Did your parents live in a different country before you were born? No. Do you have a preferred coffee brand? No. What’s something you’ve experienced that very few others have? Your favorite human on Planet Earth/God Himself noticing you. :') Three days I couldn't sleep. Three. Days. Do you have to wear an identification badge at your job? I don't have a job, yet. Have you ever dated someone who was terrible with money? No. If so, how did it affect the relationship? N/A How often do you paint your nails? Never. Do you know anyone who’s related to a current or former world leader? I'm related to Queen Victoria somehow. Idk about anyone else. Do you do your own taxes, or do you hire a professional? No job, no taxes yet. What is something you don’t have any natural talent for? Mathematics. Has anyone ever told you that you get too competitive over minor things? No. Do you usually befriend your coworkers, or do you prefer to keep work separate from your personal life? N/A What was the very first thing you ever saved up to buy with your own money? I think Venus. Describe your favorite Christmas ornament. Man, I have a lot. We've accumulated A LOT over the years between me and all my siblings. Mom gets each of us one every year, and she's also kept all the ones we've made throughout school. She's so cute y'all. There is this REALLY damn pretty swirling crystal one with an angel on the top of it I got from my grandmother, that's definitely one of my faves, I've always loved this lil gingerbread dude I made in pre-k, and... idk man, there are truly a lot. What is something you frequently forget? To turn the laundry room light off anytime I go in there at night for Roman's litter scooper or to bring dirty clothes in there. By this point it's like a joke in the house with how much I do it for whatever reason. How do you feel about your body? I hate it. Who is someone you would like to get to know better? Connie, but I respect her privacy. I know you have to be careful online. What’s your opinion on assisted suicide? For it. At what point do you consider a relationship to be ‘long-term?’ Hm, idk, really. A year? What jobs did your parents have when you were growing up? Mom worked with special ed kids at school, she had a job at the hospital doing computer work I can't remember because I was so young, Dad's been a mailman all my life, but he also worked at Lowe's as a carpenter I think for a while. Do they still have these jobs? Or different jobs? Or have they retired? Mom's got a totally different job, and I already mentioned Dad being a mailman. Do you have any recurring dreams? Themes, yes; dreams, no. Have you ever had to call 911? Why? Yes; Mom and I thought she was having a heart attack. Terrifuckingfying morning. Do you get out a lot? I might as well be on fucking house arrest. I can stay in the house and go nowhere for over a week. Do you eat a lot of vegetables? No. Last fast food you ate? I had a Hardee's biscuit for breakfast. Do you live in Canada? No. What do you think when you see two members of your preferred sex kissing? It's sweet, and brave considering the assholes of the world. Is that hot? "For fuck’s sake… It bothers the hell out of me when people fangirl over homosexual couples. It’s so disrespectful." <<< THIS. Would you ever want to be a chef? No. Bonfires: Y/N? They're fun. What’s a food that’s famous in your hometown/state/country/etc? Southern cooking, like fried chicken, mashed potatoes, hushpuppies, pulled pork, nasty shit like that. By pure coincidence, I literally hate almost all the "traditional" Southern foods. When’s that last time you saw snow? January this year. I think it was January... What’s something that you think will become obsolete in the next 50 years? Physically driving cars, probably. Are you efficient or do you procrastinate a lot? I procrastinate all to hell. Who are the 3 people you love the most? Mom, Sara, and then... idk if I can pick #3. Last person you slept in the same bed with? Sara. When was your first kiss? March 2012. Have you recently been sick? No. What song are you listening to? "Break My Mind" by dAGAMES. Would you marry someone if they were unable to have sex? Yeah. Have you ever made a boyfriend or girlfriend cry? Sadly. Does heartbreak really feel as bad as it sounds? It's worse. Weed, coke, crack, heroin, oxy, acid, x, k, peyote, mushrooms, opium…How many of these have you tried? I have no clue what like three of these even are lmao. None. How long has it been since you had sex? Like over three years. Who was the last person to call you babe? Probably Sara. Last reason you went to the ER? My sister got in a wreck. Were you a planned pregnancy for your parents? I believe so. Have you ever taken pictures