“True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Bio
Name: Taylor Bennett Armstrong	Date of Birth: 04/03/2024
Age: 15 years old	Gender: Demiboy (he/his, they/them)
Sexual Orientation: Pansexual	Nationality: Canadian
Ethnicity: Irish-Jewish	Languages: English, French, Japanese
Hometown: Toronto, Canada	Demigod Conundrums: ADHD

Family:

Name Relation Age Occupation Relationship ------------
Benjamin Armstrong Father 42 years old Artist Taylor shares a special bond with his father, Benjamin Armstrong. Despite being a single parent for much of Taylor's life, Benjamin always made sure to provide a loving and nurturing environment for his son. He recognized Taylor's unique talents from a young age and encouraged him to explore his creativity without limitations. Benjamin's own passion for art and innovation served as an inspiration for Taylor, shaping his worldview and igniting his love for invention. Benjamin supports Taylor's dreams and ambitions wholeheartedly, even if he doesn't always understand the mechanics behind his son's creations.
Eliza Armstrong Stepmother 43 years old Graphic Designer She brings a different perspective to Taylor's life. As a graphic designer, she values precision and order, which sometimes clashes with Taylor's more spontaneous and chaotic approach to creativity. However, despite their differences, Eliza cares deeply for Taylor and wants what's best for him. She worries about Taylor's safety and well-being, especially when his inventions go awry and cause unintended chaos. She often finds herself playing the role of the voice of reason, urging Taylor to think things through more carefully before diving headfirst into his next project. Despite their occasional disagreements, Eliza recognizes Taylor's potential and admires his boundless imagination and ingenuity.
Rachel Armstrong Half-sister 10 years old Student Rachel Armstrong, Taylor's half-sister, adores her older brother and looks up to him with wide-eyed admiration. From a young age, she was fascinated by Taylor's inventions and artistic talents, often trailing after him like a curious puppy, eager to learn and explore alongside him. Taylor sees Rachel as the most precious angel in the world and is very protective of her. He takes great joy in teaching her how to sketch, build, and code, fostering her own love for art and invention. Rachel, in turn, idolizes her big brother and cherishes their time together.

Appearance

Faceclaim: this Picrew Voiceclaim Walter from Spies in Disguise

Features	Description
Height	5’8 feet
Weight	157 lbs
Hair	Ginger
Eyes	Blue
Skin	Tan
Build	Lean, slim
Scent	Ink, paint, oil
Attire	Gamer Aesthetic

Overview: Ginger Hair: One of Taylor's most noticeable features is his vibrant ginger hair, which seems to have a life of its own. His locks cascade in untamed waves around his head, framing his face in a fiery halo. Despite occasional attempts to tame it, Taylor's hair always manages to retain its wild, rebellious spirit, reflecting his own untamed nature. Taylor's eyes are a mesmerizing shade of blue. They sparkle with curiosity and intelligence, constantly darting from one point of interest to the next. Across Taylor's nose and cheeks are scattered a constellation of freckles, like tiny stars dotting the canvas of his face. Despite his intelligence beyond his years, Taylor's face retains a youthful charm and innocence. His features are soft and rounded, with a hint of boyish mischief lurking behind his bright smile. There is a sense of wonder and curiosity in his expression, as if he is forever on the brink of discovering something new and exciting. Taylor's fashion sense is a reflection of his personality, blending comfort with a hint of geeky flair. He favors graphic t-shirts adorned with characters from his favorite video games, showcasing his love for gaming and pop culture. His hoodies are oversized and well-worn, providing both warmth and a sense of familiarity. Taylor's cargo pants are practical and utilitarian, offering plenty of pockets to store his tools and gadgets for tinkering. His sneakers are his constant companions, scuffed and worn from countless adventures and late-night gaming marathons.

