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sshadowritestoriess · 8 months

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Hi! Assuming you're not like, dead since you've been inactive for 5 months, would you do headconnons on what Ramattra, Zenyatta, and Genji would do for Reader's birthday? I ask because mine is getting close.

Crawls out of my grave… it’s definitely been a rough few months, hello ^^ I’ll do my best.

Ramattra on Your Birthday

Ramattra is the type of omnic that wouldn’t say a word of your birthday as the date fast approaches. You might think he’s forgotten, if the clever ravager was capable of such a thing. But he’s had the date saved ever since you had mentioned it in a long-forgotten conversation

He’s the materialistic sort. Numbers and data mean everything to him - yours in particular, as one of his closest (and last) companions. Ramattra knows exactly the things you like, crave, and want. Some things he’s exceptionally, and unfortunately, quite good at poking fun about; be it because it’s a unique interest or not very well known

But he knows you enjoy that sort of thing, so he’d find a way to acquire it in some fashion : clothing, cosmetics, merchandise, a book or pad, a signed t-shirt, food, tools, tickets… or maybe just a well thought-out playlist he put together just for you. Whatever kind of item he could possibly find that hits as close as possible to that thing that means quite a lot to you, he will have it ready for your birthday

It might just be one thing, possibly two if he couldn’t decide between which you might like the most. He’d have this gift ready just a couple months in advance, just in case you lose interest.

What he does not do is wrap it. Maybe a gift bag if you’d expressed disappointment in that sort of thing - but there’s never a tag or card or anything that would let you know who it’s from. It might just appear at your doorstep like a regular package, or he’d have another bot deliver it straight to you.

Ramattra does not wish anyone a “happy birthday”, unless appropriately prompted to. He might not even have a clear enough schedule to see you that day if you had any plans - a human custom he doesn’t have much interest in partaking in (perhaps because all omnics have the same “birth” day, all thanks to Aurora), but the gift-giving is a meaningful enough aspect he would take advantage of.

He expects no thanks, nor to be treated the same. But if you came to him happy about your gift, that would be entirely enough.

Zenyatta on Your Birthday

This monk is most definitely more of the ‘experience’ type. When it comes to any celebrations or occasions, he tends to lean toward going out to be part of the world.

He’s absolutely asked you just shy of a dozen times what you might like for your birthday, if you’d like to celebrate it early or on the weekend, if you’re hosting a party or just having a day to yourself. All the important things so he won’t accidentally intrude on your special day

Zenyatta likely provides much smaller gifts as compared to his brother - things that might compliment your appearance or home, or represents something about you that he really likes. You’re more likely to learn something about yourself with the kinds of gifts he has to offer

If permitted, he would be joyous to treat you to lunch or dinner. Something made by him, anything you have to request? Or he’d be elated to surprise you with a meal you haven’t tried before, but goes along with the things you normally like. He’s normally spot on, and you just might discover a new comfort food

But if you especially had nothing planned, or just wanted to spend the day with your dear Zenyatta, he would absolutely have something in mind that he would have reserved or set up for weeks in advance. A night at a gala? A local street festival with games and music? A convention full of things you might enjoy - or a wonderful hike through nature. Maybe just a day with a couple of activities he knows you really like; skating, an arcade, shopping, movies, racing - just enough that isn’t too overwhelming, but lets you know he pays well attention to the things that bring you joy.

Whatever the plan is, Zenyatta would have it and be there for it, and be happy just to spend the day with you. His patience is unfathomed - he would make sure that everything you partake in is an experience he knows you wouldn’t turn down. Your smile at the end of the day is all that matters to him.

Genji on Your Birthday

This man is pretty big on surprises. With Genji, you get to start off your morning with a rose and a note on your bedside table.

Perhaps the sneaky cyborg had a treasure hunt set up for you throughout your home, the Overwatch base, or wherever you reside. Or maybe the note tells you where to meet him when you wake? Certainly one of the two, and he’d have quite the elaborate map set up for you

He’d have an array of gifts hidden in places, some that don’t make sense and some that you definitely favor more than the others (a cheap electric kettle versus a brand new hoodie in your favorite color? What was his thought process on these?) but regardless of their individual quality, it’s obvious he’s been very excited to get these to you. And somehow, his best gifts were probably bought just yesterday.

And it doesn’t stop there. Next thing you know, he’s got a blindfold in hand and he’s cautiously leading you to where there is, no doubt, a surprise party he’d set up with friends. (Apologies to those who aren’t big on celebrations with multiple people - Genji would be sure to grovel for your forgiveness later)

If you’re particularly introverted and have greatly expressed a dislike for those kinds of occasions before, then similarly to Zenyatta, Genji might have a few quieter activities reserved just for the two of you. It could even be as simple as a day in playing video games - if you don’t mind getting your ass kicked in the more competitive franchises.

The birthday dessert was definitely something he had made himself, and you could tell. The way it was poorly plated, decorated, and just a tad malformed; inexperienced hands that lack a creative means of decoration certainly took liberties on even writing your name only half in cursive. He would present this as his final gift with a false sense of pride - easy to see in his eyes the shame he felt for being ambitious with frosting.

Genji aims to hear you laugh, and if he could manage being the source of that at any point in your day - then your birthday was a success in his eyes.

#overwatch #overwatch2 #headcanons #ramattra #genji #zenyatta #reader #reader insert #y/n #x reader #fluff #platonic #romantic

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fredalan · 8 months

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The Talent Pool HA! TV Comedy Network 1990

"Performance Artist" was the term of art in the late 80s. As producer Christine Ecklund remembers co-creator Albie Hecht's definition, "...longer form material, no joke tellers. A downtown feel."

Monologist Spalding Gray had a hipster success with his performance piece (and eventual film) "Swimming to Cambodia." His recitation of his travel, writing and acting experiences, mixed pathos and humor to engaged audiences for several years in New York theater.

When MTV Networks launched HA! in 1990 we pitched channel head Debby Beece that among Gray's contemporaries were humorists with the goods that would hone the network's reputation with up and coming talent.

"The Talent Pool", an anthology of performance artists, set up shop in midtown Manhattan's Lamb's Theatre, site of a beautiful gospel brunch, and started casting. Between Chauncey Street and the network we settled on a pretty stellar bunch (pictured above from the top):

• John Leguizamo is a writer and actor who went on to win four Tony Awards, appear in over 100 films, and whose Columbian/Latino roots and community are always up front.

• Lewis Black, who's angry rants about history, politics, religion, and cultural trends eventually gave him a regular perch on "The Daily Show."

• Jim Turner became a star when MTV presented him as his creation ‘Randee of the Redwoods’, and later acted in movies and TV.

• Frank Maya was one of the first openly gay performers to gain a foothold in mainstream stand-up comedy, who sadly passed away from AIDS in 1995.

• Danitra Vance was a comedian and actress who came to great attention in the 1985 season of "Saturday Night Live." She was on The Talent Pool during her diagnosis and eventual death from breast cancer. She was awarded with an Obie and NAACP Image Award.

• Chucklehead was a troupe whose comedy addressed fears of the Cold War, entropy, mortality, and the likelihood not enough tickets would be sold at their shows.

• Julie Hayden was a delightful writer and actress who was later in Ben Stiller's "The Cable Guy" with Jim Carrey, She was finding her way in the TV pilot season when she died of cancer in 1997.

• Jeffrey Essman (not pictured) is often referred to as avant-garde, but he’s a hilarious writer, an often costumed performer and, a Benedictine monk.

• Barry Yourgrau (not pictured), a South African born writer and performer, has published several books and whose fictions have appeared in the New Yorker, Paris Review, VICE, Bomb, Poetry, Film Comment.