in a photo booth? Yeah. When was the last time you shaved your legs? It's been many months. My legs are AWFUL, but it is an absolute chore to shave or use Nair because my hair is so long and thick. So I figure if there's very little/no chance someone's going to see my legs, why even do it. I really wanna get laser hair removal on my legs when I can afford it, though. What facial cleanser do you use? A Biore charcoal scrub. If someone wanted to know what you smelt like, what should they smell? I don't know? Probably dogs, lmao? How many purses do you own? One I use, then I have... two or three old ones saved just because I really like them. What are your top five favorite stores to clothes shop? Hot Topic, Rebel's Market, Spencer's, rue21, and... idk. I guess Wal-Mart lmao. What kind of clothes do you mostly wear? Yoga/dance/sweatpants with a tank top, graphic tee, or band tee. What about shoes? Flip flops like, year-round lol. If I do wear something else for whatever reason, it'll probably be my Vans or maybe a pair of Converse. Have you ever cheated on the significant other that you have now? No. For that one week a month, do you hate being a woman? Nah, birth control's made cramping a far smaller problem. Last thing you bought at the mall? Wow, I have no idea. Well... maybe a book before the hurricane to read if the power went out? I haven't read it if you're wondering, aha... Do your parents like your boyfriend/girlfriend? Yeah. Dad's met her once, but he seemed to enjoy her just fine, and Mom adores her. What store did you last buy clothes from? Wal-Mart. Which parent are you more similar to? I have traits aligning with each of them. I think my mom, but then again, I don't see my dad nearly enough to know his personality deeply since he changed IMMENSELY after the divorce. Have you ever been to another country’s capital city? No. What are some of your favorite qualities for another person to have? Compassion, wisdom, an open mind, gentle, passionate, a good sense of humor... What smell reminds you of your childhood? Chlorine, I guess. I swam a LOT as a kid; it was my favorite activity. Are you happy with who you are? In some ways, in some ways no. Do you ever sleep with your bedroom windows open? No; we live beside a busy road, and plus I don't trust people. Have you ever had a job where you didn’t fit in with your coworkers? No. What was the last word document you typed? I made a brief outline of the message I'm sending to the client who hired me for her wedding when I send her her pictures. Thanking her and telling her what more I could do for her, stuff like that. What’s something that has upset you lately? The extreme difficulty of finding a job for myself... Do you have a home security system? No, but damn do I want one. What’s something you don’t think people take seriously enough? If you know the darker part of my photography, roadkill. People see it and either think 1.) "poor thing" or 2.) "dumb thing," and that's it. No one seems to truly consider our responsibility to watch for animals on the road; in most instances I've seen, the animal is blamed for being "stupid." No, they're fucking terrified and panicking. Anyway, I'm going on a tangent. Basically, I think we should feel far more pity for what we end, even though it's accidental. And get out of the fucking car to see if it's okay/can be saved. Have you ever gotten sick from someone else’s cooking? I believe so, but I don't really blame the cook. My stomach is just REALLY sensitive to food it's not used to, particularly fancier meals. What was the last kind of cheese you ate? American. How young is too young to be sexually active? "Personally, I think anything under 18." <<< Same. Would you ever dye your hair silver? I wanted to at some point, but particularly with my hairstyle now, idk how good it'd look. What was the last fun thing you did? Shot a wedding. Have you ever dated someone who had a child from a previous relationship? No. Is there any drama currently going on with your family? No. What’s your favorite kind of soup? I'm not a fan. Do you know anyone who practices Hinduism? No. How long was your longest relationship? Three and a half years. When was the last time you spoke to the first person you ever kissed? February 2017. What’s a political issue you have a strong opinion on? Gay rights. What snacks do you like to get at the movie theater? Just popcorn is fine. If I have any candy, it's from a gas station or dollar store. Movie theater prices are expensive as fuck. Have you ever stayed in a hotel in the center of a big city? No. What was the last fruit or vegetable you chopped/sliced up? Romaine lettuce for my iguana. When you take a nap, do you nap in bed or on the couch? In bed. Do you have any friends you have never gotten into an argument with? Yeah, Connie. Girt and I have also never really had an argument, he's just said things that hurt me as his sense of humor can be a bit harsh and they were sensitive areas, but he's never meant it. Do you think you could survive living by yourself for a month? No. Can you cook anything other then toast? Yeah. How many times have you cried over the last person you cried over?  