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ladala99 · 11 months ago

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Pokemon Regionals Vancouver BC - My Experience

After having a good time at the Portland Regionals in 2023, I decided to make it a yearly thing - choose a Regionals to go to and see what there is to do!

I fully intended this year to have a video game team all ready to go with side games, however, I started a full playthrough of Violet for the DLC and did not finish Blueberry Academy's story, let alone with enough time to build and test a team. Let alone trade for Pokemon like Giraffe Raikou because I got Violet. So I did not have a real team. Which was fine because I only had a spectator pass.

My Video Game skill level: Battle Tower 50-streaks earned in Gens 3, 4, 6, and 7 for the Ribbons. No competitive experience against real people.

My Trading Card Game skill level: I know the rules but mostly played Theme on TCG Online. Not caught up on the meta at all.

My GO skill level: I don't play GO League. Level 39 in general with random Pokemon I like raised up with little regard for what's good.

My friend does not play TCG or VG, is higher level than me in GO.

Day 0 (Friday)

The venue opened for merch sales and, surprisingly, side events. I arrived in the afternoon and got side event tickets and picked up the GO sheets, since those are very much aimed at a casual audience. It was like a mini GO fest. My friend and I went out around the city to scope the area out for food places and do as many of the GO tasks as we could outside the venue. I also took note that they were testing some formats, which was free to participate in. I made note of when it was happening on Saturday.

That was really all we did first day of arrival.

Day 1 (Saturday)

We arrived early to get in on the testing. I expressed interest in the Video Game format and received a Fighting TCG energy card that told me to come back in an hour.

With that, my friend and I went around the venue doing the Pokemon GO scavenger hunt tasks that required taking photos of various banners in the venue, as well as top off the Raids, trading, and making friends tasks. Most of the making friends tasks were easy to do after raiding due to the built-in friending-after-Raid feature. I got a little concerned I would have to redo some of the tasks since one of the GO players we spoke to said they were instructed to take screenshots of all their tasks as they did them, while we were only told that they'd go through our in-game journal to check. But some of the tasks didn't show up in the journal. It seemed like it was going to be a big mess.

Hour up, I headed back to the format testing area. Sadly, I was the only sign-up for that hour, so I exchanged my energy card for the next hour's, a Psychic Energy.

My friend and I wrapped up our GO tasks after this and headed to the GO prize booth. Luckily for us, the people there just believed us that we had done our tasks and let us turn in our tickets for prizes without checking that we did them right. I got a Mew plush and my friend got a Latios plush!

Hour up, I headed back to the format testing area. Sadly, I was still the only sign-up for the hour, and I exchanged my energy card for the next hour's: a Darkness Energy.

So more GO playing around the venue it was! But my feet were tired so we headed over to where various console systems were set up. N64s, Gamecubes, and Switches all had various games running. There was an empty spot playing Colosseum where evidently someone got stuck not knowing where to go next. The game was at the beginning, post getting Rui (named AAAAAAA here), but before finding any Shadow Pokemon. I played, getting Makuhita and Croconaw before deciding I should give up the spot to someone else.

Hour up, I headed back to the format testing area. This time there were a couple of additional players! Seemed to be brother/sister around highschooler age. But honestly age doesn't matter much when I'm on the lower end of the skill level here.

VG Test Format

The format was interesting: each player gets a pack of cards to open. Each keeps the code card and puts that in their Draft. From there, they draft one card from their pack and pass it around. Each Pokemon is a Pokemon you can use on your video game team. Each Trainer, Code or Energy card is an item you can attach (any item). Pokemon can only be raised one stage above what's on the card: an actual example was that I got a Nacli card and could only use either Nacli or Naclstack - I could not use Garganacl.

Once all players get their 12 cards, they have 45 minutes to build their teams through whatever means they have. This includes HOME, trading, already having it, whatever, though the set chosen only had Pokemon available in mainland Paldea in it so you could build a team just fine with just a completed game, minus if you got the wrong Starter. I purposely did not choose any of the Starters for my team because the game I was playing was not completed.

Only one of my team was something I already had (and was an in-game team member so its EVs and IVs were whatever) so 2/3 of the time was spent catching the team and 1/3 training it. And by "training" I mean throwing vitamins at them and adjusting their movesets.

Then we did the battle phase. The judge had three cards and the two players who drew Fighting Energy fought, best of 1. I was one of them. First round I won, second round I lost.

I quite enjoyed this format. It does depend a lot on how much your game is already set up and is pretty unbalanced, but the luck of the draw really helps.

For testing and sending quick feedback (age range, skill level, did you like it?, would you recommend it?) I was given a pack of cards alongside being allowed to keep the cards I already had!

My friend and I got lunch after that, and right after lunch was the Primal Groudon Raid Event in GO, so we did all those raids. When there is such a density of high-level players in one area, they go by very quick. I got enough Primal Energy to Primal Revert Groudon! Didn't get any Shinies, though.

Impressed by the VG testing (and drawn by the fact that the TCG only needed 2 players), my friend and I did the TCG format testing next.

TCG Test Format

This format was also a draft format, but not random. They had 80 unique Pokemon and item cards stacked up, and both players take turns drawing 5 from the top, choosing one and swapping, and choosing 2 and giving the others to the other player, repeat until both players have 40 cards. From there, they use their cards and Energy cards available from the side to build a 40-card deck, swapping out anything you don't want to use for Energy.

The cards were all lower power than you'd normally build decks around - no Pokemon ex or Pokemon V. Which is just my format since I liked playing Theme!

I won 2-0 but there was a big skill gap so it's not surprising. We really should have exchanged decks for round 2 just to even the playing field a little, since I think I both built my deck better and played better.

After this, I went over to more seriously check out what the side events were and bought three side event tickets. I was most interested in Ogre Oustin' and Pokemon Pinball, but for today I decided to only do a VGC Judge Battle. If you wanted Prize tickets, this seemed like it was the way to go - the judges wanted you to have fun and this first judge went way easy on me, always attacking my higher-defense Pokemon with weaker attacks so I could win.

With a full and fun day behind us, we headed back to the hotel.

Day 2 (Sunday)

We only had two nights at the hotel and had the trip back home scheduled, so I was a little in a rush this morning. We had to be going at noon.

I immediately headed over to the side event booth to sign up for Ogre Oustin'. 1 hour of standing around later, I swapped to a Judge Battle. This guy was very nice and friendly, and wasn't really all that skilled in Video Game battles. I enjoyed battling with him, and like the day before, I won. My friend and I both wanted Prize Dice as a souvenir, so I gave her this one.

On the mention that it went faster the day before, I used my other token on Pokemon Pinball. 2 hours later, it still didn't go and I had to switch to a Judge Battle again. But even that didn't go in time as a bunch of drop-outs from the competition were in the queue, so I just asked a judge if I could get a TCG pack (the consolation prize for not winning) and take myself out of rotation and he let me. He was going to give me a prize die but I wanted a pack since I had my souvenir and wasn't going to turn them in.

Conclusion

Overall I had fun, but I do think the side events could be handled better. I really would have liked to express interest in several of the more casual side games and go with whatever one ran first, but it seemed that the only ones that were running were those that already came in with a full group, or Judge Battles.

The GO booth was fine, though it was strange that there were four task group tickets and the prizes (which were completely separate from the other game prize booth) went up to 12 for some of the plush and I think there was a Pokemon GO Plus+ there for even more than that.

But for the rest, it was a lot of standing in one spot. Last year, they gave you one of those blinking light devices and you could head around the venue as you pleased. It was frustrating that I was for one thing on a time limit, and for another just. . . no one else was signing up and I couldn't be in more than one event queue at a time.

Judge Battles are a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it is very nice to have a type of competition that WILL run, because it's customer vs. staff and the staff WILL get to you. On the other hand, it is drawing away from the PVP formats, especially because PVP you have a 1/4 chance to get the prize die (if you're all of equal skill, which won't always be the case) and in a Judge Battle you are more than 50% likely to get the prize die. Maybe close to 100%.

Last year, you got a prize die for participating and another for winning. This year, you get a prize die for winning and a TCG pack if you don't win. It's a lot more pressure to win if you want plush.

Last year I bought 5 side event tokens and got two plush and a TCG pack. I also got to play the games I wanted to at least once. This year, I bought 7 side event tokens and got one plush, one TCG pack, and two prize dice, and only got to play one of the three formats I wanted to. I did end up with four TCG packs overall, but three of those were from the format testing event, which was free.

I wish they had some computerized queue for the side events rather than it all being on paper. It'd be really nice to go: hey, I'm interested in X, Y, and Z and I'll play whatever happens first. Maybe even sign up for absolutely everything! While I'm playing, I'm off the lists so others aren't waiting for me, and then I can spend another token to get back on the other lists.

Or even if, instead of Judge Battles being its own thing, have the judges fill the slots in the other formats. That way they'd actually run even if there isn't much interest.

All that being said, I plan to come back next year at whichever Regional is closest and this time actually get three nights, planning on leaving Monday, so I'm not in a rush the last day. I may even compete - I don't know! Or I might do what I intended to do this year: get a decent team and play VGC battles in the side events area.