The show wasn't particularly highly rated, but we were completely taken by each of our fantastic cast and heartened when so many of them went on to highly visible and acclaimed careers. ..... Created by Albie Hecht & Alan Goodman Producers: Christine Ecklund, Craig Coffman Directors: Craig Coffman, Dana Calderwood Business Affairs: Elliot Krowe, Jim Arnoff Executive Producers: Alan Goodman, Albie Hecht, Fred Seibert Chauncey Street Productions, New York

#The Talent Pool #1990 #HA! TV Comedy Network #HA!#Albie Hecht #Alan Goodman #Christine Ecklund #Elliot Krowe #Chauncey Street

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lovemesomesurveys · 4 years

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1. When you have a container of Neapolitan ice cream, what flavor do you leave for last? Chocolate.

2. Would you rather be caught in a thunderstorm without an umbrella or a snowstorm without boots? Snowstorm without boots. As someone in a wheelchair, boots wouldn’t make a difference for me.

3. Let’s say you have access to a time machine, but it can only go either backward or forward. One or the other. Which do you choose and where do you go? Backwards. I would probably go just a few years back so I could change some things that are affecting me now.

4. If you could choose to have any superpower ever, what would you pick? Time travel would be pretty dope.

5. Tomorrow morning, you wake up in the body of a celebrity, like in a ’90s body-swap movie. Who is it? How do they react to your life? What do you do when you’re “them”? Would you choose to switch back? Hmm. Maybe Oprah. She’s a billionaire and lives a pretty low key life. Ha, not sure how she’d react to waking up as a 31 year old paraplegic who is dealing with physical and mental health issues and spends most of their time in bed, not doing a whole lot, and is certainly not rich. Maybe she’d be able to catch up on rest if needed? ha. As for me, I’d like to just go to a nice private getaway somewhere. Buy a house for real me and my family to have when we switch back and furnish it. If we weren’t in a pandemic, I’d love to travel. I’m sure she has a private jet. I’d have to remember I’m Oprah, though, so I couldn’t just go out and about freely without being bombarded. I’d figure out something. Anyway, I definitely would switch back, but it would be fun for a little bit. I could feel what it’s like to be successful and a functioning adult with a very comfortable income.

6. Any allergies? Just seasonal ones.

7. What would you be more embarrassed to buy: sex toys or adult diapers? Sex toys.

8. Did you get enough sleep last night? I never do.

9. You’re the sole witness to a Mafia murder. Witness protection has to set you up with a whole new life in a totally new country. You have to leave everything behind, but you can pick where you move to. Where do you go? Uhhh. Wow, I have no idea. That would be horrible.

10. If you could star in a biopic about any famous person ever, who would it be? I don’t want to be in a movie or TV show.

11. What’s the biggest animal you’ve ever killed? I’ve never killed any animal.

12. Would you rather have millions of dollars but always feel nauseous when you go outside, or be dirt poor forever but never get sick again in your entire life? Oh man. Not be to sick ever again sounds amazing, but... that’s tough. Can I take Dramamine for the nausea? ha.

13. A wizard offers you immortality in exchange for your two front teeth. Do you take it? No.

14. Could you win the Hunger Games? Absolutely not.

15. What was your favorite Halloween costume as a kid? How about as a teen/adult? Hm. I was a witch or a vampire a lot as a kid. As an adult I was a vampire a few times, but a “cool” one cause I had a leather jacket. haha.

16. Do you bite your nails? I pick at and clip my nails. Constantly.

17. What was the first movie you remember seeing in the theater? The first one I remember is The Rugrats Movie, but I know that’s not the first one I ever saw.

18. Do you prefer music with male or female vocalists? I enjoy a variety of music from both.

19. You and the love of your life are having a baby, and you get to choose the name! There’s only one catch: your partner INSISTS that it be the name of a place, real or fictional. What do you name your baby? Sydney.

20. If you could reboot or remake any movie, what would it be and who would you cast? I don’t know, man.

21. If you could automatically know how to speak any language or play any instrument, which would you choose? I’d love to be able to play the piano. I took lessons when I was younger, but was just alright. I think I had potential had I taken it more seriously and practiced more. But yeah, I’d love to be a fabulous pianist.

22. For you, would getting amnesia be a good thing? Um, no.

23. If you curse loudly and then realize that there are children nearby, what is your reaction? I don’t curse very often as it is and I’m pretty good about who’s around when I do, but I’d just be like, “whoops, sorry.”

24. Of what animal are you most afraid? I have this irrational fear of killer whales. I never encounter them, thankfully, but the fear is still real. I can’t even look at a photo of one. However, I don’t really have like an active fear of animals, if that makes sense. I just avoid any photos or videos or anything of killer whales. And like, there are many animals that could rip me apart and that’s terrifying, but it’s not as present or active or whatever as my fear of bugs, which I do encounter and are much more likely to.

25. Pizza or oral sex? Odd combo, but I’ll take the pizza.

26. Without looking them up, can you explain the rules of football? How about Quidditch? Nope.

27. You’re in the car, switching channels on the radio when you hear a song that makes you go “OH SHIT, THAT’S MY JAM!” What song is it? It could be a lot of songs, from something more recent to something from back when I was growing up.

28. Have you ever paid to see a Step Up movie? No.

29. If you were being executed tonight, what would you choose for your last meal? I really don’t think I’d have an appetite.

30. Have you ever bought an item of clothing because it reminded you of something a fictional character would wear? No.

31. If you were invisible for a day, what would you do? Would I be immune to the virus if I were invisible? If so, then I’d travel.

32. Have you ever been punched in the face? No.

33. How do you take your ramen noodles? I like to add shredded cheese to mine. It’s so good.

34. Do you ever rehearse or plan conversations before you actually have them? Yeppp.

35. How much black do you wear on a regular basis? That’s a lot of my wardrobe.

36. Do you have any tattoos? Do you want any? No. I’ve kinda wanted one for years, but I really don’t see myself ever getting one.

37. If someone offered you a free pet snake, would you take it? NOOO.

38. Do you know how to pronounce the word “pinochle”? I don’t know if I’m saying it right, I’m not familiar with the word.

39. Can you think of anything more boring than bird watching? Watching paint dry.

40. Are you better with numbers or words? Words, definitely.

41. At the movies, do you stay for the credits? Only for certain movies that have end credit scenes, like the Marvel movies.

42. Is morality universal or relative? Hm.

43. Let’s say you’re getting married to someone you absolutely adore. The only catch is that you met them through a Craigslist hookup ad that was supposed to be just for one night of casual sex. Would you tell your friends how you and your fiance met? I might leave out it was just supposed to be for one night of casual sex.

44. What’s the worst name you’ve ever been called? I’ve said the worst things to myself.

45. Would you eat human flesh if it had been harvested and prepared humanely? Um, HELL no. It would make no difference to me how it was prepared, it’s not happening.

46. At what age did you stop believing in Santa? I think I was 8.

47. Do you get along better with old people or little kids? Older people.

48. If you had to choose, would you rather become a nun/monk or a drug dealer? None.

49. What’s your best bodily feature, objectively speaking? I hate my body, I’m very self-conscious about it.

50. Who is your favorite late night talk show host? I don’t have one anymore, but back in the day I used to watch Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien. I was around for the whole late night TV drama that went down years ago between them.