I don’t remember the last person that I cried over. Have you ever been in an on-and-off relationship? So annoying right? No. Have you ever developed a crush on someone the first day you met them? I don’t think so. Have you ever been with someone who was really clingy? Did it annoy you? For only two weeks. I like to pretend that shit never happened. Is there a store you go to so much the employees know your name? The tattoo/piercing parlor I go to know me well; some probably remember my name. Do you have any friends who never shut up about their boyfriend/girlfriend? One literally only talks to me if she wants to ramble endlessly about him. Have you ever helped someone while they were drunk puking? No. There is NO way I could be with someone while they're vomiting. The sound would make me join in, and that's almost a promise. What annoys you more to do, sneeze or cough? Cough. Would you rather have a pet snake or a pet cat? I want another snake. Do you fall for all the lines about making guys/girls like you on magazine covers? Lmao yeah right. Do you have a calendar in your room? What’s it’s theme? My door is currently open so I can't see for sure, but I have three or four outdated meerkat calendars as decoration. Have you ever gotten anything racist about you yelled at you? No. Does the last person whose house you were at like anyone? She's married, so obviously. Do you own more pink or black clothes? Just about everything is black. Has a boyfriend/girlfriend ever given you a stuffed animal? Yeah. What does the last body wash you used smell like? I think it's some kind of ocean-y scent? I don't pay attention. I just know it's blue. What is the worst name anyone has ever called you? A martyr, and not the good kind. Where is your favorite place to eat out? Sonic. Does it bother you when people call you ‘ma'am’ or 'sir?’ No. That's general good manners in the South. Have you ever been obsessed with a television character? I don't think so, but maybe? What was the last thing that changed your life completely? Recovery. Do you have any step siblings? One. I don't call him my brother, though. Did you partake in senior skip days? HA I sure did. Have you ever read the Christian Bible? Not the entire thing. When the holidays come around, do you help decorate? Yeah. Has someone ever promised not to leave you? NEVER IN YOUR FUCKING LIFE BELIEVE THAT SHIT. Do you have a part-time job? No. Are you the type of person who likes to buy gifts for your friends? If I had my own money, I absolutely would. Hopefully I can when I have a job... though I don't exactly have many people to send anything to. Have you ever lived in an apartment before? I wasn't an actual resident, though I was pretty much always there. Have you ever been questioned by the police? No. Are you close to your parents? Yeah. Have you ever had to be put on medicine for a mental disorder? For most of my life. Have you ever been responsible for someone’s death? Wow, no. Do you ever spend the night with your significant other? Well, we're long distance. We do when we visit each other. Do you know a lot about serial killers? No. Have the police ever been looking for you? Ha ha yes, but only because my sister, friend, and I went walking on the beach at night, and apparently Mom didn't hear us when we told her we were going... Have you ever been in a car accident? Yes. Do you cuss more than any one else you know? Tbh probably lmao. How old is your youngest cousin? I don't know. Do you tend to talk on the phone a lot? No. Have there ever been any serial killers around your hometown? I don't believe so. When was the last time you went to a museum? When my brother and nephew were here early this month. Do you know how to shoot a gun and hit a target? No. What turns you on the most? Don't grab my boobs. Have you ever kissed someone of the same sex? Yes. Do you answer the phones at your work? N/A What’s your ring tone? The Revaleso remix of "Dear Insanity" by Asking Alexandria. The text alert sound is the chime of picking up a gem in Spyro. Do you want to fix anything with anyone? Yeah. Did you wake up in the middle of the night last night? I do literally every night. It sucks. What shows do you watch? None. Do you know anyone who has been arrested? Yes. When you