#pokemon #pokemon regionals #pokemon vgc

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jimhair · 2 years ago

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A few years (decades) ago I worked for an art materials manufacturer, and became a minor National Sales Manager. One of my responsibilities was college bookstores and our Canadian accounts. I also was responsible for organizing the booth for trade shows and looked forward to traveling to cities I hadn’t yet visited, and meeting customers I’d only spoken with by phone. (These were ancient times before cell phones, Zoom meetings, the internet was on dial up modems and computers were updated by exchanging floppy discs.) At one show in Chicago I met Michael O’Neill, who was the buyer for the store at the Alberta Art Institute in Calgary. As he approached the booth and we shook hands he said he had made something for me, and pulled a glowing blue orb from his shoulder bag. I was stunned, and couldn’t believe how beautiful it was, and that he brought it to me. Michael is now the Director, Emeritus of the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary. I treasure this object of magic, and each time I’ve looked into it’s depths have thought I need to visit Calgary, and if possible, bring Michael something inspiring in return. 🇺🇦💔🌎💔🌏💔🌍💔🇺🇦 #earth #human #america #documentary @fujifilm_profilm #velvia #120 #transparency #slide #film #catalog #object #glass #sculpture #art #gift #photography #filmisnotdead #istillshootfilm #filmisalive #fromwhereistand #pdx #portland #nw #northwest #leftcoast #oregon https://www.instagram.com/p/CoSooJXPc0G/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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classicexhibits · 3 years ago

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Since 1993, Classic Exhibits has led the way designing, building $ delivering world-class trade show exhibits, booths & displays.

At Classic Exhibits, we offer a plethora of trade show exhibits, trade show booths, and pop up banners for sale, as well as custom trade show exhibits you can design to meet your business' specific needs! If you're not interested in buying, we also offer many trade show exhibit rentals and modular trade show booth designs that may better suit you and your brand. We also offer trade show storage options, along with other trade show management services to make your next show your most successful one ever!

Name: Classic Exhibits Address: 5675 SE International Way, Portland, OR 97222 Phone: (866) 652-2100 Website: https://classicexhibits.com/

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dippedanddripped · 5 years ago

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Watching Aminé’s “Caroline” music video can evoke vivid high school memories of the days when a freshly minted driver’s license conferred upon its holder the freedom to meet up with friends and do anything — or nothing. The video, like the song, is bubbly and carefree; it documents Aminé and his friends riding around town in a Honda Sedan stocked to the gills with bananas, lounging around in the grass, and watching each other play video games. In that 2016 summer of #BlackBoyJoy in hip-hop (when Chance the Rapper, Lil Yachty, D.R.A.M., Anderson .Paak, Rae Sremmurd, MadeinTYO, and Desiigner also flourished), “Caroline” went quadruple-platinum and helped make Aminé the first rapper ever from Portland, Oregon to become a national star.

The video for “Shimmy,” the lead single from Aminé’s forthcoming album Limbo, is a collage of Portland-specific flexes, a tribute to how far he’s come. He cheeses for the cameras while flanked by a phalanx of lawyers and dances midfield at Providence Park. He stands, perhaps symbolically, on the roof of Mike’s Drive-In (the burger joint where “Caroline” was shot) and trades the Honda for a speedboat zooming up the Willamette River.

Just as importantly, “Shimmy” is a subtle homage to the heavily gentrified areas of northeast Portland, where Aminé — born Adam Daniel to Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrants — grew up. In the video, he meets up with other members of the Portland rap scene plus Yosief Berhe and Jonathan Ressom, his two friends who co-star in all of his videos, to bike en masse down NE Alberta Street. He stops by Kee’s, a popular soul food truck, and heads to Woodlawn Park, his old stomping grounds located a few blocks from his childhood home.

“Woodlawn is the neighborhood that I grew up in,” he tells Highsnobiety over Zoom. “It used to be very much a part of the Black community. It’s kind of turned into a hipster park now, but it’s definitely the first place I got jumped. The first place I had my first fight in. Woodlawn represents a lot of good memories for me and my friends. Like our innocent adolescence.”

Rapid gentrification continues to gut Portland’s Black community, which accounts for less than six percent of the city’s total population. Aminé alluded to the transformation of Woodlawn on his 2017 song “Turf”: “Flipping through my past like I used to flip the phone / They kicking out the Blacks and all the houses getting clones.”

“The gentrification is insane,” he says. “I used to have only Black neighbors. And now my parents only live next to white people. The only reason my parents are still on that block is because, you know, I pay for everything. But it’s not the same for a lot of Black people in Portland.”

His friends Yosief and Jonathan echo this sentiment during a phone interview: “You’re getting chains of dispensaries on the same corners where police would try to nail people for weed,” Jonathan says. “I can go in there, and it’s gonna be a girl in a skirt giving me a dub. Meanwhile, no lie, like six, seven years ago, homies getting locked up doing the same shit on that same corner.”

“People in Portland sometimes have the right intentions,” Yosief adds. “But it really irks my nerves when I go down Mississippi or Albina or through historically Black neighborhoods, and it’s 85 percent white. All the houses have Black Lives Matter signs on the lawn but displaced a bunch of Black families to be there. It’s unfortunate.”

Limbo arrives four years into Aminé’s tenure as a major-label rapper, at a point where he’s established himself, but is still unsure of where to go or how to proceed with his career. “The title came from where I’m at in my life,” he explains. “There are two meanings behind it. I feel like I grew up thinking that once I achieved one level, the next level would be easier to achieve. But as I’ve grown, I’ve come to realize that with every level that I achieve, every level gets harder, just like the game of limbo. It just doesn’t seem to change for me, and it’s honestly made me feel like I’m completely in limbo. I thought the older I get, the wiser I’d get. But I’m figuring it out.”

Bittersweet nostalgia for high school and college years has been a recurring theme in Aminé’s music. In this sense, Limbo picks up where his 2017 debut album Good For You left off. Co-executive produced by Aminé and “Caroline” producer Pasque, it features one song that is entirely dedicated to Woodlawn Park, another to Aminé’s mother. Other songs, including his recent release “RiRi,” wistfully revisit past romances that sputtered. That era, which saw the first, fitful yawns of Aminé’s music career, is fertile terrain for storytelling. “I miss being naïve. I miss hoping, not knowing what your future was looking like,” he told Pigeons & Planes earlier this year. “Just being in your room in college, broke as hell.”

Aminé’s rap career began in the booth of Benson High’s radio broadcasting program, where he and his friends once rapped over Flockaveli beats. “Then we actually realized that Adam was pretty good,” Yosief tells us. He spent summers in New York, working youth camps in the Bronx and holding down internships at Complex and Def Jam — staying with his aunt in Harlem, eating plain leftover rice out of her fridge when food money inevitably got low. After high school, he started putting out mixtapes into a localized scene that Pasque describes as “stuck in the golden age.” Casual co-signs from Damian Lillard (who came to a show) and Kaytranada (who sent free beats) were good omens that also helped him stand out. All the while, he matriculated at Portland State University and lived at home with his parents. PSU is where he met Pasque, and where they made “Caroline.”

“We found out about this classroom inside of the music building that was always left unlocked,” Pasque says. “We had a schedule. I would go to work, and then after I clocked out, I would go immediately to school and work on music all night, basically. And it was like that for about five or six months. And then, eventually, it got to the point where we had a good amount of music, and our manager, Justin, was like, ‘You guys gotta put something out.�� We decided to put out ‘Caroline.’ And after that, it was no looking back.”

“I remember him putting out these little mixtapes, trying to get stuff retweeted, putting freaking fliers on corners, and [getting help from] all our friends in Portland,” Yosief says. “The slow grind. I remember Adam was trending [on Twitter] just in Portland, and it was like a big-ass deal. I remember him having like 1,000, 2,000 views on SoundCloud, to him going like, ‘Hey, this song got two million plays on Spotify, we’re about to make a music video for it.’ All of us still broke.”

Weeks after “Caroline” came out and started racking up gaudy streaming numbers, Vevo offered to fly Aminé out to New York to record a video performance of the single. He was in his senior year, and the video shoot conflicted with a finance final, but he decided to go anyways.

“I literally was told that if I failed this final, I would fail the class. So, I was like, ‘I don’t give a fuck.’ I just didn’t care,” he says. “I hated college. I knew it wasn’t for me, but I still kept doing it because I have strict African parents that I lived with. There was no other alternative for me to live under [their roof] without going to school.”

Aminé’s affable, low-key charm and new deal with Republic Records facilitated his smooth entry into the mainstream. The summer after “Caroline” blew up, Malia Obama requested to meet him after his set at Lollapalooza, and Young Thug called him a “young legend” backstage at a European music festival. “I didn’t even know if [Thug] knew who I was,” he says. He relocated to Los Angeles, where he has lived a charmed life, ensconced in a network of the city’s coolest, smartest, and most famous young artists. Late last year, Issa Rae — who co-starred in his 2017 “Spice Girl” video — asked him to guest star in Insecure as a dumb guy named Darnell. “I moved to LA just because, like, half of the features I get are just because me and the homies are in the studio,” Aminé explains. “Like, I can text Vince [Staples] and he’ll pull up to the studio. Money can’t buy timing. That’s pretty much the only reason I’m here.”

Still, to a great extent, Aminé strives for anonymity rather than celebrity. “When people want to go to, like, 1 OAK, or the club, I’d rather just go to a small bar with a couple of my good friends and chill,” he says. He adds that “normal things” have helped him stay sane during quarantine — like meeting friends in the park with food, or his morning ritual of smoking a joint and walking his 11-month-old goldendoodle Oliver.