#personal #text #survey #surveys

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aglionbyfoxes · 6 years

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85 Questions Tag Game

I was tagged by @palmettofoxden

rules: answer these 85 questions and tag 20 people

— What was your last…

1. Drink: waterrrr

2. Phone call: my bf

3. Text message: my sister

4. Song you listened to: uhhhh I think it was ‘I miss those days’ by Bleachers

5. Time you cried: over the weekend maybe? I’m a big crier 😅

6. Dated someone twice: nooope, only the one

7. Kissed someone and regretted it: nah

8. Been cheated on: i mean I hope not lmao

9. Lost someone special: ye

10. Been depressed: ye

11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: I am honestly proud to say that in my 4 years of drinking I’ve only thrown up twice and both times were when I was hungover

— Fave colours

12. dark/light shades of green

13. same thing but shades of blue

14. i’ve been feeling pink lately i’m ngl

— in the last year have you…

15. Made new friends: yes!!

16. Fallen out of love: never

17. Laughed until you cried: proooooobably?

18. Found out someone was talking about you: not that I know of but I”m sure it happened

19. Met someone who changed you: absolutely

20. Found out who your friends are: ugh yeah

21. Kissed someone on your facebook friends list: as it happens, I’m friends with my bf on fb (hah)

— General

22. How many of your facebook friends do you know irl: moooost of them?

23. Do you have any pets: 1 doggo

24. Do you want to change your name: nah

25. What did you do for your last birthday: it was my 21st so I had a big party with a bunch of my friends

26. What time did you wake up today: 6:30 cause my body doesn’t like me

27. What were you doing at midnight last night: texting people as I fell asleep

28. What is something you can’t wait for: the end of the semester!

30. What are you listening to right now: Monk is on tv

31. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: yes! multiple people named tom actually

32. Something that’s getting on your nerves: my sister and mom fighting over dumb things

33. Most visited website: probably tumblr, a03 or pinterest/instagram

34. Hair colour: dark brown

35. Long or short hair: it was short and now i’m growing it out so it’s in that weird in between stage

36. Do you have a crush on someone: do fictional characters count

37. What do you like about yourself: my eyebrows (and I guess i’m a p dec friend)

38. Want any piercings: i’m thinking about getting one more in the ear are

39. Blood type: O - which I remember bc that’s the first letter of my name

40. Nicknames: liv

41. Relationship status: long term, long distance relationship

42. Sign: gemini

43. Pronouns: She/her

44. Fave tv show: oof idk but the most recent one i’ve watched was a series of unfortunate events

45. Tattoos: none atm but i really really want a bunch

46. Right or left handed: right

47: Ever had surgery: no!

48. Piercings: just the regular ear ones

49. Sport: I played soccer through freshman year of hs and then color guard the rest of the years

50. Vacation: we usually go to france cause all of my family is there

51. Trainers: sneakers? nike all the way

— More general

52. Eating: I just ate an orange

53. Drinking: waterrrr

54. I’m about to watch: Isle of Dogs!

55. Waiting for: summer break

56. Want: oof that’s a bog one

57. Get married: eventually

58. Career: I want to work in publishing eventually

— Which is better

59. Hugs or kisses: both

60. Lips or eyes: eyes

61. Shorter or taller: taller 1000000%

62. Older or younger: I want to say older but that sounds like a lie bc the boyf is a year younger than me

63. Nice arms or stomach: oh arms, totally

64. Hookup or relationships: relationship

65. Troublemaker or hesitant: I feel like these two aren’t mutually exclusive? somewhere in the middle maybe?

— Have you ever

66. Kissed a stranger: noo

67. Drank hard liquor: oh yes

68.Turned someone down: no

69. Sex on first date: lol no

70: Broken someone’s heart: lord I hope not

71. Had your heart broken: in a way?

72. Been arrested: nooooo

73. Cried when someone died: yes

74. Fallen for a friend: sorta!

— Do you believe in

75. Yourself: occasionally

76. Miracles: definitely maybe

77. Love at first sight: more like connection at first sight? love is heavy

78. Santa Claus: not anymore

79. Angels: ehhhhh

— Misc

80. Eye colour: brown

81. Best friends name: too many friends for different reasons

82. Favourite movie: no 100% favorites but I really like Midnight in Paris

83. Favourite actor: I don’t really have one?

84. Favourite cartoon: the last cartoon I actually watched was Steven Universe

85. Favourite teacher’s name: San Filippo

I tag: as with all the others i’ve done, my friends are all friends with each other so anyone’s free to do this and if you want, tag me in it! I’d love to get to know y’all more

#mine #ooh these are so fun

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dipulb3 · 4 years

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Peacock review: A ton of free, ad-supported NBC content for the low price of free

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/peacock-review-a-ton-of-free-ad-supported-nbc-content-for-the-low-price-of-free-2/

Peacock review: A ton of free, ad-supported NBC content for the low price of free

Sarah Tew/CNET

Peacock, the new streaming service from Comcast-owned NBCUniversal, is an experiment of sorts: Its tiled interface and big-name network make it look on the surface like a Netflix or Hulu competitor. But its content, which includes live news and sports, new original series and a large back catalog of TV shows and movies — and the fact that it has a free tier — actually makes it more of a top-of-the-line free streaming service, like Pluto TV, Tubi and Roku Channels. (Editor’s note: Pluto TV is owned by ViacomCBS, the parent company of CNET, as are CBS, Showtime and Peacock competitor CBS All Access.)

Strong free version available

Large back catalog of shows and movies

Live news and next-day access to some NBC shows

Don’t Like

Missing many marquee catalog titles like The Office, and others may be leaving soon

Few originals at launch, and few movies from the past decade

Confusing Channels and Trending sections

Missing key features like user profiles, mobile downloads, 4K HDR and Amazon device support

Peacock’s free tier — which rivals Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and HBO Max currently lack — offers about 13,000 hours of ad-supported content, with the option to upgrade to premium if you want to, giving you more flexibility. You’ll find shows, movies, news, live sports and skit-style clips, with standouts including Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock and The Bourne Identity. On the other hand one of NBC’s most-streamed series, The Office, won’t be on the service until January 2021. And you’ll only get two episodes of new original series, like Brave New World, unless you upgrade to premium. The original Psych movie sequel, the popular series Yellowstone and live Premier League soccer matches are also reserved for premium subscribers.

At launch, Peacock lacked a number of features, including compatibility with the popular Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices. But in September, NBC and Roku reached a deal, and the Peacock app is now on Roku devices. However, Peacock still doesn’t offer profiles for different users, mobile downloads or 4K HDR streaming — all of which are available on the paid competition like Netflix and Disney Plus.

Read more: Everything you need to know about Peacock

Peacock has three subscription tiers: Free, $4.99 a month for ad-supported premium and $9.99 a month for ad-free premium.

Sarah Tew/CNET

You might not love watching ads, only getting a few episodes of original shows, or that several big features are still missing, but again: It’s free.

If you upgrade to the premium tier ($4.99 a month or $50 a year for ad-supported; $9.99 a month or $100 a year for ad-free), you’ll get access to the full catalog of 20,000 hours of content, including every episode of the original series. You’ll also get next-day access to new episodes of all current NBC shows (as opposed to just freshman series on the free tier), and even early access to Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon the night they air.

If you’re a big fan of NBC’s stable of shows, want to catch up on some past hit movies or just don’t want to shell out the cash for Netflix or Hulu, the free version of Peacock is great. But paying $5-$10 a month for it when you already have the other major streaming services may not be worth your while at this point — at least until it adds more must-see originals or bingeworthy favorites like The Office.

Streaming compared

Peacock Netflix Hulu HBO Max Disney Plus Monthly price Basic free with ads, Premium with ads for $4.99 or ad-free Premium for $9.99 Starts at $8.99 Basic $5.99 with ads, Ad-free for $11.99, Live TV for $55 $14.99 $6.99 Ads Yes, with basic and first Premium tier No Yes, with basic tier No No Availability Now Now Now Now Now Top titles Brave New World, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, Law & Order Stranger Things, The Office, Breaking Bad, 13 Reasons Why Handmaid’s Tale, Catch-22, Lost, Bob’s Burgers Entire HBO catalog, Studio Ghibli films, DC films The Mandalorian, Avengers Endgame, Toy Story, The Simpsons Mobile downloads Yes, with ad-free Premium tier** Yes Yes (on Ad-free plan only) Yes Yes 4K available No Yes (on Premium plan) Yes No Yes HDR available No Yes (on Premium plan) No No Yes Number of streams 3 1 (2 for Standard, 4 on Premium) 2 (Unlimited with Live TV and a $10 add-on) 3 4

A solid free tier, with some ads

We tested out Peacock’s ad-supported free tier and its ad-supported $4.99 a month premium tier. (You don’t need a credit card to sign up for the free account, just an email address, which is nice.) Peacock promises that you’ll see five minutes or less of ads per hour across both ad-supported tiers. But it does seem like if you pop in and out of a movie or show, the ad count may reset. And at least in my experience, there seemed to be fewer ads on the premium tier than the free tier, but I haven’t tested it out long enough to know for sure.