were in elementary school, did you change best friends a lot? No. Have you ever suspected anyone of cheating on you? No. Who was the last person to give you a ride somewhere? My VR counselor drove me home the other day. What’s the scariest bug you’ve ever seen? I'm sure some kind of beetle. Not a fan of beetles. What was your favorite TV show you watched as a kid? Pokemon. :') How many times a day do you tell your parents you love them? Mom, at least once when she leaves for work. Dad, I barely ever see him, so. I don't daily. Ever talk to your pets? Of course I do. I talk to them like I talk to people. Do you think it’s alright if people baby talk to babies? ... Yes???? At a certain age you need to set an example to talk correctly, as the kid is going to copy you, but as a baby, no shit it's fine? Ever take a nap in a hammock? I may have fallen asleep, maybe not. Probably not tho 'cuz I would've been afraid of bugs (the hammock was between two trees directly outside the woods in our backyard), so I've likely just dozed for a bit, if anything. Who’s the best character in Rugrats? Oh boy, I don't remember them all. I know I liked Tommy, but I mean, he was the main character, so I guess that's to be expected for a little kid, mostly seeing him. Ever get caught doing something naughty with your boyfriend/girlfriend? No. Who has had the biggest impact on your life? Jason. Girls: ever wear boxers? Guys: ever wear a thong? No. Do you use q-tips to clean your ears? DON'T DO THAT. I got wax adhered to both eardrums because I did that frequently; it inevitably pushed things back and dried onto them. NOT fun getting it sucked out; hurts like a bitch. Always only use them for the outside of your ears. This has been a PSA. Ever want to make out with someone, anyone, didn’t matter who? No. Ever had your feelings hurt when you knew the person was joking? That is EASY, friendo. Do you make jack-o-lanterns during Halloween? Sometimes. Have you ever swam with dolphins? No. Cats, awesome pets or Satan in disguise? I love cats. When you buy/receive new clothes, do you instantly wear them or wash first? Wash them. Do you hate using public restrooms? VERY MUCH. I will avoid using one at almost all costs. What’s the weirdest item you’ve seen for sale on Ebay? Oh my fucking god. So one night my friend Chelsea and I were up REALLY late and were loopy as fuck and this bitch started looking up weird dildos and shit and I'm not even remotely kidding, she found a huge 50 lb. butt plug. I sincerely wish I was joking. Do you check to make sure there’s TP before using the restroom? Yeah. Do you drunk dial/text? I've never been drunk. Have you ever built a massive snow fort? No. We don't get enough snow here. Are parents to blame for what their kids do on the Internet? Not entirely. Do you use acronyms to remember things? I did in school. Do you take pills like Tylenol for the littlest aches and pains? No. When was the last time you went rollerskating? WOW I don't know, but it's been a long time. Do you call people “dude” a lot? Yes. Who was your favorite Ninja Turtle? I was never into them. Horror flicks make you: laugh, scream, or squirm? Out of those, I may ever only squirm at nasty shit. If you could become a doctor, what would you specialize in? Probably ophthalmology (eye doctors). The last time I went to the eye doctor, I got way too into the science and anatomy of the eyes and such. You woulda thought I saw God when I realized I could see the veins in my eyes during that "lemme shine this light straight into your eyes" tests; I thought it was SO cool. Well, I probably realized this at previous appointments, I just didn't remember. Hm, or maybe a pathologist, that'd be cool. I'm looking through a list of doctors, yes. What’s the cutest thing a little kid has ever said to/in front of you? Probably just "I love you" and stuff like that from my niece and nephew. Ha ha aw, wait... When my brother and older nephew were here, Christian exclaimed, "She's up!", like the MOMENT I moved in bed one morning. I'm so happy to say that kid loves me. He wore me the HELL out in the course of just three days, but man, I miss the lil dude now. That occasion in particular just really sticks out to me because I do not find myself good with kids, and to just hear how excited he was that I was up meant the world to me. Apparently I was fun enough. At what age do you plan on moving out? I hope in like... two more years, maybe less. I need a stable job, a car, but I also DO NOT want to live alone, so I'd want to wait until Sara was ready to move, too. I'm beyond thankful Mom isn't rushing me in the least, she seems happy I live here actually, but I don't want to be in her hair much longer nonetheless. I