This aversion to the limelight extends to his relationship with Portland, where he is something of a modern cultural icon. He doesn’t go out to restaurants with his parents anymore, for the sake of their privacy. He expresses his hope that he could signal boost Portland’s Black businesses and the city’s overall profile in the music industry, rather than don the cape of Captain Portland: “I’m just such an indoor person, and I don’t love that kind of pressure on me. Like, I was never really prepared for this type of career.”

Aminé intends to eventually build a massive compound in Portland, with a studio and acres of land. It’s likely to happen one day — just don’t hold him to it. Public expectations can be dangerous. “The main thing to take away from [this album] is, I’m still just a guy figuring it out,” he says. “I don’t have the answers. And I don’t want fans to look at me for every answer. I’m just a guy, literally. I’m just in limbo.”

Limbo is out August 7 via Republic. Pre-order the record here.

#limbo #Aminé #pdx hiphop artist #portland oregon #hiphop blog #music blog

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wadegriffith · 2 years ago

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The Lightmatter trade show booth was designed by Dogcatcher Creative and fabricated by Object Construction. It was on display at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas, Texas from November 14-17, 2022 for SC22: The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis.

Lightmatter is a computer hardware manufacturer which focuses on photonic AI computing for rapid growth while reducing environmental impact. Dogcatcher creative is a design agency based out of Portland, Oregon that specializes in environment, brand and consumer experience.

#ai #aicomputing #aimodel #ecofriendlytech #machinelearning #neuralnetwork #photoniccomputing #photonics #photonicai #tradeshowbooths #convention #conference #computing #networking #environmental design #sc22

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healhfoodguy · 3 years ago

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room for rent in tempe az

Hi, The rent for the Room in the house in Tempe is $449 plus utilities Please be a kind, meditative, respectful person, that's into healthy smoothie/shakes. I keep the kitchen clean, bathrooms clean, lawn mowed, floors swept, this is a good central location in the middle of the big city called phoenix az, this house in Tempe is a great place to live, Quiet Street!! lots of parking, I'm looking for like minded rmmte to share the house in Tempe. The house is close to three buslines and the light rail. Available, Your own beautiful room, that sanctuary you can get rested and melt away the stresses of the day. A Quiet, Serene Meditative and Peaceful Environment, everyone is required to be soft and gentle, to keep the noise down, you must wear earphones on your computer or phone. This is the perfect place to make that meditative quiet inner peace happen inside you.. so you can regenerate, so you can restore and heal that inner peace inside you.... You have a Closet to hang your clothes and the best part-- a key to lock your bedroom door!!!!! We all enjoy the peace and tranquility that is the main objective here, I make a conscious effort to maintain the peace and quiet so you can heal and are able to "regenerate" in your room. All roommates must be quiet this is not a party house, no drugs alcohol or cigarettes allowed please don't lie about this, why put both of us through this drama. You are a loving, even tempered person, working on improving yourself, working a job or you are a creative entrepreneur following through with their powerful intentions and direction in their business, be in good spirits, fun loving easy going. I grew up upstate NY spent a year In india, 1 yr Philippines, 10 yrs Hawaii,6yrs Los Angeles, 3yrs Mt Shasta, 2 yrs Ashland OR, 9yrs Portland OR I was always on the look out for that next teacher, healer, or guru that could help me connect with the "God Spirit"..I'm good at massage and moving the energy to heal others, meditation, connecting with your higher self is who I am!!!! My past professions were different sales jobs, Retail management, telemarketing, getting sales leads at booths in home and garden shows/Trade Shows, getting those impossible appts with presidents and owners of companies to make sales presentations, I love writing and working sales scripts until they become finely tuned miracles that make the boss think I was "God" because I did so well!!! but regretfully I'm not a successful business person, but just a regular guy struggling with his insecurities and minor Attention Deficit Disorder, Wishing i could get so much more done every day. It's a miracle every day to be able to function and get the important stuff done. I struggle to get things done, I'm not perfect and don't expect you to be perfect, but you must be coachable and able to deal with rules of house and be respectful of others so they can return the respect to you. Call or text "Now" so you don't forget, I turn the phone off if I'm sleeping so don't worry about it being too late to text me....Thank You and god Bless you, for that is what I've learned in all my travels, healings, seminars, books, gurus and teachers that have touched my life in someway or another..... and i've found the purpose in my life is to learn how to get back to the creator for we are all god's creatures all open and learning to be one with the creator. ----text your name, age and info about you, and when you need to move, Thank You Again, New Rah-Healthy Guy

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stringsofstarlight · 4 years ago

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swifties on standby

Years ago, I wrote the parts about the non profit organizations having booths outside of the events as a cooperation buffer for the energy, then volunteers earning the ability to exchange this good karma “credit” by signing up beforehand to do “good deed volunteerism” before the show’s arrival in town. People who didn’t want to support the ticket scalpers, couldn’t get to the shows, or just wanted to give the ticket away to someone who couldn’t afford the show would then get to trade the “credit” for available ticket units. I had a whole breakdown of stakeholders involved, how each became a win, win, win, situation for everyone. The increase in revenue for the venue via concessions, the increase in merch sales, the safety of having vetted groups outside on the venue, the thousands of hours that would go into each local community via donated labor, the fans who got to see their Taylor, the community they create, and the overall satisfaction of everyone who was able to be part of this program.

This was only one aspect of how this idea came together, I just was too sheepish to include in the first place, especially since I almost didn’t send the letter. It was the amazing pizza party with all of the foster kids, their caretakers, and the pre tour warm performance that moved my heart to send the letter. Plus, the burn victim Isabella that you touched by visiting around the same day. My scared heart was so moved that I didn’t care what anybody else thought, plus my mom had been dead for almost exactly a year. I could hear her telling me that I needed to do this, that it was/is right and true. To have faith jimmy is what I heard, cause she is only one who ever called me that. This is why I sent the first letter.

At the time I was working on being the vending coordinator for the first IAMCR conference to be in the United States ever. IAMCR was set up by UNESCO to help foster a connection between the communications profession to help end war and create the space for healthy inquiry. We had just finished a conference called What is Universe? in Portland, OR. The conference was the fourth in a series of inquires asking a series of questions related to Dr. Jeremy and Dr. Janet Wasko’s line of research in media, communication, and journalism. The IAMCR conference title was “Reimagining Sustainability”(World Economic Forum just came out with “Reimagining Capitalism” in Time article by Klaus Shwab, as part of the Great Reset) and over 1000 scholars from around the world converge on the U of O in Eugene that summer. I arranged for extreme local business to be part that worked with full circle production cycles, highest of integrity, and were the examples of how the next generation of capitalism could move to a more equitable and profitable system yet maintain a positive connection to the Earth and natural systems. This was the last of my 4 year commitment to help him, then we were going to take the jewelry business and wholesale commodity business that was being built as an ARK for the SHTF time that was coming. I still have all of the business parts, plans, pieces to do this. My dad was to get the NFL’s automatic offer for ex players to go to Shark Tank. A Tucson gem show booth in 2019 was the second piece in the puzzle(went in 2020). It was becoming pretty obvious that Dr. J had other plans by this time since he was actively looking for professorships not related to our business partnership. My dad didn’t follow up with the NFL for the show after two attempt to spur his involvement. I decided after Ariel costume that if they weren’t going try, then I had much better and lovelier parts of life I’d like to attend to. This is when I started writing again. The rest is our story to be told at some point in the future.

Around the end of July around the 24th with the Patty Boyd article, when I heard “Change” live at Gillette a few days later, I didn’t care about all of those plans--Swifties on Standby, gold jewelry business, ph. d’s, Shark Tank, or any of it. It is the weekend when I knew that I had found T.A.S.. Sitting in that closet, touched even greater than I was by the Bluebird performance, with just a snippet of the full show on somebody’s instagram. I knew where my forever home was located, it was so clear with the little peace sign and the tie dye shirt, which looked exactly like a dancing bears one I had growing up, right there is where I belong is all I knew/KNOW. I got down to writing a letter that I never, ever contemplated writing after sending the first one. It was taking a bit to get the words right on the second letter, then I heard “Come back, be here”, I cried for a whole afternoon watching it during a rainy Sunday. I threw out what I was writing and sent what I did with the james taylor award. The medal had sat upon my shelf, with rosy golden sheen “26″ on it and the words “know thyself” in latin. The Delphic oracle was in Greek.

All I have ever known is how to serve others, it is what I am damn good at. What I learned in my travels was that Seva is a philosophy of “selfless service” that comes from parts of the Indian Sub Continent. On this realization I found something that brought me great joy as practice, but one still needed to find a balance in having the energy to create sustenance for kids or partner. This is why gold became part of my life, I could share it when called and it had a natural way of creating a karmic inflow of whatever was needed--with faith. If one gives gold as a matter of service without ego, the world or angels with create a life giving energetic to provide for one’s living. That is how I have lived for these years, it just appears when it is needed based upon healing myself and taking care of those around me, in every way possible.

In all of these writing previous to this, I have sometimes forgotten how to have that faith and seen my work as some scientific “proof” of value instead of what I needed at the time to move me to the next level of life. The more I have delved into fixing the broken, it brought out fears and phobias that I didn’t even know were there. The thing about the darkest parts is when they are brought to the light, they can be seen and healed, if one is willing. With your help I have been ever so willing to heal those broken parts. Sometimes these things come out sideways at you causing hurt, when I feel the most love, the closest times where anxiety made me run, or when you put yourself out to be even more vulnerable than usual(like RS article). These times were not selfless service for me more like Ego with a capital E trying to control things, I apologize for this and for not listening to what you have been telling me in my heart of hearts for a long darn time. I was afraid that you would find some part of me to make you go away, maybe forever.