While watching Jurassic Park (which, as of Aug. 1, has expired on Peacock and moved over to Netflix) on an Apple TV and a MacBook Air, I saw six ads sprinkled throughout the film, ranging from 20 to 60 seconds each. But when I started it on the iPhone app, I got a notice that I would watch 135 seconds of ads at the beginning, and none for the rest. I’d love to have that option on my Apple TV too to get the ads out of the way, but unfortunately you don’t get to choose your ad format.

Peacock has a pleasant interface, but features including mobile downloads are still missing at launch.

Sarah Tew/CNET

After scrolling around and watching a bunch of ads, when I went back to start Jurassic Park again, there were no ads at all, since I had already seen five minutes’ worth in the previous hour.

On episodes of Saturday Night Live, there were seven to nine ads sprinkled throughout the episode on both mobile and TV. This is about the same ad experience as watching on Hulu’s $5.99-a-month ad-supported plan, or on regular live TV — but, of course, it’s free.

Otherwise, the ad experience varied depending on show and device. I don’t love ads (who does?), but they weren’t intrusive enough for me to want to upgrade to a $9.99 plan, at least right now.

Now playing: Watch this: First Look: Peacock streaming app

10:55

A familiar navigation experience (for the most part)

Navigating through Peacock’s homepage Browse section is similar to other streaming services. There’s a big carousel of “hero” tiles at the top and rows of thumbnails below, labeled Peacock Picks, Continue Watching, Peacock Originals, Featured Films, Laugh Out Loud, Comfort TV and so on.

Browse through a large catalog of TV shows and movies on Peacock.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Peacock does have a Kids page with a couple of popular shows like Curious George and, on premium, Dragons: Riders of Berk, but the catalog is definitely more adult-focused — you can’t compare its kids’ offerings to those of Disney Plus or HBO Max. You can set parental controls and create a PIN to keep kids from watching anything over the rating of your choosing, though.

Premium shows are mixed in with free offerings, denoted by a little purple feather in the top left corner. It reminds me a bit of Amazon Prime Video, which has shows included in your subscription mixed in with those you have to pay extra for. The app isn’t forceful in trying to get you to upgrade, though: You’ll only be asked if you want to change to premium if you click on a premium-only show, or if you go to your Account page.

You can stream on up to three devices simultaneously from one account. One negative: Unlike on Netflix, there’s no “skip intro” button, so you’ll have to watch theme songs over and over unless you manually fast-forward.

Browsing deep into NBC’s back catalog

Peacock’s launch comes at a strange time: Due to the coronavirus pandemic shutting down film productions, many of its originals were pushed to 2021 or later. Its launch was also supposed to coincide with NBC’s live coverage of the summer Olympics, which has also been pushed to 2021.

Still, there’s plenty to watch among the 13,000 hours of free content or 20,000 hours of premium content from NBC and its sister networks and entertainment properties, including Bravo, USA Network, SYFY, Oxygen, E!, CNBC, MSNBC, NBCSN, Golf Channel, Illumination, Universal Kids and Universal Pictures. There’s also some content licensed from rivals, including A&E, ABC, Fox, History, Nickelodeon, DreamWorks Animation, Focus Features, Lionsgate, Warner Bros., Blumhouse, CBS, Showtime, Paramount and The CW (the latter four of which are, to restate, wholly or partly owned by CNET’s parent company, ViacomCBS).

You’ll find every season of shows like Parks and Recreation, but only partial seasons of others, like This is Us.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Some of the best shows available on the free tier now are 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Downton Abbey, Monk and Friday Night Lights, and you get all seasons of each. Upgrade to premium to get the complete run of older shows, including Cheers, Frasier, House, Two and a Half Men, Everybody Loves Raymond and George Lopez. For some shows, however, you get only a recent handful of seasons or episodes, even on premium. For example, you’ll only find the last six seasons of Saturday Night Live and a handful of episodes of This Is Us.

The free tier will also get current episodes of freshman NBC shows (those airing their first season) the day after they air, and episodes of other NBC shows one week later. On the premium tier, you’ll get every NBC show the next day. One interesting perk for premium subscribers: Once Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon return to in-studio production, you’ll be able to watch them before they air, at 8 p.m. ET, instead of waiting until 11:30 p.m. ET.

The catalog is far from complete, however. Some shows you might associate with NBC, like Friends, Seinfeld and older seasons of Saturday Night Live, aren’t on Peacock, and won’t be soon, if ever. As mentioned, The Office won’t arrive until January 2021, when Netflix’s contract for the hit show runs out.

At launch, you’ll find seven originals: Brave New World, The Capture, Intelligence, Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, Where’s Waldo?, Cleopatra In Space and Curious George. Four more are coming later this summer. It remains to be seen if any will become must-watch hits, like The Mandalorian on Disney Plus.

Now playing: Watch this: Watch every Peacock originals trailer coming to streaming

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In the Movies category, you’ll find hundreds of titles, but relatively few from the past decade. (Think Alfred Hitchcock rather than Bong Joon-ho.) In the Rotten Tomatoes Approved belt, you’ll find about 20 movies, but only two from the past few years (2017’s Phantom Thread and 2018’s Tully). You’ll find tons of classics, however, from Psycho and Rear Window to Do the Right Thing and Reservoir Dogs.

Find some live news and lots of news clips on Peacock.

Sarah Tew/CNET

It appears, however, that many of Peacock’s big-name movies aren’t going to be sticking around for long. On the desktop and iOS versions of the app, you can see how many days you have left to watch a given movie if it’s leaving soon. Children of Men, the original Jurassic Park trilogy and The Matrix trilogy all expired at the end of July, just a few weeks after the service launched. They may come back though, a company representative said. And soon, you’ll be able to see how long you have to watch a given movie before it expires across all platforms.

For titles that aren’t obvious classics, Peacock helpfully displays Rotten Tomatoes ratings. Movie thumbnails may include a red-tomato, “fresh” rating but do not display a score if the movie is rated “rotten.” You can see the score for any movie with a Rotten Tomatoes rating, good or bad, after selecting it.

While some services have started streaming theater-bound movies early (such as Hamilton on Disney Plus), Peacock executives say it has no plans yet to do the same. However, Trolls World Tour did arrive as a Premium movie offering in September.

In the News section, you’ll find short clips from NBC News and MSNBC, along with the latest episodes of Nightly News with Lester Holt, Meet the Press, Sunday today with Willie Geist and Dateline NBC. When you click on the tiles for MSNBC or CNBC shows, you’ll only find clips though, as opposed to full episodes.

Channels and Trending aren’t what you think

From Browse, you can navigate to the Channels section of the app. Channels look kind of like a cable box grid guide, but instead of networks and cable channels, you get rows curated around a show or theme. We were disappointed to find that most of it wasn’t new. The first channel, SNL Vault, shows a mix of Saturday Night Live sketches from over the years. Two others — Fallon Tonight and Seth Myers Now — have full episodes from about a month ago.

The Office channel is labeled as Office Shorts and shows a scene from one episode here followed by a scene from another episode there, which is not how we like to digest our Office reruns. The Hell’s Kitchen channel does show complete episodes, and we found complete episodes of Ghost Hunters on the Out of this World channel. The rest of the channels, 32 in all, are a mix of true crime, reality TV, news and so on.

Peacock’s “channels” look like live TV, but for the most part are not.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Next to Channels, the Trending tab is also not super useful — scroll through 10 tile-like pages that start autoplaying news, late night clips or sports highlights. It’s kind of like flipping through 10 TV channels, and finding only YouTube clips.

In terms of news, you can find some live programming. NBC News Now Live is one of the channels, and Sky News also streams live. NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and Meet the Press with Chuck Todd will stream same-day on the NBC News Now channel, or in the News tab — which could appeal to YouTube TV subscribers who aren’t pleased with the recent price hike and want to make a switch but still have access to live news. However, you can access all of those live news sites and day-old broadcasts from their websites on desktop, anyway, so they aren’t exclusive to the platform. You’ll also find NBC’s new 24-hour version of the Today Show, called Today All Day, though that includes repackaged Today segments and more lifestyle programming than straight news.