have to be an adult. Did any characters from TV shows scare you as a kid? Which one(s)? King Ramses from Courage the Cowardly Dog fuck-ing TERRIFIED me. His animation was unique to what was normal in the show, so that automatically stood out as different and weird, but more than anything, I was just so scared by his voice and repetitive lines. I had nightmares of that shitlord. HA HA OH MAN I REMEMBER THIS TOO: When I visited my aunt and uncle's when I was little, my family slept on the floor in a room downstairs, and there were small trees outside the window that would sway, and the outline on the curtains would make me think of him. I remember waking Mom up one night about it, and I think she gave me something for comfort, but idr what. What’s the saddest thing you’ve heard on the news recently? In my very own fucking state, consent can no longer legally be revoked when sex begins. Fuck this place. How long does it take before you trust a person? It depends on the person. It's usually a while, though. Have you ever made a time capsule? What did you put in it? Hm... I feel like I have? Wait yeah, I did in elementary school! It was a class effort. Idr where it was buried. What would you do if your mom or dad read your diary/journal/blog? My mother would be deeply concerned that my love of Mark runs as deep as it does, meanwhile my dad would be v v v confused. They would mutually be very worried of their daughter's willingness to eradicate the fools of the population and replace them all with miniature Fischfucks. Do you know anyone with a lisp? I may? I don't exactly have a lisp, but in certain words, I pronounce "s" weakly due to my tongue piercing getting in the way, but it's very mild. If you were to break a Guinness Record, which one would you try and beat? Idk. What’s the coolest item in your room? I'm not sure, I find a lot of things in here particularly cool for various reasons. Hence why it's so heavily decorated. I guess my favorite is probably the Japanese, limited edition Silent Hill: Revelation flyer I have framed on the wall. I won it in a giveaway and I love it alskdjfklajwer. I wanna collect more SH merch, man. Are you accident-prone? Yes, due to my own lack of common sense and clumsy nature. As a kid, what was your favorite activity on the playground? I BOLTED for that swing. Are huge muscles gross or sexy? I'm not a fan of extreme muscles. Have you ever fished and caught something weird? Phew, I grew up fishing all the time with Dad. I'm certain I have. Well, I caught a catfish by the eye, but only the method's weird there, lol. I still to this day feel so bad for the fella. Is old age catching up with you? In my back and knees lmao. Can you sleep through thunderstorms? Yes. Ever spent the night in a tent? Yes. Do people confide in you? Some do. Ever been around someone who makes you feel stupid? He doesn't intend to, he's just reeeaaally fucking smart. Actually, that goes for my brother, too. I knew he was very intelligent, but holy shit, when he was here last and I actually got to hear more about him, his beliefs, and general knowledge, dude's a genius. How many college degrees do you want? Either up to Bachelor's or Master's. For my career goal of being an out-in-the-field zoologist, I need the latter. Do you like animals? SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have you ever written anything longer than 10 pages? Yes; my high school senior project was at least one. There's other personal stories I wrote as a kid, too. Can you snap your fingers? Yes. Can you wink? My right eye, yes. I can with my left eye, but not without my face distorting pretty badly. What song explains how you feel about love? *shrugs* Does hardship make a person stronger? It depends on what they take from it. What comes to mind when you think of pregnancy? Ew please never. Have you ever attended a professional sporting event? Yeah, hockey games with Dad. What is your favorite brand of clothing? I don't have one. Which do you value more, intellect or work ethic? Work ethic. How well do you know the people you live with? Well, I live with my mom, who I've lived with my whole life, and we're very close, if that answers the question. Do you have any heroes? *blinks* Ever been to a cabin on a mountain? No, I wish. Ever lost your voice? At least once. Are you a cautious person? Yes. Meet Anxiety, baby. Do you enjoy comedy shows? Yeah. Do you chew gum? Sometimes, rarely. Do you think a lot when taking a shower? Not really. I just enjoy whatever music I have on. Are you currently charging your phone? No. Do you ever get razor rash? No. Are you a private person? It depends on the subject. If you straighten your hair, do you always use hair spray? N/A Do