We are creating a new way of seeing others, all of this pain and healing is creating a healthy rift in the common narrative, a keyhole to another world that we are co creating in keeping our dream and vision alive after all of the divergent pathways leading to one homeland. The importance of this goes above and beyond, this is why I mentioned that our collective dream is forming a new reality, causing some relief to the chaos that is surrounding the planet right now. I love you will all of my heart and soul, I cherish any opportunity to part of you...always. eternal love, james

will write some more on swifties and jewelry to finish off, it just kind of kept going

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thenwcollective · 4 years ago

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The 8 Mistakes Guaranteed to Doom Your Corporate Video Clip Production

INTRODUCTION

It's been a truly impressive trip. I have actually remained in the video clip as well as multimedia production service because 1981 and in my 30+ years in the business, I have actually seen some definitely extraordinary leaps in the market. To put video in historic point of view, it was only 22 years prior to I took the plunge into specialist video that Sony, Matsushita, Toshiba, and also JVC introduced helical-scan recording, which is the technique made use of given that to tape-record on video clip tape recorders. It took practically the whole succeeding 22-year period to bring these helical check recorders right into the residence.

When I started in video manufacturing in 1981, consumer video clip recording was in its infancy. Many American homes did not have a VCR. VHS was still battling Betamax (what's that?!) for supremacy in the house video clip style wars. Tape (huh?) was the staple of commercial as well as advertising video production and 2" "Quad" equipments (what??) were what the "actual" program workshops utilized for their highest quality editing and studio job. Field video cameras with the ability of generating the very best broadcast-quality images cost more than a lot of houses at the time. (And now these have been gone beyond in high quality by today's consumer camcorders.) The CD-Rom had actually not yet emerged, and also internet use was years away. Pressed video as well as streaming on web sites were hardly the proverbial "delusion" of somebody's creative imagination. DVDs? HDTV? You're joking!

Yet despite the unbelievable technical advancements over the decades, lots of things have actually continued to be consistent. The need to catch and also keep audience interest, tell a story, as well as accomplish one's purposes were all critical to successfully interacting then, as well as stay so today.

And also as technical advancements have actually brought budget-friendly top quality video clip and also multimedia right into the hands of the neophyte, the need to utilize them "properly" has continued to be. Just because you've got a paint brush, that doesn't make you Rembrandt!

Allow's take a look at a few of the mistakes still made in workplace business video and also multimedia programs:

The 8 Errors Assured to RUIN Your Corporate Video or Multimedia Job:

Tv Commercial Production Companies Portland

MISTAKE 1. DON'T TROUBLE TO RECOGNIZE YOUR TARGET MARKET (OR TO REGULARLY MAINTAIN IT IN MIND).

This is the firstly guideline of creating any type of kind of communications program, yet it is fantastic exactly how commonly it obtains gone against. This guideline is certainly not distinct to video or multimedia programs. In all forms of audio and aesthetic communication, it is vital to establish an accurate interpretation of the target audience - as well as remember it.

Market research firms as well as departments spend billions of dollars yearly to establish that will certainly get a message to make sure that correct product positioning, advertising and also promos can be done. And it is cash well spent.

Yet we typically see business approaching their video clip and/or multimedia jobs with a "Ready, Fire, Purpose" technique. They utilize a shotgun when a rifle is called for. They attempt to appeal to numerous audiences with the hope that the program will certainly offer several functions. Bear in mind, when you attempt to appeal to everyone, you attract nobody.

While the same basic program can in some cases be utilized for various audiences, it is advised that various variations or versions be created for those different groups. It's a simple issue to re-edit or re-narrate sections of a production. Nevertheless, efficiency demands that this is prepared from the beginning of the job.

So keep in mind to plan the job with your target market in mind. Know what their degree of competence or experience is with the topic. This will certainly stay clear of the problem of shooting as well low (e.g. losing their time revealing or informing them something they understand) or too high (shedding them since you presume a degree of know-how they have not yet acquired).

ERROR 2. DON'T PRE-DETERMINE YOUR GOAL.

This goes together with the first thing. In addition to understanding who you are talking to, you need to know what you want them to do or feel after the program has been delivered.

Whenever possible, the purpose must be quantifiable. It is absolutely less complicated to determine results in the area of training. As any type of great training specialist knows, pre- and post-training assessment examinations can measure the results of a training program.

Similarly, up for sale and also marketing or interactions, detailed screening as well as statistics can be gathered regarding job awareness and attitudes prior to as well as after the discussion of the total program plan. However each of those probably aren't the genuine wanted outcomes - real goal is inflating the sales numbers.

As in training, it is preferable to measure the efficiency the sales or communications program has in fulfilling the stated goals.

There is a trouble, however. Dimension of the specific impact of the video or multimedia program is hard, as the production is normally not utilized in isolation. Rather it is typically part of a package of other material supplied together with the video or multimedia program.

Ideally, we wish to emulate huge customer firms, where considerable marketing research supplies in-depth analysis of specific advertising and advertising methods. They can isolate the effects of individual parts of an overall brand name advertising and marketing technique, for instance. However this calls for a comprehensive historic background and also a very large example dimension to help isolate variables and establish causal connections.

However, this is extra bothersome in the business-to-business world.

B to B companies seldom have the historical data to statistically separate the domino effect connections of specific advertising and marketing elements. This is intensified because a new service or product introduction is often where we see the merger of these bundles of video clip, trade show booth, collateral as well as profession publication marketing. This makes historical contrasts mainly unnecessary.

The possibility to determine program efficiency is not impossible, nevertheless. Unscientific evidence can be gathered from customers as to what portions of the overall plan made the greatest influence. This can even be formally evaluated via using studies. Mix in an excellent section of sector experience and also good sense, and the sales or marketing officer can commonly obtain a pretty good feel for the influence of the video or multimedia section of the campaign, in addition to the various other individual elements.

MISTAKE 3. JUST PRESUME THAT VIDEO CLIP OR MULTIMEDIA IS THE OPTION TO YOUR ISSUE.

Not all troubles can be solved through the use of video and also multimedia, to ensure that is why it is so vital to comprehend the answers to # 1 and # 2 over.

In the area of sales and advertising and marketing, video and multimedia can be a vital critical element in the mix. In other locations, such a skills training, a video clip discussion might be simply the ticket to be able to demonstrate proper technique to freshly hired or promoted people.

Generally, video and also multimedia projects are best made use of where showing the product, solution or process is advised. In sales and marketing, a particularly effective usage is to show products in operation that are not practical to offer the potential client for a demo. For many years, we have actually done programs showing resorts, large production line robots, clean space processes, exercise programs, as well as numerous various other locations where a demo in a workplace of the services or product is just not useful.

In areas including social skills, such as management training, video might be a component of the solution. Establishing the foundation in a location can be an outstanding use video clip, specifically if there will certainly be many workers in time who need this training. However, for smaller teams, or for brief amount of times, function playing and also other strategies could be warranted, whereas video as well as multimedia would not.

MISTAKE 4. TAKE THE MINDSET THAT "IT'S SIMPLY A BUSINESS VIDEO".

Let's deal with realities: your target market is included advanced tv as well as media viewers. According to Nielsen Study, the average American watches 4 hrs as well as 35 minutes of TELEVISION daily.

With your viewers regularly bombarded with video photos, they are rather jaded to "common" video clip. They are advanced consumers of the media, so do not think that you they will excuse shoddy production values if you want to deliver an efficient message.

The obvious ramification is that the more crucial the suggestion you wish to connect, the higher the factor to have your video or multimedia project professionally created. If it deserves doing, it's worth succeeding.

I will be the first to admit that there are jobs that are exemptions to the "it's only business video" regulation. If you are simply videotaping a technological seminar or various other "mind dump" for future new hires or individuals that are out of town, then by all implies established the video camera in the rear of the room as well as let it run. But also if that is the case, please see policy # 7, below.

Since we have actually addressed the pre-production concerns, allow's examine some major production gaffes that will doom your production:.

BLUNDER 5. SKIP THE LIGHTING AND ALSO OTHER DEVICES THAT WILL REALLY MAKE THE PHOTO "POP".

The present degree of electronic modern technology is really remarkable. Home cameras are very easy to use as well as budget friendly, as well as everyone likes himself or herself a TELEVISION supervisor. Yet like these video cameras have ended up being, a professional, high-impact look will only come when added lights as well as various other equipment are applied. Even present truth shows are supplemented by lots of lighting instruments and other gear specially developed to make the shots look excellent.

Recognizing how to light is a full art and scientific research unto itself. If you were to review the movie credit histories at the end of a major motion picture (without computer animation or special effects) over half the people would certainly be associated with lights as well as associated locations to make the photo look just right.

Obviously, we're not trying to duplicate "Selected the Wind" below, yet keep in mind that the photo that you show, is the picture that represents YOU.

Along with lights tools, some of the equipment that may be called into play consists of soft lights, gels, reflectors, bounce cards, cookies, scrims and also light diffusion.

In one shoot we did featuring Steve Youthful of 49er popularity, we utilized 2 huge soft lights as the primary lighting source. We have likewise have other "more challenging" (e.g. not soft) lights over as well as to the left of this photo - consisting of fill as well as back lights.