And when it comes to live sports, the free tier will get some Premier League games, as well as the US Open Championship, the Women’s Open Championship and an NFL Wild Card Playoff Game. On premium, you’ll get more Premier League matches, coverage of the Tour De France, and more than 100 hours of WWE content starting in August.

Still MIA: Fire TV, profiles, mobile downloads and 4K HDR

While we can’t complain too much about the free tier, the premium offerings still lack several features that competitors like Netflix and Hulu already have.

You can stream Peacock on Apple devices like the iPhone and Apple TV, Google devices like Android phones and Chromecast, Xbox One consoles, PlayStation 4 consoles (when the app launches next week), Vizio SmartCast TVs and LG Smart TVs. As of Sept. 21, Peacock is also available on Roku devices. But you still can’t watch on popular Amazon Fire TV devices.

You also can’t create separate profiles, but Peacock reps said that this feature is high on the list to arrive after launch. In the meantime, you can set parental controls on shows of different ratings and manage them with a PIN. Mobile downloads are not yet available, either — and when they are, they’ll only be for premium ad-free subscribers.

Peacock also lacks support for 4K HDR video or Dolby Atmos at launch, though the company says both of these are also on the future roadmap. While it still looks pretty good, originals like Brave New World and some of the major action movie franchises like The Matrix would have benefited from upgraded video and sound quality.

You may be able to find a deal based on your cable provider: Comcast X1 and Flex subscribers get the premium with ads version free, or the no-ads version for $4.99 a month. Cox customers get the same deal.

At launch, you can’t download Peacock shows on your mobile device, but at some point, you’ll be able to do so if you pay for the top premium tier.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Should you get Peacock?

It’s free, so why not try it out? If the ads bug you or you want to watch one of the original shows, you can try out its premium tiers free for seven days as well, or find other deals depending on your platform and cable provider.

Do I expect to add Peacock to my daily streaming routine, alongside Netflix and Hulu? Probably not, at least in the short-term. But is it a great free option for finding some older movies and shows we’ve missed (or want to watch for the millionth time)? Definitely. If you don’t mind watching a few ads, it’s a fun place to explore older movies and a big mix of TV shows, and keep up with current NBC shows, news and some live sports in one spot — especially if you’re already a cord-cutter and looking to expand your options for free.

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lookatthedawn · 7 years

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While in Bangkok

Breakfast at the hotel is a very formal affair. The dining room is big and well decorated and there is a plentiful buffet. The headwaiter speaks good English and is quite solicitous, although a bit intimidating. He wants to make sure that everything runs smoothly and that's good, but I need a little more space. A table at the corner is occupied by a sour-looking French couple. At another table sits a group of Asian ladies who could be Thai or from another country nearby. They're noisy and demanding, but I'm grateful to them as they hijack the headwaiter's attention. My usual beverage of choice is tea, but I want to try the Thai coffee. I find it a lot like the Vietnamese; extremely strong and sweet. Also, very small. After it's gone, I'm still thirsty, so I have a big cup of tea. Many people in Thailand speak English, some quite well. On the way to the Grand Palace, I get directions from an Englishman with lovely blue eyes, then a couple of locals are happy to direct me to the train station. From the station, I take a tuk-tuk whose driver convinces me that the best way to see the city is by boat. He shows me the route on the map which covers a great part of what I want to see. He can't tell me the price of the boat tour but his own fare is quite low. I like the tuk-tuk as it offers an affordable way to see the city. As we arrive at the pier, I'm surprised that there's no line and no one waiting to go on a tour.

The tuk-tuk driver directs me to a woman sitting at a table, who will make a special price for me, which is two thousand Baht. I think I misheard, so I ask how much again. Two thousand Baht, she repeats. I tell her I don't have that kind of money and start to walk away. She lowers the fare to 1800, I tell her no, thank you. Sixteen hundred, she says, is her best offer. The driver is still around, trying to convince me as well, but I'm already on my way out. He offers to take me wherever I want to go, but I decline.

I want to see a Buddhist temple we passed by, but in Bangkok, you find Buddhist temples and Seven-Eleven stores in every corner. I stop at one of these temples for a bit of peace and quiet away from the heat. It is white with a red and gold roof decorated with precious stones in the front. Everything is clean, neat and peaceful. Dozens of statues of the Buddha sit behind glass windows facing a patio. At a table on the right side of the temple, two monks sit and talk. I greet them and they reply amiably but as I don't speak Thai and they speak precious little English, so we communicate with smiles and nods. I usually feel quite comfortable around Buddhist monks. Something about their lifestyle appeals to me. I have a thousand questions for these two, but for now, the language barrier means my questions will remain unanswered.

After a while, I exit the temple and take a taxi to the Grand Palace. In Bangkok, the taxis have the most wonderful shade of pink, something between magenta and fuschia, and drivers drive on the left side of the road. It's a busy Saturday afternoon and the area around the King's Palace is blocked. The driver, who speaks English with ease, makes light conversation. He asks where I am from and we talk about soccer a little bit, then he speaks of his country; he has a few complaints, mostly about the cost of living, but overall he is quite proud of his homeland and the new king. He drives me as close as he can to the Palace and I jump out. I see men and women dressed in black going toward the palace and feel inadequate in my jeans and red, sleeveless tunic. I think of the long-sleeved shirt in my bag, in case I have to change into something more somber. There is a narrow passage leading to the palace area where security is tight. They check my ID and my bag before letting me in. There are a few people, tourists like me, wearing regular clothes, but most visitors are in groups, wearing black and walking purposefully. The marine, the army, and the navy are massively represented. A sign at the palace's gate says that the King's Palace will close earlier, because of the death of the king. I bemoan my timing as I connect the dots of the sights around me; the people in black, the many official cars, the soldiers, the monks and all the signs praising the king. The mood is both festive and somber, as the tribute to a well-lived life. I don't know much about the king, but I suspect he was quite well liked.

I leave the area near the palace and find a pier with shops around. I'm looking for a fridge magnet from Thailand. On January, when my son Marcelo went to Europe, he had the bright idea of collecting magnets from every country visited. He proudly displays his collection on our fridge and I have decided to do the same. Thailand will be my first if I can find one. I walk around the shops and find shoes, hats, and t-shirts, but no magnets. On this pier, there is a line to get in the boats. The price for the boat tour is around six hundred. Four hundred and change before 4 p.m., but this is 4:10. It strikes me as odd that prices for the same tour -- even though the first was individual and this is in a group -- can go from 2K to 600 hundred Baht. I watch the long line of people getting into boats as I try to make up my mind whether to buy the ticket or not. In the meantime, I sit in the shade and rest, while watching the people and the breathtaking view of the city. I decide not to take the tour. I walk out of the pier and back in the streets. There's food for sale everywhere. Fruits, juices, smoothies. Small shops, doors that are no more than two meters wide, selling every kind of food and clothing. No magnets, though. I come to another pier, which looks like a well-kept plaza, pleasant and tourist-friendly. This is the third pier I visit and it offers quite a contrast to the other two. The first one was poorly maintained and smelled strongly of fish. The second and busiest catered to tourists but was disorganized and the staff was not very friendly. The pier where I now stand is elegant, with a restaurant overlooking the Chao Phraya River, big pots of flowers, and polite people. I imagine the price of the tour to be exceedingly high. When I ask, I think I misheard. "Forty Baht." "Excuse me? How much did you say?" The smiling clerk pushes a table with different prices. For the ride I want is, indeed, forty Baht. "The next one leaves in twenty minutes," he adds in clear English. I buy the ticket and wait for the boat to arrive. This is a hop-on-hop-off boat, for which you pay for the whole day or buy a one-way ticket like I did. The ride offers a chance to see much of Bangkok for little time and money. It is not only for tourists but a safe and pleasant type of transportation for Bangkokians commuting from work, school or just going out shopping. I try capturing the moment with my phone camera, but I can never catch the breeze, the sounds and smells as the boat glides over the Chao Phraya River. I'm aware that this is a singular moment, one I'll remember many times when I think of my time in Southeast Asia. Yes, I was there, I shall say, and it was worth it! I hop off at Yannawa and walk toward Silom. The streets are busy with traffic, vendors, and buyers. I wonder if other cities in the country are as busy as Bangkok or if the whole country conglomerates here. I make a mental note to research. That is what visiting a different country does; it ignites the mind and incites our curiosity. Who is the minority in this country? Who do they blame when things go wrong? Who is the scapegoat? What are their problems? What I see is a pretty homogenous people, going about their business boisterously but peacefully. I search my brain for news I might have heard from Thailand. Was there any terrorist attack on its soil? Earthquake? I find nothing. The place reminds me of movies with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, where a lot is happening right under the surface, but the regular man and woman don't have a clue about it. Is that the case here? "Be careful, his bowtie is really a camera."