you curl your hair often? It's too short to be curled. What’s the earliest you’ve ever woken up for school? Idk. Probably around 5:00-5:30 if I was getting ready for a special day or something. Can you get ready in under 10 minutes? Yeah. Has anyone ever told you that you were a bad kisser? No. Do you like Frostys from Wendy’s? Hell yeah. Would you ever sleep in the same bed as your sibling? Sure, if we had no other choice. Ever taken a shower with someone? My little sister and I did all the time as kids, I'm guessing to save water. Would you consider yourself to be a creative person? Yes. Do you usually take a nap during the day? Yes, usually. Might you enjoy hanging out in the woods for day or two? HELL YEAH!!!!!! So long I have my camera and company, that'd be awesome!!! Do you suffer from frequent paranoia? Eh, not as badly as I used to. Two friends whom have been there for you the most? Sara and Girt. If you/your gf became pregnant accidentally, would you consider abortion? If it was my own fault for not using protection, I couldn't do it; then that's my own foolishness. I would regardless if my life was endangered, though. I do believe abortion is killing a living being once brain activity begins, but I believe in the right to put yourself first. If a complete stranger picked a fight with you, would you fight or flight? Flight if possible. Defend myself when necessary. Have you ever decided to set fire to something out of anger? No. Would you rather be a house pet or a wild animal? House pet, so long as my owner is a good one that truly loves me. Wild animal would be much more dangerous, and besides, I like the idea of companionship. Can you juggle more than two objects at once? lol I probably couldn't even juggle two. Can you function well on little to no sleep? Eh. I'm cranky for sure, but I can function. Well... depending. If I am REALLY tired, I won't be able to keep my eyes open. Do you find that it is difficult to maintain your mood? Even on medication, I'm still bipolar (not using that as an adjective; I'm legitimately diagnosed with it). My mood can change VERY quickly with tiny stimuli, but at a much, much milder degree. Have you ever listened to a group of chanting Monks? (if not you should) No, but it's cool! Two sports that you are horrible at? Tennis and volleyball. The latter mostly just hurts like a bitch. One thing that you would like to change about your life? My job situation. What was the last candy you ate? Sour gummy worms. Which decade was your favorite for fashion trends? Idk. I'm really not educated enough on what was trendy for each one. Do you like the current fashion trends? I pay no attention. Who is the strangest (or one of the strangest) person you’ve met? I won't give away his name as it's a pretty unique one, but there was a kid in high school who was certainly different in both good and bad ways. He was pretty unstable. Made his own religion. What are you struggling with currently? Finding a mfckn job. Do you forgive yourself for your mistakes? Most, I'd say. Have you ever been abused by a police officer? No. Name one friend who had a parent who was in jail. A cousin of mine. Has anyone tried to kill you and then played the victim? No? What is your favorite board game? I like Battleship and Scrabble. Can you remember the last time you played a board game? A few months back with Sara and Girt. Actually Scrabble, lol. List three traumatic memories you have. The only truly traumatic memory I have is the breakup. Well, I guess a nightmare I had with my dad kinda is too, seeing as it still affects my trust today? Have you ever been misdiagnosed with something by a bad doctor? Yup. How the fuck did I have ADHD, woman. If you don’t mind my asking, when was the last time you had diarrhea? Like about two weeks ago before my period started. That's starting to seem like a theme. Do you prefer sunny days or cloudy days? I like partly cloudy. Do you have a painful past? A good chunk of it. But I mean, who doesn't have some rough paths behind them. What was the best time of your life? Walking through Chicago with Sara and her dad one night was INCREDIBLE. Coming from the middle of nowhere into such a colossal city with all these lights and such was such a shock to me, and exploring it with them was super cool. It was cold as fuck, but still, it was fun. When was the last time you were hugged? Idk. Well, probably last time I was at Ashley's saying bye to everyone. Do you trust your doctor? Yes. Name something God has healed you of. HAHAHAHA. If applicable, how old were you when you got "saved?" I was raised into religion, so I don't know. I grew up "saved." Have you been baptized, and if so, where? Yes, at my childhood church.