Personality

“Creativity is a wild mind and a disciplined eye.” Dorothy Parker
Quality Traits Positive Optimistic, Creative, Kind-hearted, Spontaneous, Resilient Neutral Naive, Chaotic, Impulsive, Eccentric, Idealistic Negative Gullible, Overbearing, Impatient, Inattentive, Stubborn
Overview: Taylor radiates an infectious positivity that lights up any room he enters. He greets each day with boundless enthusiasm, seeing every challenge as an opportunity for adventure and growth. His optimism is unwavering, even in the face of adversity, and he has a knack for finding the silver lining in the darkest of situations. Taylor's sunny disposition makes him a joy to be around, and his genuine smile can brighten even the gloomiest of days. Taylor marches to the beat of his own drum, embracing his individuality with gusto. He has never been one to conform to societal norms or expectations, preferring to chart his own course through life. Taylor's free-spirited nature is reflected in everything he does, from his spontaneous inventions to his unconventional approach to problem-solving. He thrives on the freedom to express himself creatively, unbound by rules or conventions. Taylor's energy is boundless, and he approaches everything he does with an infectious sense of excitement and wonder. He is easily captivated by new ideas and experiences, often bouncing from one project to the next with the fervor of a child in a candy store. Taylor's excitable nature fuels his insatiable curiosity, driving him to constantly seek out new challenges and adventures. Despite his youthful exuberance, Taylor possesses a keen intellect far beyond his years. He is a natural problem-solver, able to think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions to even the most daunting of challenges. Taylor's mind is a whirlwind of ideas and possibilities, constantly buzzing with new inventions and artistic endeavors. His creativity knows no bounds, and he revels in the thrill of bringing his imagination to life. Taylor's intelligence and creativity have instilled in him a healthy dose of confidence, bordering on cockiness at times. He knows his worth and isn't afraid to show it, often speaking his mind with a brashness that can catch others off guard. However, Taylor's confidence is tempered by his humility and genuine humility. He is quick to acknowledge his mistakes and learn from them, never allowing his ego to overshadow his humanity. At the core of Taylor's personality is a deep well of kindness and empathy for others. He genuinely cares about the people around him and goes out of his way to help those in need. Taylor's compassion knows no bounds, and he often puts the needs of others before his own. He is quick to offer a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on, and his unwavering support has endeared him to many. Beneath Taylor's cheerful exterior lies a vulnerability that he often tries to conceal. He is sensitive to the opinions of others and fears being rejected or misunderstood. Taylor's insecurities stem from a desire to be accepted and valued for who he truly is, flaws and all. Despite his outward confidence, he struggles with feelings of loneliness and self-doubt, yearning for genuine connections and validation. Taylor's drive for excellence can sometimes border on perfectionism, leading him to be overly critical of himself and his work. He sets high standards for himself and is often disappointed when he falls short of his own expectations. However, Taylor's perfectionism is tempered by his resilience and determination to persevere in the face of failure. He sees each setback as an opportunity to learn and grow, refusing to let obstacles dampen his spirit. Taylor has a gift for communication, able to express his thoughts and feelings with clarity and sincerity. He is a natural storyteller, captivating audiences with his animated anecdotes and infectious enthusiasm. Taylor's ability to connect with others on a deep emotional level makes him a trusted confidant and valued friend. He listens intently to others, offering words of encouragement and wisdom when needed. Taylor approaches life with a sense of adventure, always eager to explore new horizons and push the boundaries of what is possible. He thrives on the thrill of discovery, relishing in the excitement of unknown possibilities. Taylor's insatiable curiosity drives him to seek out new experiences and embrace the unknown with open arms. Whether embarking on a daring quest or simply trying out a new recipe, he approaches each adventure with the same sense of wonder and excitement. Taylor has a playful sense of humor that often borders on mischievousness. He loves to joke and laugh, finding joy in the absurdities of life. Taylor's playful nature brings levity to even the most serious of situations, helping to ease tension and lift spirits. He delights in pulling harmless pranks and sharing witty banter with friends, always with a twinkle in his eye and a grin on his face. Taylor is incredibly adaptable, able to thrive in any environment or situation. He approaches change with a sense of curiosity and excitement, eager to embrace new challenges and opportunities. Taylor's ability to adapt to different circumstances has served him well throughout his life, allowing him to navigate the complexities of both the mortal world and the realm of the gods with ease.
Preferences
Favourite... Item Food Macaroni and cheese, mango milkshake Colour Electric Blue Season Summer Weather Sunny, warm, clear skies Music Pop, rock, orchestral, jazz, celtic Animals Bunnies and Cats Book/Movie Genre Fantasy, Sci-fi, Romance, Slice-of-life, Adventure, Action Media Avatar: The Last Airbender, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, Kingdom Hearts, Legend of Zelda, Genshin Impact, Honkai Impact 3rd, Honkai: Star Rail, Pokémon, a scary amount of anime, etc…
Hobbies:

• Drawing
• Painting
• Crafting
• Sewing
• Video Games
• Cosplay

Demigod Info

Powers

Name	Type	Description
Psychometry	Domain	The ability to glean information from a particular object relevant to the parent's domain, especially its material make-up and method of creation. (Crafts, Mechanics and Art)
Enhanced Skill Proficiency	Domain	A trait where one is naturally adept in the skills lorded over by their parent. (Crafts, Mechanics and Art)
Summon Tool	Domain	The ability to summon any small tool. (Once every 5 minutes or per turn.) (Duct Tape or Superglue)
Machine Communication	Minor	A trait where one is able to understand and communicate with automatons and machinery (includes code).
Electrical Resistance	Minor	A trait where one is able to resist electricity to a such degree that they are able to withstand badly interacting with small appliances.
Machine Manipulation (Technokinesis)	Minor	The ability to directly control mechanisms, machines and automatons.
Basic Enchantment	Major	The ability to imbue weapons, crafts, machinery and automatons with magical properties (modmail for specific enchantments). Options: Weapon Transformation—into a mundane item; Monster Hunting Proficiency for a) Fleshy Monsters—Sharpness, b) Armored Monsters—Bludgeoning, c) Ghosty Monsters—Absorption

Weapon of Choice: Bastard Sword
Fatal Flaw: Naivety Taylor's fatal flaw lies in his inherent naivety, stemming from his trusting and optimistic nature. Despite his intelligence and creativity, Taylor often lacks the worldly wisdom and discernment needed to navigate the complexities of the world around him. His naivety makes him vulnerable to manipulation and deception, as he struggles to see the darker intentions lurking behind the smiles of others.

Items and Equipment

Name	Age	Description
Sketchbook	7 years old	Taylor always carries a sketchbook with him, filled with doodles, sketches, and designs inspired by his vivid imagination.
Art Supplies	3 years old	As someone who enjoys art, Taylor keeps a collection of art supplies like pencils, markers, and colored pencils, allowing him to bring his creative visions to life wherever he goes.
Tool Kit	5 years old	As a budding inventor and tinkerer, Taylor carries a compact tool kit with him at all times. It contains essential tools like screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, and a mini soldering iron, allowing him to repair gadgets, fix mechanical issues, and work on DIY projects on the fly.
Nintendo Switch	2 years old	Taylor never leaves home without Nintendo Switch. He keeps a selection of his favorite games in his backpack, ready to play whenever he has a spare moment to indulge in his love of gaming.
Music Player	3 years old	Music is a constant source of inspiration and motivation for Taylor, so he always carries a portable music player loaded with his favorite tunes.
Cat Headphones	1 year old	High-quality headphones that allow him to escape into his own world of music whenever he needs a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. They are cat-themed for no reason other than Taylor felt like it.

Trivia

• Zodiac Sign: Pisces
• MBTI: ESTP-T (The Entrepreneur)
• Enneagram: Type 7 (The Enthusiast)
• Love Languages: Words of Affirmation (receive); Acts of service (give)
• Quirk: Doodling on almost every surface he sees when bored.
• Fears: Hurting People, Big Animals

Backstory

“There is no innovation and creativity without failure.” ***Brené Brown*
Taylor Bennett Armstrong was born into a creatively vibrant family. His father, Benjamin Armstrong, was a dedicated artist who often spent hours in his studio, painting and sculpting. Benjamin's work was deeply inspired by classical art, and his studio was filled with references to mythological themes and ancient techniques. This environment planted the seeds of creativity in Taylor from a very young age.
Taylor’s biological mother was Techne, the goddess of art, craft, and invention, but he had no knowledge of her divine heritage. His mother left shortly after his birth, leaving Benjamin to raise Taylor on his own. Despite the absence of his mother, Taylor's early childhood was filled with love and encouragement from his father.
When Taylor was five, Benjamin met Eliza, a talented graphic designer, at an art exhibit. They quickly bonded over their shared love for art and soon married. Eliza embraced Taylor as her own, though she struggled to understand his unique, often chaotic way of thinking and creating.
Even as a young child, Taylor showed remarkable intelligence and creativity. By the age of six, he was building simple machines and drawing intricate designs. His father was both amazed and slightly concerned when Taylor began to take apart household appliances to understand how they worked. While Benjamin encouraged his son's curiosity, Eliza worried about the constant mess and occasional accidents that resulted from Taylor's experiments.
Taylor’s half-sister, Rachel, was born when he was five. She looked up to her big brother with admiration, often following him around and watching as he created his various inventions. Despite the occasional mishap, Taylor and Rachel shared a close bond, with Taylor frequently making small toys and gadgets to entertain her.
School was both a blessing and a curse for Taylor. His intelligence allowed him to excel academically, but his unique way of thinking and his constant tinkering often got him into trouble. Teachers labeled him a "problem child" due to his inability to sit still and follow conventional methods. Taylor's inventions occasionally caused disruptions, further cementing his reputation.
Socially, Taylor found it hard to connect with his peers. His enthusiasm and intelligence often intimidated other children, and he was frequently taken advantage of by classmates who used him to boost their own grades. These experiences left Taylor feeling lonely and self-conscious about his naivety, although he never let it dampen his cheerful spirit.
Taylor's life took a dramatic turn when he was 15 years old. One day, while working on a particularly ambitious project in his makeshift workshop, he was visited by Oleander, a satyr sent by Camp Half-Blood. Oleander had been observing Taylor for some time, noting his extraordinary abilities and his connection to the divine.
Oleander revealed to Taylor the truth about his mother, Techne, and his demigod heritage. At first, Taylor was skeptical, thinking it was some sort of elaborate joke or fantasy. However, Oleander's ability to demonstrate his satyr powers and his deep knowledge of Taylor's unexplained talents eventually convinced him.
Explaining the situation to his family was a challenge. Benjamin, who had always suspected that there was something special about Taylor, took the news in stride. Eliza, though worried and confused, ultimately supported the decision, understanding that Camp Half-Blood could provide Taylor with the guidance he needed. Rachel was both excited and scared for her brother, worried about the dangers he might face and she would miss him.
Thankfully, despite the huge distance he and Oleander had to travel from Toronto to Long Island went calmly, for the most part, with not many delays or monsters attacking them.
Well, at least until they reached New York. After that, the whole “calm journey” was out the window. It almost seemed like all the monsters decided to wait until they were close to their destination to suddenly appear one after the other. First they had to somehow avoid a cyclops. Then they were attacked by dracanaea. And finally, they were chased by harpies until they crossed the border of Camp Half-Blood.
By some miracle, they were still alive.
What a way to be introduced to demigod life.