In Silom I enter Robinson Department Store, which is a chain of megastores, sometimes standing alone, other times in a shopping center. This one is in a shopping center, which includes a supermarket, cafes, clothing stores, etc. I spend much time in this mall, looking at products and prices, then sitting at a cafe to rest for a while.

I don't know what I thought about Bangkok, but I definitely didn't think it was so large, busy and well organized as it is. I see a fair number of tourists and Westerns living here. Something like 8 million people live in Bangkok. And yet, traffic flows without conflicts. Unlike Hanoi, drivers don't honk as much and the people are polite and helpful. I find quaint little shops in picturesque villages. Art galleries, cafes and restaurants look delightful in the late afternoon's glow. I stop at Mama Mia Bangkok, a busy diner on a side street where I'm served the richest vegetable soup I ever tasted. The restaurant has tables on both sides of the narrow street, which the waiters cross constantly while carrying trays with hot dishes and cold drinks. There are more tourists eating here than there are Thai customers. While waiting for my soup, I pull out my laptop. The humdrum in the background is perfect for writing. In the meantime, night falls over the city.

After searching in a number of stores I finally find magnets at a stand of a street vendor. It's the first one I see and it's dirt cheap. As soon as buy it, however, they appear everywhere. I explore the city on foot, amazed by Bangkok's modern and creative architecture. It's hot and humid, but there's a constant breeze that makes walking around a pleasure. At a bridge over the train station in Silon, a girl wearing a costume poses for a photo shoot. She's not the only one. In fact, the place seems to be quite popular with photographers. Most people on the streets are in their twenties, usually with a group of friends, having a good time. If they're in a group, they keep to themselves but if they're alone they politely greet me. There are many Westerns around, and most of them look like well-adapted residents, not tourists.

If you ever go to Bangkok, pay close attention to which airport you're arriving and departing. I arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport, but I will be leaving from Don Mueang International. This airport is smaller and the staff is quite friendly. As I am flying first thing in the morning, I spend part of the night in the airport, and I'm far from the only one. There are people sleeping everywhere. At a busy charging station, I meet and befriend Carl, Kazild, Kevin, and Cynthia. Each of us is from a different part of the world, traveling to another, completely different place. At that airport, what unites us is that we need to charge our phones. Carl and Kazild are best friends originally from the Philippines but raised in Hawaii. They're on their way to Hanoi, Vietnam. Kevin is from Pennsylvania and he's flying back home, and Cynthia, who is from Argentina, has just arrived from Myanmar and is flying to Japan. All of them have been around and have interesting tales to tell. Just by looking into their eyes you can see a world of places and people, of which they're happy to share, though no narrative can fully bring to others the intensity of the experience itself. After talking of places, people and how to find the best lodgings, we settle on politics, and I find that, though our backgrounds are quite diverse, our views are similar. Soon it's time for Kevin to board his plane. One by one we go our own ways, but we promise to stay in touch. As I depart from them I wonder about their expectations and thoughts toward their destination. It took courage for each of them to embark on this adventure and I'm impressed -- and jealous -- of their experiences. I wish them all the best. My batteries are fully charged and it's time for me to go too. I stop at the exchange booth and turn baht into riel, then eat my last guava before heading to my gate. Goodbye, friends! Goodbye, Thailand!

#silon #travel #mountholyokecollege #Summer internship #thailand #Bangkok #donmueang #Survarnabhumi #baht #riel #mamamiabangkok #boattour #chaoprayariver #tuktuk #hoponhopoff #grandpalace #kingspalace

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pagegoat · 7 years

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I was tagged by @hummingbirdcas (yay does this mean we can be friends)

rules: answer these 85 statements about yourself, then tag 20 people (lol I don’t know 20 people on here to even tag so it’ll probably be like 1)

1. Last drink: Diet Coke

2. Last phone call: my friend Sumner

3. Last text message: a video of a really cute dog to my mom and uncle

4. Last song you listened to: the final song from pitch perfect 1 (I’m working on learning the dance to it)

5. Last time you cried: surprisingly I don’t remember, it’s been a little while

6. Dated someone twice: nope no thank you

7. Kissed someone and regretted it: well not like right after but now I just generally regret having dated 2 of my exes so I guess yeah

8. Been cheated on: nope

9. Lost someone special: by death, no; by end of a friendship, yeah

10. Been depressed: I mean not like medically so no I guess? Not sure exactly what this is asking

11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: twice. It’s not pleasant. The mere thought of redds apple ale makes me nauseous now

Fav colors

12. Emerald green

13. Dark teal

14. Dark purple

(basically I just love jewel tones ‘kay)

In the last year have you...

15. Made new friends?: yes, tons, because I came to college

16. Fallen out of love?: nope

17. Laughed until you cried?: this basically happens every time I laugh so yes

18. Found out someone was talking about you?: nope

19. Met someone who changed you?: I mean I became a partier when I came to school and met my friends here and I didn’t think I would so I guess kinda

20. Found out who your friends are?: yep definitely

21. Kissed someone on your Facebook friends list?: nope

General

22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life?: all of them

23. Do you have any pets?: a dog named Bob Wiley

24. Do you want to change your name?: nah

25. What did you do for your last birthday?: went to the beach with most of my best friends, saw dolphins, ate cake, it was by far the best birthday I’ve ever had

26. What time did you wake up today?: 7 am

27. What were you doing at midnight last night?: getting back to my dorm from my weekly trivia night

28. What’s something you can’t wait for?: being in a stable job that I enjoy

29. What are you listening to right now?: nothing but I’m watching the office

30. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom?: yes

31. Something that’s getting on your nerves?: when my roommate watches Netflix out loud while I’m trying to do homework (it doesn’t happen often but when it does it drives me nuts)

32. Most visited website: tumblr or Twitter

33. Hair color: dark brown

34. Hair length: it’s pretty long rn

35. Do you have a crush on someone: yes

36. What do you like about yourself: uhhhh I like my acting talents, I like my hair usually, I like my makeup skills, I like my baking and cookie decorating abilities

37. Want any piercing: well I passed out just getting my ears pierced so it’s a no from me

38. Blood type: O-

39. Nicknames: well maggie is a nickname for Margaret, mags, magg-o, tiny mags, pagegoat, marijuana maggie (that’s just from 2 of my friends and it’s a long story)

40. Relationship status: it’s complicated

41. Zodiac: Gemini (I know everyone hates us)

42. Pronouns: she/her

43. Fav tv shows: supernatural, Sherlock, the office, friends, psych, monk, Smallville, lost, probably something else I’m forgetting

44. Tattoos: none yet but I’m getting one sometime soon hopefully

45. Right or left handed: right

46. Ever had surgery: I had a cyst removed from my neck when I was 8, and I had scoliosis corrective surgery when I was 16 so I have a pretty rad scar all the way down my spine