[f1chronicle]

So Grosjean’s Crash Has Made You Sad? How So Very Kind Of You!

Grosjean’s crash was terrible; one word, nothing else needed. While Leclerc made headlines for being the sentimental favourite of 2019 at the very venue, Grosjean, one year later, made very different headlines.

But must one admit- there’s this gladness. A great sense of relief that one of the twenty fastest men on the grid walked back safely in one piece, having endured what may so easily have been a run-in with ‘death!’

Why use the term fatal- for it’s understood lap after lap, second after second, as a driver you face that all the time.

Right?

But then, there’s something about Grosjean’s crash that doesn’t seem right?

Probably you’ll agree, probably you won’t. But that doesn’t mean I should curtail from admitting the horrible reality, one that’s about as painful as the life-threatening crash Romain endured in an age where real feelings are often expressed virtually.

Truth be told, it’s not often that a Sir Lewis Hamilton win- F1’s second nature (since the turbo-hybrid era with 2016 being the lone exception)- gets overshadowed. Right?

Not really. No chance. So when the great Briton picked win #95, only one factor undermined yet another victory for Mercedes driver. It wasn’t just the Haas driver’s crash. Crashes, there’ve been many in the Swiss-French driver’s career.

As a matter of fact, prior to Romain Grosjean’s crash at Bahrain, the 34-year-old had DNF’d twice this season already.

His last entry- the Turkish GP- yielded a DNF.

It was the rather extraordinary nature of concern that Romain Grosjean’s crash elicited that should be and did blanket the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.

First, let’s face facts.

How often does the Geneva-born driver make news? The last he did court respect was courtesy a stellar performance and that too, at the desperately dangerous Nurburgring.

In the very race he finished P9, his teammate- liked and considered a better driver- gathered a P13.

But then, why not face facts?

Logic dictates, someone who has, as a matter of fact, gathered north of 40 race-retirements (from 179 starts), cannot be considered a very fine driver.

That this is someone who’s been racing for no fewer than eight years makes criticism directed at him understandable, if not always just.

Why? Heck! Go no further than the total podiums gathered by FORMULA 1’s Hulk? If what you see doesn’t appear like a boiled egg in size, then probably you are on the right track.

Now, let’s simply rewind to the podiums bagged by the very man everyone was concerned about- and may probably have written sob-stories about, given what happened a few hours back- was dreadful.

But let’s make no mistake.

The same lot, that, in the recent hours has perhaps shed tears, written profusely emotional tales that may have compelled a Keates, Shelly, Sophocles and who knows, even Seneca- the younger to turn under their graves- was until very recently calling Romain – “CRASHJEAN!”

Check this.

source: https://ift.tt/3lpLL58

There are memes, specifically dedicated to a bunch of talents who, in this age of social media masturbation consider themselves ‘wordsmiths!’ Not that any William anywhere would disagree with their penchant for taking jibes.

But honestly, when you admire the same bloke you’ve spent a lifetime lamenting- sure, Romain is no Alonso, Vettel, or even close to a Button or Rosberg- but this is a guy who, to this day, hasn’t quoted anything you’d consider borderline senile.

Need proof?

Check this pic out.

source: https://ift.tt/3moi1H7

And this.

source: https://ift.tt/3fR7Rwh

And this one too!

source: www.picuki.com

Now, for a second, imagine how extraordinarily painful might it be to even think of trading places with a guy who has, circa 2012 (upon F1 debut) done the following:

Garnered 391 points

Collected 10 podiums, in the process of which he helped Renault bag

Finished 8th in the 2012 Driver’s Championship (finishing ahead of Rosberg, Perez, Kobayashi and even Michael Schumacher)!