Present Day

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun” Mary Lou Cook
Taylor's arrival at Campbell Half-Blood was… something, alright.
You know, being chased by monsters from New York to Long Island, passing out in between attacks and then waking up in the Medic Cabin feeling like you've been hit by a truck and maimed by a cat at the same time was, in short, not fun. It also didn't help the fact that he had to stay in bed to get treated for what, hours. Which, for someone like Taylor, was absolute torture. Good for him then that demigods, apparently, had magic healing and he didn't have to stay for days instead. At least Oleander was around to explain every detail about the world he's been thrust into now that he was out of danger. And as a plus, he was also claimed, so yay! He had no clue who Techne was, but he was sure he would learn soon enough.
So, what does Taylor do after getting patched up? Does he wait and rest for a bit just to make sure everything is okay with him? Does he stop for a moment to process everything that has happened to him in the last 24 hours?
No! Of course not! This is Taylor, after all. Him staying put for more than 10 minutes would be a miracle already.
Instead, he just went off on his own to see what this Camp Half-Blood was all about. He just had to get to his cabin first, which would be relatively easy with Oleander's instructions, and then he could explore this place to his heart's content!
Hopefully, Camp Half-Blood would be ready for the chaotic force Taylor would prove to be.
[OOC: Hello, everyone! Say hello to my new character, Taylor! Feel free to interact with him literally anywhere at Camp, he's probably going to be there at some point anyway lmao. Thanks for reading;)]

Ricky & Cesar, welcome to the Amazing Race Pantheon of Dominant Teams!
For explanations of what the stats mean, see here.
Note: Leg 6 was a Megaleg. For stats purposes, it is counted as two separate legs, with the first leg being the leg up to the end of the first Roadblock.
Individual Placements

Team	Leg 1 (KOR)	Leg 2	Leg 3	Leg 4	Leg 5	Leg 6A	Leg 6B	Leg 7	Leg 8	Leg 9	Leg 10	Leg 11
(M/M) Ricky & Cesar	2nd	2nd	1st	1st	1st	2nd	2nd	1st	1st	1st	3rd	1st
(M/M) Juan & Shane	4th	4th	4th	5th	2nd	1st	1st	6th	2nd	3rd	2nd	2nd
(M/F) Rod & Leticia	1st	1st	5th	4th	5th	5th	3rd	3rd	5th	2nd	1st	3rd
(M/F) Amber & Vinny	12th	7th	2nd	2nd	3rd	3rd	4th	4th	3rd	4th	4th
(F/F) Yvonne & Melissa	6th	5th	6th	7th	6th	6th	6th	5th	4th	5th
(M/F) Angie & Danny	7th	6th	9th	3rd	4th	4th	5th	2nd	6th
(F/F) Sunny & Bizzy	9th	9th	7th	8th	7th	7th	7th	7th
(M/F) Derek & Shelisa	3rd	3rd	3rd	6th	8th	8th	8th
(F/F) Kishori & Karishma	10th	10th	8th	9th	9th
(M/F) Michelle & Sean	5th	11th	10th	10th
(M/M) Anthony & Bailey	8th	8th	11th
(M/F) Chris & Mary	11th	12th
(M/F) Maya & Rohan	13th

Group Average Placements
The number in parentheses is the number of teams in that group that competed in that leg.