A light cutter on top facility is made use of to maintain too much light from swamping the background.

In one more shoot outdoors, we took legal action against a big reflector to the side of the subject along with a fog device. The reflector is made use of to reroute sunshine for an exterior shoot. We also made use of a half flag, used to block and also diffuse a few of the light coming from a large light (yes, you can make use of lights outdoors).

While such a range of lighting and hold equipment is generally not readily available for shooting business video clip by yourself, it can enhance the photo substantially. And if your budget does not permit a complete video clip manufacturing team to fire the video, freelance lighting supervisors with rental devices are offered, which might give a corporate video an appearance that will certainly establish it in addition to various other a lot more inexperienced efforts.

MISTAKE 6. DON'T UTILIZE A TRIPOD OR OTHER ELECTRONIC CAMERA SUPPORT.

The pros know that a steady video camera is vital to obtaining a great, intriguing picture. If the camera is bouncing around, the viewer gets distracted and frequently, annoyed. If the visitor's mind is active following the subject around the display, it will not be focusing on your message.

At certain times, a relocating cam comes to be an art type, such as is seen in music videos. But business video clips are not music videos. Keep the camera on the tripod as well as maintain the cam movements smooth.

When the pros fire, there are a wide range of camera installs readily available for picture stablizing. These include different sizes of tripods, jib arms, cranes, dollies and also a Steadicam.

In some fires we could utilize a dolly, with the electronic camera operator on board, and also the dolly hold pressing it on course. The dolly tracks movement efficiently, yet due to the expenditure of rental as well as both people needed to run it, it can be a costly addition to the program.

We usually utilize a jib arm to make jumping and also climbing shots of a shop facade, a, etc. The jib can be rented in different sizes and also can develop an almost 3D look. It needs a skilled driver.

While the jib can move thoroughly around a topic, for true 3D sights, a Steadicam is called for. This is a specialized harness that needs to be utilized by a seasoned camera operator. It can provide dramatic looks at the subject, including relocating efficiently around them for 360 degrees or even more. Unless you have a Steadicam and experienced driver, do not follow your subject around with the camera - leave it to the pros.

BLUNDER 7. USE THE ELECTRONIC CAMERA MICROPHONE TO DOCUMENT THE SOUND.

The quick enhancement as well as compactness of video clip is additionally materialized in the sound that accompanies it. Camcorders today record excellent sound. Yet there is an issue.

The trouble is that the audio resource closest to the camcorder microphone will be tape-recorded best. And this might not be what you desire recorded.

Have you ever before set up a camera in the back of the space to tape a live seminar and paid attention to the outcome? Isn't it outstanding just how the remarks, coughings and also crashes in the back of the space audio so clear - and also the speaker is muddled at those points?

I simply can't count the number of times individuals have pertained to us to ask if we can boost the audio from simply such presentations, as well as other real-time events also.

In short, the answer is however "No." We can not draw out sound that basically is not there.

What is the option? It's all just an issue of microphone positioning. In such a circumstance, you need to purchase a lavaliere microphone for the presenter to put on. The mic is after that in position less than a foot from the speaker's mouth as well as will videotape clear sound.

An additional option is to use a mic on a boom post just out of frame. We've done this frequently, such as in the Steve Young shoot I discussed earlier. The boom mic is usually just above the head of the subject, however is cropped out of the fired by the video camera.

Preferably when purchasing or renting out a lavaliere, obtain a great wireless microphone. Don't defeat the purpose by getting a cheap microphone that feeds buzzes and hisses to your recording system. A pair of respectable, yet affordable earphones will certainly allow you listen to the sound that you are obtaining. If you do not get a clean signal, take the microphone back to the shop and also get one that helps you.

Rates completely top quality mics have actually come down dramatically over the years, so if you are going to do much of this type of "talking head" recording, it's worth the little financial investment.

Microphones are certainly not just for amplification. You require an excellent mic close to the subject to get good clear sound.

MISTAKE 8. ALLOWING YOUR INTERNAL "ABILITY" JUST WING IT.

Allow's encounter it, your colleagues are not specialist actors, and they need some aid to bear in mind all the important things they require to say and do on camera. I reviewed this just recently with an additional producer good friend of mine, as well as he commented, "If I had a nickel for each time I fired an officer who said he might simply talk off the top of his head ... What disasters!".

I concur. Use a teleprompter. It places in front of the video camera. Your executive or employee can look right at the electronic camera as well as check out the words as if he were checking into the lens. After a couple of method runs, novices are almost always comfortable adequate to blow up throughout the script. It's cash well spent as it means much faster shooting, much less mistakes, and also fewer frayed nerves.

As well as if your exec looks stiff or truly doesn't like the feel of "reading" words, we can install bullet factors or PowerPoint slides on the prompter so that he or she can still appear to be considering the target market. This stays clear of the trouble of the speaker averting to notes or sign cards as well as looking "tricky eyed" therefore.

FINAL THOUGHT.

As constantly, the slogan of "If it deserves doing, it deserves doing well" applies to your productions. Yet there are times when a huge full range manufacturing is not warranted. Luckily, it is no longer an issue of all or nothing when it concerns bringing professional manufacturing worths to your work.

You do not have to spend 10s of countless dollars for a program.

It surprises many people that are considering the production of industrial video clip or multimedia that there is a reliable middle ground that can be utilized. This can be an incredible expense saver. This consists of employing several specialists to aid. This can be:.

a producer/director to oversee your production,.

a lights supervisor with tools,.

a teleprompter operator with equipment,.

a cosmetics musician to make your exec look "perfect".

an editor to bring together the video footage you have actually fired into a crisp, efficient program,.

a graphic musician or animator to brighten your graphics,.

a replication center to make mass quantities of your videotape, DVD or CD.

#Tv Commercial Production Companies Portland

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alphagraphicsusa · 1 year ago

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Trade Show Displays - AlphaGraphics Portland Downtown

Trade show displays are marketing exhibits or presentations used at trade shows, exhibitions, or conventions to showcase products, services, or brands. These displays from AlphaGraphics Portland Downtown can include banners, backdrops, stands, pop-up displays, and other visual elements to attract and engage attendees.

#Trade Show Displays #AlphaGraphics Portland Downtown

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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Andre Drummond on breaking up with the Pistons, being the best rebounder ever, and his new rap album

Cavaliers center Andre Drummond.

A career-spanning Q&A with the Cavaliers center.

Heading into the 2019-20 season, Andre Drummond’s NBA career was metronomic. Just 26 years old, the two-time all-star had spent seven seasons with the Detroit Pistons as, for better or worse, a model of consistency.

Before the season ended, Drummond’s relatively calm NBA journey was flipped upside down when Detroit traded him to Cleveland for John Henson, Brandon Knight, and a second-round pick. He only played two games with the Cavaliers before head coach John Beilein was let go. Then Covid-19 shutdown the NBA.

Since, Drummond has donated $160K to support Cavaliers arena staff and healthcare workers, while also helping supply over 10,000 headphones to schools in the Cleveland and Detroit areas. Drummond has also spent almost all of his free time working on his second album, which is set to release on May 1.

In a phone interview with SB Nation, Drummond spoke about his whirlwind season, his upcoming album, why he’s the best rebounder who ever lived, and so much more.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

SB NATION: Where are you right now?

ANDRE DRUMMOND: Miami. We’ve got some family down here.

SB: What has the past month or so felt like, having to adjust to a totally new routine?

AD: The past few weeks, it’s been crazy. Just not doing anything, locked in the house and really not knowing what’s going on. So I think the unknown is probably the most crazy thing for me right now. I’m getting a ton of time to spend with my family, which is really good for me. Obviously you don’t normally get to spend so much time with loved ones, so that’s been good. But other than that it’s kind of just a waiting game right now.

SB: Are you following the latest developments with the season, whether it’ll come back or not?

AD: I’ve seen different things and gotten memos and things like that but it’s still all up in the air.

SB: Can you describe an average day from sunup to sun down?

AD: Seven in the morning I’m awake, I ride my Accell bike. Then I’ll do some workouts with my best friend. We use gallons of water as weights. So we use those to workout a little bit outside. Then the rest of the day I’m sitting here listening to beats and writing songs.

SB: How hard is it to stay in shape?

AD: For me it hasn’t been difficult at all. Like I said, I have the bike here and a pretty long runway in the back of my house as well, where I can go right outside. So it’s not that hard to stay in shape.

SB: Do you have access to a hoop?

AD: No, I don’t, actually.

SB: When was the last time you touched a basketball?

AD: Whenever our last practice was in Cleveland.

SB: A few players have said that. Would you have participated in ESPN’s televised HORSE competition a couple weeks back if someone asked you to?

AD: Yeah I would’ve did it.

SB: I saw you were shooting threes in Cleveland towards the end of the season.

AD: Yeah, letting them go.

SB: How would you describe the year you had before the season ended?

AD: I think it was going well. I was playing really well, added a few things to my game. Obviously the three-point shot is something I’ve been working on, and I showcased it this season a lot more. The trade obviously happened so we’re all aware of that. It was definitely a different environment and a different feel. But I’m definitely enjoying it so far. [The Cavaliers] did a great job getting me adjusted, getting me acclimated to the city and the team, and it’s been really fun. It’s just kinda sad that I didn’t get a chance to finish the year out with them.