Finished 7th in the 2013 Driver’s championship (ahead of Massa, Button, Hulkenberg, and Mexican Tom Cruise Sergio Perez)!

With all due respect to one of Denmark’s finest exports to motor-racing, one who also succeeded in making headlines for asking Nico Hulkenberg to suck his bal*s apart from finding consecutive seasons with McLaren, all of which have led to 1 podium ( in all these years), Grosjean has, on his part, been a sweet guy, if not a exactly a hero.

That said, had the Romain Grosjean crash not have occurred at Sakhir, which now shall be remembered for only adding to the list of the innocent driver’s long list of crashes, there’s little doubt what the mild-mannered man would’ve done.

Probably there’s nothing too much left for a guy who’s lost a seat already in F1 to have simply tried a way to score some points.

You see, there will always be some who’ll stake a claim in world championships and win one too many, often finding themselves pitted against luck and daring.

But there also shall be those who have to contend being backmarkers.

Yet, what one mustn’t forget is that not every driver who finishes outside of points, or toward the rear-end-deserves to be treated harshly.

This is why facing facts in the matter pertaining to the horrible crash becomes all the more significant and this is really the parting note for a driver who may now not even get to drive the final two FORMULA 1 races, which could effectively, mean end of the line for Romain Grosjean.

Would the Grosjean crash not have happened, are we sure, we would not have been making him the butt of our jokes?

Time to face the truth starts now. Over to you fanboys and meme-dwellers- pour your heart out.

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[ovalleba]

As if all the gardening I’m doing isn’t enough, I ordered half a beef. I don’t really want to have issues with food shortages and pray I don’t lose power! It came in and my freezer is full. I’ve a large chest freezer and it is now stock piled. I’m thankful I didn’t follow up on getting a pig. As it is, I have a turkey thawing in my fridge that just wouldn’t fit in either freezer!

Besides having two garden beds, I started growing herbs. Since my daughter is moving, I’m doing a set for her also. I’ve containered them in pint glass jars. It seems to be working well. Stones in the bottom to help drainage and it lets me check on the roots and water amount. I don’t want to drown them.

  The only issues I’ve had is the cilantro seems to be dying off around the edges and I’ve had no luck growing chives. Luckily, I was garage saleing yesterday and found someone selling them. Rather than containerize them, I’m going to see if I can plant them around the bed of my raspberries. Better than the creeping charlie that has taken over everything!

Besides the appeal of fresh herbs for cooking, I bought a book, Medicinal Herbs, to get information on how to use them for health. To be honest, I’ll probably experiment on myself, lol. But, it is mainly for research for the next book in a Dragon’s Fated Heart Series.

The one after Reviving Mara which I’m working on now.

Rog’s book needs to be done. He is the healer of the group and I think it is appropriate if his mate is interested in the same. Beginning to grow herbs and researching is as far as I’ve gotten, but I have to start somewhere.

Now, on to news of my garden. My jalapeno peppers are flowering. My cherry tomatoes are flowering. Carrot, turnip and radishes have made an appearance. I thought my carrots never would! Sweet corn has come up. My broccoli are forming and my garden is flourishing.

My parents came over and my dad was shocked at the size of them. He’s the gardener. My tomato plants are anywhere from a foot to two feet in size already and hopefully will be blooming soon. I had 24 plants set aside for my dad. My parents were thrilled. They bought some from the store that are only a couple of inches tall. The ones I had for them were a bit over a foot already so will bloom sooner.

I’m sending a few tomato plants off with my daughter also to her new house.

My lettuce is growing good. I made a salad with the greens I harvested. I won’t ever have a ton, but enough to not have to buy too much from the store. A nice supplement to keep costs down! I watch every penny since I retired. I’m growing that in my greenhouse, but pull it out to bask in the sun every couple of days. I’m going to try to start romaine lettuce from the bottom of the head I got from the store. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Have a healthy and happy week! Let me know if there are specific herbs or books I should be checking out.

Herbs and Containers As if all the gardening I'm doing isn't enough, I ordered half a beef. I don't really want to have issues with food shortages and pray I don't lose power!