47. Piercings: just regular old earlobes

48. Sport: uh....... choreography for musicals??

49. Vacation: basically anywhere in Italy, NYC, Germany, Austria

50. Trainers: no clue what that means

More general

51. Eating: just had some chick fil a and a donut

52. Drinking: still my Diet Coke

53. I’m about to watch: well I’m currently watching the office so

54. Waiting for: this is very vague but I’m gonna go with Thursday for the next supernatural episode

55. Want: for every store and restaurant and website to accept PayPal to make my life easier

56. Get married: I mean not anytime soon but someday

57. Career: work in NYC for either a publishing company or a magazine in editing

Which is better (I’m assuming these are in relation to a potential SO)

58. Hugs or kisses: depends on the person I guess?

59. Lips or eyes: eyes

60. Shorter or taller: enough taller that I can wear heels

61. Older or younger: within a year younger or 2 years older

62. Nice arms or stomach: both please?

63. Hookup or relationship: def relationship

64. Troublemaker or hesitant: little of both depending on situation

Have you ever

65. Kissed a stranger: nope

66. Drank hard liquor: yep

67. Lost glasses: maybe when I was little but not recently

68. Turned someone down: yep

69. Sex on first date: nope

70. Broken someone’s heart: yep

71. Had your heart broken: yep

72. Been arrested: nope

73. Cried when someone died: not that I recall

74. Fallen for a friend: yep, several times

Do you believe in

75. Yourself: yes? Most of the time?

76. Miracles: depends on definition of that but tentatively yes

77. Love at first sight: nope

78. Santa clause: sadly no

79. Kiss on first date: I didn’t realize that was a belief but yeah

80. Angels: yes

Other

81. Best friend’s name: tim

82. Eye color: technically hazel but they’re really green with just a little ring of brown around my pupil

83. Fav movie: uhhh all the back to the futures, o brother whereart thou, beauty and the beast new and old, Chicago, Groundhog Day, what about bob?, HP and the half blood prince

84. Fav actor: misha collins, cole sprouse, Alan rickman, Martin freeman (and not just cuz of Sherlock I swear), bill Murray, Christopher Lloyd, Tim curry, I know there are others I’m forgetting

hey @southerntinkerbelle if you wanna do this knock yourself out it literally took me like a week to actually get all of this typed out cuz I kept not having time to finish it

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jonasmaurer · 4 years

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7 things I’ve learned from the past 7 months

Hi friends! I hope you’re having a lovely morning. I’ve been cranking away on a post about tracking your cycle and how to adjust workout intensity throughout the month, and it’s taking me a bit longer than expected. Stay tuned for that one later this week. This week has been a good one so far. I took a super sweaty hot yoga class last night and we took Caro to the dog park! We haven’t been to the dog park in years – Bella was attacked at one in San Diego so we haven’t gone back – but Caroline is SO docile that she doesn’t try to compete for Alpha Dog status among the other dogs. We figured it would perk her up since she’s seemed kind of down lately. She had such a great time smelling the other dogs, trotting around, and rolling over so everyone would rub her belly.

Today’s post is kind of on the random side, and an attempt to focus on some of the rare bright spots in the past 7 months. It can be so easy to focus on the negatives, like lost opportunities, canceled events, and the inability to go places or travel freely. I feel like everyone I talk to lately feels the exact same way: overwhelmed, with a heavy heart, and just so dang exhausted. I’m really looking forward to when we come out the other side of all of this, but in the meantime, I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve either learned or was reminded of other the past 7 months. I’d love to hear anything you’ve learned or habits you’ve created that you want to continue in the future.

1. Coffee from home is better than from the coffee shop. After having coffee purely from home for months, I have to say that I prefer it now! Don’t get me wrong, I still go crazy over a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks, but as far as regular ol’ decaf coffee goes, I love the one I make here at home. It has collagen, almond milk, and vanilla monk fruit and isn’t nearly as bitter as coffee shop coffee.

2. The kids can entertain themselves. When the world first turned upside down, I was like, “What the heck am I going to do to entertain these kiddos?” I was basically their cruise director, scheduling online activities, time outside, and planning something new and fun each day. I even kept a list so that we would constantly be doing new things. Around day 32, I burned out. I just didn’t have it in me, was running out of ideas, and was finally like, “Just go play with dolls or spray each other with the hose.” And they LOVED IT. The girls can easily play for hours now, drag out the art supply box, or work on a puzzle. I still plan fun things to do as a family because we enjoy it and it gives us something to look forward to, but it was freeing to let go of the pressure to constantly entertain.

3. “Time is non-refundable, so spend it wisely.” This whole situation and losing Bella recently have been a huge reality check for me to make the most out of time and savor all of the good moments. I know I soaked up every moment I had with Bella and still feel like I would do anything to have 5 more minutes with her.

I’ve cut back on mindlessly scrolling on my phone and reading things that make me feel badly, when I could be enjoying time with the girls, reading a book I enjoy, or listening to a podcast. During the past 7 months, I started saying, “Yes” more often. Yes to baking random 3-layer cakes, jumping off cliffs into slide rock, extra books before bed, late-night movies, and endless hide and seek games because we finally have time to do all of these things. Before March hit, we had something every single day of the week after school and Sunday was the only day sans activities. I can’t wait for the girls to get back into the things they love, but it’s going to be less frequent with some built-in down time.

4. Health and relationships are all that really matter. At the end of the day, that’s really all you have. It’s not about how many *things* you acquire, how many work-related accomplishments you’ve achieved, or how much money you have saved. Focus on preserving your health and the quality of relationships. I’m thankful for the family members and friends I’ve been able to stay connected with this entire time even when we’re not physically together.

5. A whole new level of appreciation for the jobs people do to keep our society running. I’ve always been thankful to the delivery truck drivers, grocery store clerks, mail carriers, TEACHERS (omg teachers), medical professionals, first responders, etc. This whole thing has taken it to an entirely new level.

6. I don’t really need a gym to get in an awesome workout. While I definitely miss the motivational gym atmosphere – they’re finally open here again in Tucson but I haven’t made it back yet with childcare, distance learning, etc- I’ve been able to do my thang with the equipment we have at home. I’m looking into adding a treadmill to the collection; let me know if you have one you love!

7. Nature is truly healing. Time outside, pool time, and our family walks have been a gamchanger during this whole thing.

So, tell me friends: what’s something you learned or were reminded of during the past 7 months? Any habits you want to keep with you? I’m definitely going to try and stick to at least one walk a day.

Gina

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7 things I’ve learned from the past 7 months published first on https://olimpsportnutritionde.tumblr.com/

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kkoehn17 · 7 years

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So I’ve decided to use this week as a kind of “wrap up” for 2017. Monday was the last episode (in 2017) of All the Good Things, and today we take a final look at my 2017 goals. Let’s see how I did:

1) See Star Wars

COMPLETED

That’s right folks, I can finally unlock a new level of society because I have officially seen all the Star Wars films. Well, at least all of them except the new one. But to be fair, that one wasn’t on the list because I didn’t know it was coming out. So as of now I’m counting myself among the I’ve-been-too-busy-with-the-holidays-to-see-the-new-one-yet breed, which is exactly where I want to be.

2) See 5 WLRA’s

COMPLETED

WRLA (pronounced wool-rah) is my nickname for the World’s Largest Roadside Attractions, which I became addicted to sometime last year. It is among my life goals to see them all, and so I’m chipping them off slowly. This year I shot for five, and ended up seeing the fifth one just under the wire. My sister and I drove out to see the World’s Largest Donut on New Year’s Eve Eve. The other four I saw this year were the World’s Largest Paper Cup, Fishing Fly, Thermometer and Monk.

3) Try this jean rug DIY

COMPLETED

I did most of the prep for this project back in September, but didn’t actually sew it together until this past weekend. On one hand I could say I’m glad I was ahead of the game (at one point) because when I finally sat down to sew it together, all the pieces were already cut. But on other hand, I wish I would have just taken the time to sew it together back then, it might have been a tinge less stressful. Regardless, I’m very proud of the end result. It’s nowhere near perfect, but it’s something I actually sewed with my own two hands and, like, HOW COOL IS THAT?!