SB: You said something this year that caught my eye: “I think I’m definitely the best ever when it comes to rebounding. I don’t think there’s anybody who’s even remotely close to the things I’ve done when it comes to [rebounding].” When did you first think that?

AD: I’ve always thought that about myself. I’ve just never been vocal about it. I’ll never put another man before myself. I’m always gonna think I’m the best. Even if I’m wrong I’m still gonna say that I’m right. I’m still gonna find a way to try and prove it.

SB: Did you catch any flack for that statement?

AD: No, I mean, everybody has their opinion. I don’t really read into it.

SB: Throughout your entire career you’ve been one of steadiest, most durable players in the league. But then the year you’ve had would feel bumpy for any player. First you’re in trade rumors with the Atlanta Hawks. Then you’re dealt without any forewarning from the Pistons — as you tweeted — and sent to a lottery-bound Cavs team with a loaded frontcourt. You play just two games for John Beilien before the team lets him go. What was the strangest part of it all for you?

AD: I just think that two-week span, with all those things happening. Just between the trade, and Coach B getting [fired] and then all of this happening. It’s just a crazy stretch. You just gotta let it happen. There’s not much you can do. You can’t fight what happened. I just try to be the best professional I can and try to help my team win.

SB: I assume some of you wanted to stay in Detroit for the rest of your career, but was there ever any part that said “Hey, maybe this breakup is the best for the both of us? We didn’t really have any postseason success and weren’t showing progress.” Where was your head before the trade happened?

AD: For me it was just a part of the game, a part of the business, and I just happened to be falling into it, so it was definitely a different experience for me. Do I have any hard feelings for Detroit? No. Do I have anything negative to say about it? No. Because at the end of the day that was home for me. And they’ve always been good to me, so I have nothing negative to say about that. I’m in Cleveland now so that’s all I can worry about now.

SB: I know there’s obviously a lot more important things going on but have you thought about your own future, and where you’re leaning with the player option in your contract?

AD: For me I haven’t really thought too deep into my next decision yet because obviously we can’t really do anything yet.

SB: I know you just said you’re spending more time with family during this downtime, but are you doing anything else now that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to do?

AD: I’ve really taking the time to work on music and finish my album so that’s been the biggest thing I’ve been working on thus far. Spending time with my family, getting to see my daughter down here. That’s really about it.

SB: When you say “working on your album” can you be a little more specific?

AD: More time to write. More time to really sit down and pick what kind of beat I want to use instead of just picking a random one and going in. I’ve taken my time with it and think it’s gonna be really good.

SB: How many songs have you already recorded?

AD: I’ve done 14 in less than a week.

SB: Do you have a release date?

AD: May 1.

SB: You put out an EP in 2018 called FYI. I believe your new record is called FYI 2. What are some differences between the two?

AD: The first one was just my coming-out party. Me sharing that I do make music and I take this seriously and I’ve taken the time to really perfect my craft. That was obviously my first project and what I thought was really good. And when I listen to it now, I’ve come a long way. My sound, my beat choices and my lyrics. So I’m excited to share the new version of me.

FYI was all over the place with beat choices and more just having fun with it. Just trying to get a project out to let the world know. But now the process I took with FYI 2 is more in depth, and the meaning behind the songs are definitely more meaningful because they actually come from a place.

SB: When did you first know that you wanted to make music and actually put out a project?

AD: I’ve been making music since 2013 and I had over 2,500 songs I’ve made. Those were all just trial-and-error songs. And over time I kept making more and more. Some of the songs from my project in 2018, I made in 2013, 2014, so those were some songs I made a while back and decided to put out.

SB: Do you write your own lyrics, and if so how long does it take to put a song together?

AD: For me, it doesn’t take too long. Once you get me out of my seat when I hear a beat, then it’ll be a good day, but there’s always days where I’ll go through beats and say ‘this doesn’t sound too good’ but I’ll listen to it anyways. It’ll take me maybe an hour to come up with an entire song. Sometimes I just go in and start making the melody and start placing the words while I’m in the booth. I don’t even write it.

SB: Who helps in the collaboration process? Are people just sending you beats?

AD: I have my team of people that I bring with me to the studio. The beat-picking process is pretty easy. I have a wide variety of beats from different producers all over the world. You know it’s just whatever I come up with, whatever idea I come up, we’ll hear a beat and start shooting ideas. It’s a really fun process. I just started working with Rico Beats, Pop Smoke’s producer. RIP to Pop Smoke. Other than that I used a beat from Gigahurtz, he’s out of Portland.

SB: Dame Lillard and Iman Shumpert are two NBA players who’ve shown legitimate ability as rappers, too. But sonically I wouldn’t really throw you in that same category. Is it fair to say your sound isn’t like theirs?

AD: No, I’m more commercial.

SB: [Laughs]

AD: That’s not even a knock against them! I’m just not a rapper [laughs]. That’s not me. I don’t have a rapper’s mentality. I don’t have that sound. When you hear them rap it sounds good. Whenever I rap … that’s just not my sound.

SB: Which musician out there would you compare yourself to, if you were telling someone who’s never heard your music before about it and wanted to get an idea of what it was like?

AD: I just have my own sound. I don’t think anybody should compare themselves to anybody.

SB: A couple years ago you said in an interview that Jay Z, Biggie, Tupac, Nas and Kanye were your five favorite rappers. It’s strange for me to call someone who has those five on their list an old soul but I also feel like there aren’t too many people in their mid-20’s who’d have that type of list. Has it changed? Is anybody new catching your eye?

AD: That’s still my top five. That’s just the music I listened to growing up. I love the way they rap. I love their music. And I love what they were talking about, which drew me to them. There’s all kinds of stuff [being played] in my house so it depends on who’s the DJ that day. We were listening to Afrobeats yesterday. [I listen to my own music] all the time.

SB: I read that Candy Rain is your jumpoff record as a DJ. You’re 26. How is this possible?

AD: That was my go-to! [Laughter]. Whenever I felt like the crowd was dying I was like ‘let me go to the 90s real quick.’

SB: When did you start DJing?

AD: I started in college actually. I didn’t really take it seriously until I got to the NBA, when I could afford a DJ set. I’d use the DJ set at the bars. When I got to the NBA I started DJing for real and had a lot of fun doing it.

SB: Have you thought about starting your own Club Quarantine?

AD: I’m actually planning on starting something really, really soon. Probably in the next week or so. I’ll start getting on Instagram Live and start DJing. Look out for Drummond Quarantine Radio!

I have my equipment in storage. I just have to get it. I don’t know how many records I have, there’s a huge box full of them. Maybe a little less than 100. It’s hip-hop, and some oldies that my mom gave me.

SB: On your new album, are there any guest stars people might know?

AD: Yeah but I can’t say them. We all agreed on a day when we’re gonna announce that.

SB: Do you know what day?

AD: I will not tell you that either [laughs]. You just have to wait and see.

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mitchbeck · 5 years ago

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CANTLON'S CORNER: VINNI LETTIERI PLAYS BIG PIECE OF WOLF PACK PLAYOFF RUN

Vinni Lettieri BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings CROMWELL, CT - Prior to his departure for the AHL All-Star Classic in Ontario, California Vinni Lettieri was in a good spot as the final 22 games of the regular season. The last stretch commences in a home and home divisional pair of games with Springfield starting Friday at 7:15 pm at the XL Center. Lettieri returns along with teammate Joey Keane and head coach Kris Knoblauch as part of Atlantic Division winners of the 2020 AHL All-Star Classics. Lettieri popped in two goals the first came on a breakaway 2:13 into the first period for the Atlantic Division squad. The second was vintage Vinni off wing slapshot on a cross-ice feed from Providence’s Jack Studnicka 26 seconds into the action against the North Division. Then Joey Keane scored the next goal a little over two minutes later en route to a 5-2 win. He would also add an assist on the night. Now that all festivities are over Lettieri gets back to the task at hand. Practice is the key to his growth and progress. A few weeks ago in Cromwell, he and Keane spent a half hour or so taking extra shots and in one sequence hit the post three times in a row and he tossed his stick up in the air in baton tossing fashion. “That was one day because it's every day. To get better you have to do it every day. Joey and I do it a half-hour or so and it's important because it helps me to know where I am now and where I wanna go, work every day. It's always good to work with someone on those one-timers and Joey has been really good at it. Our powerplay has to improve, so we put in the extra time.” He has admitted his season was a slower start than he would have liked, but on and off-ice work has helped his game improve. “I have watched videos that have given me of Artemi Panarin (Rangers), ex-CT Whale Jonathan Marchessault (Las Vegas) and David Pasternak, (Boston the NHL’s leading goals scorer). It's learning how to hold onto the puck to make a better shot just not shooting randomly. So it's just one thing that changes everything it’s a combination of things. It's not a pattern that I see its learning each game is different. Using the coaches and all the other resources plus my teammates have helped make me a better all-around player,” remarked Lettieri. Panarin, the Rangers leading scorer and who has a high-end skill set is not a bad guy to pattern some of your game after. “Watching how he holds the puck in preparing for a shot is something, it's one of the little things of the game you learn. Pasternak’s shoots so well from any area he’s at its amazing. Marchessault, he seems to be everywhere and he is really dynamic and has great acceleration,” said Lettieri showing his keen scouting skills. Over the roller coaster past few weeks haven’t left Lettieri having seen the valley of the last two seasons. “For the better part of the year we have played the same way and stuck to our game plan and it’s a long season nothing is perfect. Yes, we could have played better in some ways, but overall I like this group and think more often than not will come out on top,” As they prepare for a weekend with Springfield a year ago same building he was adamant about making the playoffs three days the captain was traded and the team never recovered. This is obviously a very different group. “We certainly want it, but that is always important that we have to focus and continue to grow and get better and those things will take care of themselves.” AHL NEWS -Two pieces of new AHL arena news coming out of the AHL All-Star Classic. The San Jose City Council Tuesday night approved the expansion of the Solar4 American Ice Center that will become the new home of the AHL San Jose Barracuda. The arena located in central San Jose 3.6 miles about from the SAP Center aka Shark Tank where the Sharks and their AHL affiliate have shared the building for the past five years since the creation of the AHL Pacific Division. The upgrade slated to start this April that will see the complex go from four to six sheets of ice including a 4,200 seat competition arena that is to be completed by April 2022. The arena sits on a 21.2-acre site that also includes Excite Ballpark, home to the high, Class A eight-team California League San Jose Giants. The building has been the only secondary off-site training facility for the Sharks and Barracuda. The facility is also home to the collegiate varsity club hockey squad, the San Jose State Spartans (ACHA Division-2) and local high school hockey. This new facility combined with the AHL coming 32nd team, the expansion Palm Springs, CA team the affiliate for the expansion NHL Seattle team further solidifies the western growth of hockey both NHL, AHL and soon collegiately. -The West will also be solidified by the announcement from outgoing AHL President and CEO Dave Andrews that the Vegas Golden Knights are actively seeking to buy a current AHL team and move them to the Las Vegas area. The arena would be in nearby Paradise called, the Orleans Arena that was home to the ECHL Las Vegas Wranglers from 2003-20014. The building is 7,773 seats- a perfect AHL size building but would have to undergo a serious overhaul of its operating systems to be ready by the fall of 2020. Now, which team would they purchase? The most likely candidate could be Rockford whose arrangement with the Chicago Black Hawks ends after this season. In that scenario, the Golden Knights would purchase Rockford and then move the team to Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights have the Chicago Wolves as their farm team would vacate that arrangement. That could allow the Black Hawks to skate into an arrangement as the Wolves' new parent team. The Wolves are one of the few independently owned teams left in the league in which 19 of the 32 teams are NHL O & O (owned and operated) and is one of the best attended and promoted teams in the league. When Wolves were firstborn in the old IHL under its present owner Don Levin the two were arch enemies. 20 plus years have passed. Rocky Wirtz, not his father Bill is running the team I can see a marriage being formed with the Black Hawks. There are some other possibilities, but Andrews's comments at the State of the AHL press conference made it clear it was more of a matter of when--not if--the AHL would be in the Las Vegas area. “I think that at some point there will be an (AHL) team in Vegas, or (the Golden Knights) will own a team, but would have to happen pretty soon.” Andrews remarked who is as cautious as NHL President Gary Bettman is regarding announcements or speculations about team transfers, relocations or disbanding. NOTES: -Wolf Pack GM and Trumbull native, Chris Drury added another piece to his executive resume as he was named to the GM post of Team USA that will play in early May at the World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland. -Now that the NHL and AHL All-Star breaks have concluded temporary roster moves for that time period have ended and movement has begun once again. Goalie Adam Huska who went 1-1 with a 1.53 GAA win and Lewis Zerter-Gossage who scored his first ECHL in his two games were returned from Portland officially Monday. Maine’s goalie Francois Brassard in a paper transaction was released from his PTO with the Wolf Pack. Conversely, officially recalled on Wednesday by the Rangers was goalie Igor Shesterkin, but I don’t think this is the last time we will see him. If Alexander Georgiev is not traded by the NHL Trade deadline (February 24th) he would likely be returned by then. The Rangers could keep him in New York till their officially eliminated from playoff contention presently the Rangers are in the seventh spot for the wild card 10 points back. Expect Shesterkin to be here when the Wolf Pack start the Calder Cup playoffs and with Igor, the Wolf Pack’s chances for a long run are significantly improved. -Other notables from the AHL All-Star Classic were two former Quinnipiac Bobcats Sam Anas (Iowa) with two goals and Brogan Rafferty (Utica) with a goal and an assist. Ex-Pack and Sound Tiger Matt Ford (Grand Rapids) scored twice. -Lias Andersson’s suspension was officially lifted and was formally reassigned to HV 71 (Sweden-SHL) for the rest of the season. -Ex-Wolf Pack Dale Weise was recalled back to Montreal from Laval, Jarred Tinordi son ex-New Haven Nighthawk Mark Tinordi was recalled by Nashville from Milwaukee, Jansen Harkins, son of former Whaler Todd Harkins was recalled to Winnipeg from Manitoba and Max Jones, son of former New Haven Nighthawk/Senators Brad Jones goes from San Diego to Anaheim. -Goalie Callum Booth (Salisbury Prep) was assigned to Atlanta (ECHL) by Charlotte. -Former UCONN Husky, Karl El-Mir was sent from Indy (ECHL) as the future consideration of a trade made last week with Greenville (ECHL). -Ex-Sound Tiger John Persson signs a deal with Brynas IF (Sweden-SHL) for the rest of the season and for 2020-21 leaving SaiPa (Finland-FEL) who were having a poor season. -Ex-Sound Tiger assistant coach Matt Bertani is an assistant coach with Team South Korea at the IIHF U-20 Division II Group B tournament being held in Gangnueng South Korea till February 3rd. -We'll be seeing a goalie named Stauber a few times over the next few years. Jaxon Stauber, son of the former Wolf Pack and Nighthawk netminder, Robb Stauber has made a commitment to Providence College (HE) next year 2020-21. The 6’3 undrafted netminder played one game with Minnesota- State Mankato Mavericks (WCHA) before suddenly returning to Sioux Falls (USHL) for this season who are the defending USHL Clark Cup champions, where he was the playoff MVP last season. Father Robb just completed his AHL honorary captain duties at the AHL All-Star Classic in Ontario, California at the Toyota Center, Sunday and Monday. -Easton Armstrong, son ex-Pack great Derek Armstrong played his first two WHL with Regina picking up a one shot on goal. Read the full article

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laguanrodgers · 6 years ago

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While Waiting

(A Short Story by LaGuan R Rodgers)

I never liked when my stepfather would drive me to school. It wasn’t because I was embarrassed by his car; the ’87 Pontiac got us where we needed to be and then some. It was more so how I found him to be weak. He let my mom rule him, and somehow I thought his frayed machismo might find my skin like a plotting ointment. I found myself studying the sky for planes from that backseat window, most of all trying to guess exactly where a given hunk of traveling metal and its passengers were off to. I’m pretty sure my guesses were always confined to the states, as the geography of thinking beyond and what places fit where would get lost just around the time Sean’s car would halt and I’d shuffle to homeroom.

“Can I get you anything else, maestro?” my waiter asks. For the past twenty minutes or so, I’ve been slowly sipping a black coffee and picking at this dry blueberry muffin, waiting for Gianna to arrive. I’m not buying anything else. She is lucky I agreed to come to this damn diner. The parking is so so and some of our most memorable arguments happened in the booths here. Whoever made the menu goes skimp on the omelet and there’s something I don’t trust about their maple syrup like a station with gas prices lower than nearby spots.

“Thanks, buddy, but no I’m ok,” I reply. The waiter has pillows under his eyes, not the glaring hangover or mid-term up all night weights, but somewhat noticeable, especially by another night owl. He has yet to declare his name, and I haven’t cared to ask. I study his veiny hands, and though his short fingernails are without dirt, I suspect he still lets a family member cut his hair. And who the hell is maestro, anyway? I put my head down to tear at the muffin and shift my cup, yet he stays in the same spot. I’m hoping it doesn’t come to the inevitable. The stage where I have to get in his tired face and let him know I’m not with that sugary stuff.

“Their uniforms do nothing for me,” he says.

“I’m sorry, what?” I ask.

“The Trail Blazers’ uniforms,” he answers, pointing up to the flat screen positioned in the corner. A replay of last night’s game versus Oklahoma City is playing with the volume off.

“Red and black work together, but ugh, they can do better with those bending lines that take up most of the jersey. It’s all too…too…too…I don’t know, but once I think of something better, I should reach out to their people.”

Gianna told me the owner of Swan Street is originally from Portland, and the dude has yet to come to grips he is more than 2,600 miles from home. The pennants and postcards on the wall scream of everything Oregon and his Left Coast Is the Best Coast pie is a hit here in WNY. She made me try it the night we first hooked up. I didn’t like it, but I said I did.

“I’m a fashion student at Buff State,” the waiter points out.

Oh, wow, that’s what’s up,” is my reply. I give him a look as if to ask why isn’t he serving other people, yet it’s mid-morning and empty, and the rush from the Larkin Building across the street won’t come about until lunch hour.

“Where do you go?”

“Oh, I’m not in school, right now.”

“Guy, I feel you. It’s not for everybody. When you think about it, they’re just teaching us how to make someone else money. Fashion is the closest thing to independence if you ask me. But I hear there’s a big need for the trades nowadays because all of the dinosaurs our grandparents used to call in the Yellow Pages are retiring, and few young folks are stepping into those jobs, you know.”