The original

Mine

4) Run 1,000 miles

COMPLETED

It’s almost unfathomable that I can write “complete” on this goal, but it is, in fact, COMPLETE! I, Kimberlee K, ran 1000 miles in 2017. EEEK. You can read all about this ridiculously crazy feat here.

5) Complete The Ultimate Fit Bit Week

COMPLETED

At the beginning of the year I decided to make my own Fitbit achievement known as “The Ultimate Fit Bit Week.” Essentially I wanted to see if I could meet every goal (i.e. steps taken, calories burned, active minutes, etc.) every single day for an entire week. Let me tell you, it was not easy, but it’s one of those things that I can now say that I did, which is cool. You can read about it here. Also, if you’re reading this, Fitbit, make sure you name this challenge after me if you ever make it, you know, a thing.

6) Volunteer (at least) 5 times

COMPLETED

As I’ve said in previous check-ins, this was one of my favorite goals of the year, which made it a no brainer to add it to my list of goals for 2018. I’d highly encourage anyone and everyone to volunteer if they get a chance. It’s truly one of the most rewarding experiences!

These were my five for this year:

Food Forward (5/21/17)

Children’s Hunger Fund (6/24/17)

My Stuff Bags (8/10/17)

Food Forward (8/26/17)

Children’s Hunger Fund (10/7/17)

You can find opportunities to volunteer here.

7) Go to a sporting event of “every” kind (i.e. baseball, football, hockey, basketball, & soccer)

60% COMPLETED

When the year started, the NFL, NBA and NHL were all in the tail end of their regular seasons and moving into the playoffs, thus making tickets to the games way out of my price range. So, since I knew baseball would be an easy one to check off (because I’m a huge Dodger fan), and soccer season was just about to start, I decided to channel my energy into those and put the other three checkpoints on hold until the end of the year (a.k.a the beginning of a new season). In the end, while I was lucky enough to be invited to a hockey game (in a suite!! Thanks, Sam!) I never found my way to a basketball or football game this year. But don’t fret! At the end of the day, not going to a basketball or football game doesn’t make my year a “failure” or this goal a wash. And it would be a waste to get caught up in the parameters of the goal and obsess over the failures rather than celebrate the successes. For among the casual weeknight Dodger games I got to attend this year, I also got to see Game 6 of the World Series, and got my family out to see an LA Galaxy soccer game, which we probably never would have done otherwise. When I think about it like that, I’d say it’s a pretty successful goal.

8) Try every class at the gym

VETOED

The lack of progress on this one began with a lack of facilities, due to water damage at my local gym. It was back up and running in April, but then April turned into May and then June and then July, leading me to believe that procrastination had taken over. While that was definitely part of it, the truth was, I was scared. By July I had hit the 500-mile mark of my running goal, making the finish line something I could actually picture, and I was scared to do anything that might prevent me from reaching it. So around October, I more or less forfeited—or rather vetoed—this goal for 2017 and decided to add it as a bonus goal for this coming year. I still want to get a taste of what my gym membership is getting me and I figure it will be a good way to stay in shape.

9) Do The Princess Diaries painting

COMPLETED

You remember this iconic scene from classic RomCom The Princess Diaries, right?

I mean I think it’s safe to say we were all jealous of that mother/daughter arts and crafts session. Lucky for me, I have an amazing group of friends and family that dove headfirst into this project for my 27th birthday.

You can read about that day here.

Also, I recently got a chance to hang the end results up on my wall and it makes me smile every time I pass by.

10) Find and try the “Best of” restaurants in LA

COMPLETED

This was another goal that I was super excited about and it did not disappoint. I’ve always wanted to take more advantage of my access to downtown Los Angeles, and I feel like this search for the “best of” restaurants in my five favorite food groups (i.e. pizza, burgers, ice cream, donuts and sandwiches) helped me scratch the surface.

Here are my five finds:

Pizza: Pizzeria Mozza

Burgers: Battle of the Burgers

Ice Cream: Salt & Straw

Donuts: Randy’s Donuts

Sandwiches: Mendocino Farms

11) Watch every film that has ever won Best Picture

98.88% COMPLETED

As of my last check-in, I had 60 movies to watch before the end of the year. When the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, I only had one. Before you “awww”, know that this was intentional, as I realized (too late) that the last movie on the list was the final film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I haven’t seen the first two…

…DON’T GIVE ME THAT LOOK. I realize this is another cardinal sin of cinema and I’m going to make right, okay? I’m adding this trilogy as another bonus goal for 2018.

12) Learn to Longboard

VETOED

Similar to goal #8, I more or less quit on this goal after I became knee deep in my running. It just seemed too likely that I’d fall off my longboard and tweak an ankle (or worse) and I wasn’t willing to give up the progress I’d made. So, again, this was postponed. Hopefully I’ll find the courage to *shred* in 2k18.

13) Learn to do a headband braid

COMPLETED (I GUESS)

Have you ever adopted a new hobby and put in a bunch of time to get better at it, only to realize that your skill level is and always will be pretty basic. Yeah, well that’s how I feel about the headband braid. After spending the year watching a bunch of different tutorial videos and knotting my hair a bunch of different ways, I more or less accepted that I’m just not good at headband braids. I get the basic concept, but my end result always looks like I let a little kid play hair salon. SO, I’m forfeiting my pursuit of the perfect braid. The way I see it, at least I can say I tried, and at least I have a handful of friends that are willing to do my hair.

14) Reach the 100,000-mile mark on my car

COMPLETED

This was another highlight of my year. After hitting the 100,000 mile mark, my family and I loaded up into Jeffrey—wearing sparkly hats and homemade glasses no less—and took a ridiculous amount of pictures and Boomerangs to commemorate the occasion.

You can read all about Jeffrey’s (my car) big milestone here.

15) Do a bar/pub crawl

COMPLETED

As if it were destined for my attendance, when I Googled “bar crawls” in October, I found 12 Bars of Charity, which divides its attendees into “teams” and gives them t-shirts to showcase the charity they choose to support. My friends and I were on the “black team” which supported the Boys & Girls club. And while we only made it to three of the twelve bars—because we spent too much time talking at each one —we still had a great time, and talked about going again next year to go to the bars we missed. (Though at this rate it will take us 4 years to see them all)

If you’re interested, 12 Bars of Charity has events all over the country. Check here to see if there’s one near you.

16) Sing Karaoke

COMPLETED

Much to the surprise of my pre-2017 self, karaoke became somewhat of a staple for my year. My friends and I found a favorite place and made many an appearance on a Saturday night. I found that it is one of the best ways to blow off steam and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

17) Complete Project Lightbulb

COMPLETED

Project Lightbulb is the nickname I gave my family’s dream vacation to Iceland. And while it became clear that this goal would be impossible to complete this year, I decided that as long as we made steps towards planning and booking it—a.k.a inching it to a reality—I’d call it a win. That being said, this year we did take steps in the right direction by officially opening a savings account so we can slowly save up enough money to make this thing happen! Iceland here we come!

And that, as they say, is that! I completed 14 of my 17 goals, which is an accomplishment in itself, and what I didn’t finish, I plan on carrying over into this new year.

But the ultimate win here is the I CAN that comes alongside the setting and completing of goals, no matter what those goals may be. This list of 17 goals inspired me to get completely out of my comfort zone, which led me on new adventures I never would have experienced otherwise. I can only hope that the goals I set for 2018 can do the same.

If you are someone who is looking for some inspiration in your life, I highly encourage you to set goals. Whether big or small, artistic, athletic or otherwise, write them down, put them out into the universe, and then go for them! You might surprise yourself how much you can accomplish.

Happy New Year!

2017 Goals Final Check-In So I’ve decided to use this week as a kind of “wrap up” for 2017. Monday was the…

#goals #blogging #fun #goals for 2017 #goals for 2018 #inspiration #journal #life #motivation #new years goals #personal

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