“Good point,” I say with a shrug. I forgot to put on my Timex, so I’m starting to stare at the spot where the tan line on my wrist will eventually be. Doing odd landscaping gigs two or three times a week every summer will do that. Gianna has been sending me e-mails of jobs here and there. I’ve filled out a few applications online, yet there’s something discouraging about completing questionnaires where you can’t tell the truth. Where the hell is she? For the past six months, we’ve been doing the distance thing after she moved to Albany for some job in a big library. I can’t remember all the details, but she’s happy and spends less time knitting uneven sweaters for her yorkie and sending me recipes off Pinterest she knows I’ll never make on my own. Today is supposed to be the day we decide.

“Coming!” the waiter whose name is Jackson shouts. I now know this little useless tidbit because a male voice from the kitchen yelled his name while I was staring out the window. Three tulips stand at attention from the flower bed that needs just as much attention as the blueberry muffin ingredients. She must think I have all day.

The entrance door swings open. A toddler boy wearing overalls wobbles over the threshold. His mouth already has stains of juice, and he wants no assistance from his parents who give off this que sera, sera vibe. The man and woman scan the room, and locate me in their tripod scope of discovery, only to flash grins at me before muttering some baby gibberish to the little one, as he has already rung the front counter bell enough to awaken something in the basement of a day failing to officially start.

Hey, fine folks, how are you?” Jackson asks the newest patrons, sort of doing some half-hearted skip to the front. “As you can see we are jam packed, but I’m sure we can find something cozy and comfortable for ya.” Everybody laughs, except the tike and I.

“Oh no…no…no, Brady,” the mother says, smiling once she realizes her little person is running toward my booth. She is too late. He grabs the second menu from the table, and waves it wildly like my grandmother sometimes does with those usher appointed fans during stuffy marathon church services.

“You eat,” is what I make out from the boy. “Him eat, right?”

“I’m so sorry,” the mother says. “He’s a traveler.”

I look at the father who just shakes his head, as if there is more he wishes he could tell me over a Cuban and some bourbon.

By now, the mother comes over to my booth and ushers away her little explorer by the arm.

“Him eat, right?” continues the boy. “Him do it…”

“Yes, honey,” says his mom. “Go to Daddy.”

“This is why I hate going too many places in a day,” the father says in a tone somewhere between madness and unbridled surrender.

“It’s fine,” the mother says. “It really is ok.”

“Well, let’s get you guys seated,” Jackson breaks in, mustering up a manufactured smile he’s most likely perfected in the back kitchen or voguing outside one of his textile classes.

I look at the clock on the wall behind the front counter, and spread some butter on the muffin.

When Gianna moved into her upstairs apartment on Claremont Ave. with her two girlfriends, I helped them. Being her boyfriend, I knew such heavier things would fall to me. We found a way to defy trigonometry, stubbornly bending half painted corners with used furniture and appliances. She is the organized type of XX and that day the Eisenhower in her began to bloom. She elected to drive the U-Haul with Jamie and Allison, as I was content to drive my own car and meet them at the new place. My commander of a woman backed the truck on to the lawn, got out and handed her troupe instructions and goals written on loose-leaf. I put the paper in my back pocket, and just grabbed labeled boxes. The first few trips, I placed them where they needed to be, the carefully taped cardboard containing shampoo, tampons, and razors found their home in the bathroom. Maybe it was because no one else’s boyfriends showed up until I was a sweat stained version of former self, or the way Gianna stood in the downstairs doorway with frustration when her full proof battle maps left no margin for things falling apart or how the summer rain would slap our efforts then back pedal into some distant pocket on the other side of town before I could adequately curse it, but I found myself unashamedly putting boxes in rooms where they didn’t belong. We later ate pizza and drank bottled water on the floor, a collegiate picnic of sorts. Both boyfriends whose names I dismissed looked as if they struggled to please any woman, and their talk of IPAs and invites to join a softball league only made my decision to leave more justifiable. “Oh, before you go, lover, can you help me hang these?” Gianna asked me, as she opened a box marked CLOCKS in black sharpie. It wasn’t her handwriting, and as her and I went room to room hanging ticking numbers with power drill and the dull need to be alone, the thought of that stayed long after I left.

“Hey, Ian,” Gianna says. She leans over and kisses both of my cheeks before sitting down.

“When did you come in? I didn’t even see you.”

“I’m a love ninja,” she declares. “I move in silence.”

“Well, Ms. Storm Shadow, are you having your usual? There’s a new waiter working, and he is full of life.”

“Be nice, lover.”

“What makes you think I’m not.”

“I know you.”

“Do you, really?”

“I’d like to think I know if the man I love is being an asshole or not.”

I still hear the ongoing jabber of my toddler friend from the other side of the diner, and once Jackson discovers I am no longer solo, he darts towards the action.

“You didn’t tell me you were waiting on a lovely guest, my guy,” Jackson shrieks. “Exciting.”

“Good morning,” Gianna says. “Is it still morning? No…wait…it’s technically morning? Sorry my brain is in every county of the state today.”

“No worries, I understand,” Jackson replies. “It’s finals time, and I’m the same way. I’m living the dream, though. Stress and all.”

“If it isn’t too much trouble, I think I’ll try something new today.”

“You have to get our new red velvet pancakes,” our waiter urges. “To die for!”

“Hmmm, should I?” She calls my name, but I’m staring at little Brady who is biting his straw and too curious to be held at bay by whatever routine conversation his parents may be conducting.

“Ian?”

‘What’s up, GiGi?” I snap back onstage, knowing the second time she calls me is the important one of the two. I shrug and simply say it’s spring.

“I am a horrible server,” Jackson says. “I didn’t start by asking you what you wanted to drink. I’m so caught up in the vibe of you two chirping birds.” Gianna orders the pancakes and asks for orange juice to come when the food arrives.

“Are we going to do this?” she asks.

“I’m prepared either way,” I say.

“That’s not the right answer. It’s been three months.”

“But how are you feeling?” I ask, picking out blueberries I can find in the torn pieces of muffin.

“Ok, I guess,” she says. “I still get sick, and the new clothes fit now.”

I want to bring up something about how I’ve applied to the latest jobs she’s sent me, but I close my eyes and try to take it in every molecule of air in the building.

“What time do you have to be back tonight?” I ask.

“I don’t. I already called in sick for tomorrow.”

“Go easy, you’re going to need those days later down the road.”

“So you’re saying you do want this, right?”

“I want to keep you happy and occupied.”

I turn at the waist and find the tulips outside the window. I wish I could pick all three and the curtain would close.

“And here you go,” Jackson declares with a smile, waiting for immediate approval. “I present delicious pancakes, your juice and our in-house maple syrup.”

“It looks amazing,” Gianna says.

“Is there anything else I can get you?” It’s as if Jackson wishes he were the stack of crimson flapjacks with a melting cube of butter atop.

“We’ve got all the bases covered for now,” she says. With fork and knife in hand, the woman I met at a farmer’s market four summers ago, puts a piece of pancake to my mouth. I submit to her honor, and chew slowly so I can really give her the truth of it all.

“What do you think?”

“They’re actually really good,” I admit.

She takes a bite and her eyes become big with unexpected glee.

“Boy, you better get one more taste because I can’t promise I’ll save anything else.”

“Go ahead,” I say. “It’s all you. You need it for strength. After all…you know…”

“You act like it’s some sort of plague, Ian.”

“No, I don’t. It’s just…”

“It’s just what?”

“A lot.”

“No shit, man,” she says, now with a tear bubbling by the corner of her eye nearest the window.

“We can make it work.”

“Do you really want it to?”

“I’m here.”

“Have you even thought of names?”

“Of course, I have.” Really I haven’t, and now would be a fantastic time for Jackson to save the scene.

“Have you told your mom?” she asks, still eating.

“Yeah, she knows.”

“What are her thoughts?”

“You know my mom, GiGi.”

“I don’t want to play games.”

“I see no ball or joystick.”

“Answer a question for once in your life,” she shouts. By now, the tears have bullied the breakwall and run southward to a place I have little to no access to. It’s one of those classic embarrassing moments when I sense all eyes are upon us, yet I have no hard evidence to support it other than the intuition that comes from past battlefields still ripe with blood. The Larkin Building traffic infiltrates what was an empty place of business.

“My mother told me to be a man,” I say.

Gianna stares at me for awhile before she finishes the plate of pancakes, only leaving streaks of red mingled with the sappy sauce that is the Oregonian’s special recipe. Without as much time to devote to us any longer, our waiter gives me the check and says he hopes to see us soon. I tell him thank you and good luck with his exams before I make my way to the front counter where there is now a female waitress at the register.

“It seems you made a friend,” Brady’s mom says. “He hasn’t stopped talking about the man who eats by himself.” The family of three prepares to leave the diner, a precautionary measure on the part of the husband and father who doesn’t want to cause a scene I suspect.

“Maybe I’ll see you in this joint sometime soon, little man,” I say to Brady. “Be good for your mommy and daddy.”

I foot the bill and tip, and wait for Gianna to come from the bathroom. I know she will want to take a walk and possibly talk more on what is a pleasant afternoon in early May. Once again, I’m looking out the window where I see Brady and his parents walking to their car. The father has little patience, and if it wasn’t for his wife, who knows where that car would go. She is the reason her child gets away with picking one of the tulips I’ve been staring at all morning. That little boy doesn’t have to take unnecessary long walks. If anything, I am sure he fixates on passing airplanes.

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