Group	Leg 1	Leg 2	Leg 3	Leg 4	Leg 5	Leg 6A	Leg 6B	Leg 7	Leg 8	Leg 9	Leg 10	Leg 11
All-Male (M/M) Teams	4.67 (3)	4.67 (3)	5.33 (3)	3.00 (2)	1.50 (2)	1.50 (2)	1.50 (2)	3.50 (2)	1.50 (2)	2.00 (2)	2.50 (2)	1.50 (2)
Co-Ed (M/F) Teams	7.43 (7)	6.67 (6)	5.80 (5)	5.00 (5)	5.00 (4)	5.00 (4)	5.00 (4)	3.00 (3)	4.67 (3)	3.00 (2)	2.50 (2)	3.00 (1)
All-Female (F/F) Teams	8.33 (3)	8.00 (3)	7.00 (3)	8.00 (3)	7.33 (3)	6.50 (2)	6.50 (2)	6.00 (2)	4.00 (1)	5.00 (1)	(0)	(0)

Individual Stats
Ranks are listed in the format (season rank, U.S. rank, world rank). U.S. ranks are out of 404 teams, and world ranks are out of 1,004 teams.

Team	Leg Wins	Racing Average	APAM	Average Dominance	Total Dominance
Ricky & Cesar	7 (58%)	1.50 (1st, 1st, 2nd)	+78.57% (1st, 1st, 1st)	90.61% (1st, 1st, 1st)	92.86% (1st, 1st, 1st)
Rod & Leticia	3 (25%)	3.00 (2nd, 54th, 141st)	+57.14% (2nd, 29th, 78th)	68.68% (2nd, 41st, 106th)	71.43% (2nd, 41st, 102nd)
Juan & Shane	2 (17%)	3.17 (3rd, 70th, 183rd)	+54.76% (3rd, 39th, 102nd)	62.72% (3rd, 72nd, 182nd)	69.05% (3rd, 50th, 129th)
Amber & Vinny	0 (0%)	4.36 (4th, 162nd, 423rd)	+37.66% (4th, 123rd, 295th)	51.93% (4th, 142nd, 354th)	54.88% (4th, 136th, 338th)
Yvonne & Melissa	0 (0%)	5.60 (7th, 245th, 617th)	+20.00% (7th, 195th, 494th)	37.33% (7th, 247th, 599th)	41.77% (7th, 231st, 562nd)
Angie & Danny	0 (0%)	5.11 (5th, 206th, 546th)	+26.98% (5th, 167th, 415th)	49.80% (5th, 155th, 393rd)	50.67% (5th, 163rd, 410th)
Sunny & Bizzy	0 (0%)	7.63 (8th, 315th, 805th)	–8.93% (8th, 296th, 727th)	22.05% (9th, 324th, 808th)	24.29% (9th, 322nd, 795th)
Derek & Shelisa	0 (0%)	5.57 (6th, 242nd, 614th)	+20.41% (6th, 193rd, 491st)	43.16% (6th, 209th, 514th)	50.00% (6th, 164th, 412th)
Kishori & Karishma	0 (0%)	9.20 (11th, 352nd, 894th)	–31.43% (11th, 329th, 831st)	16.86% (11th, 342nd, 847th)	18.00% (11th, 343rd, 848th)
Michelle & Sean	0 (0%)	9.00 (9th, 342nd, 865th)	–28.57% (9th, 323rd, 823rd)	21.44% (10th, 327th, 816th)	23.81% (10th, 326th, 804th)
Anthony & Bailey	0 (0%)	9.00 (9th, 342nd, 865th)	–28.57% (9th, 323rd, 823rd)	26.01% (8th, 306th, 762nd)	27.27% (8th, 304th, 763rd)
Chris & Mary	0 (0%)	11.50 (12th, 396th, 989th)	–64.29% (12th, 364th, 915th)	8.33% (12th, 364th, 905th)	8.70% (12th, 364th, 904th)
Maya & Rohan	0 (0%)	13.00 (13th, 403rd, 1,003rd)	–85.71% (13th, 403rd, 1,003rd)	0.00% (13th, 372nd, 930th)	0.00% (13th, 372nd, 930th)

Pseudo-Elo Ratings
U.S. ranks are out of 368 teams, and world ranks are out of 954 teams.
Note: Rank changes listed here are the combined rank changes across legs 10 and 11.

1. Ricky & Cesar, +2286 (down 49) (U.S. #1, world #1)
2. Juan & Shane, +1320 (up 66) (U.S. #14, world #39)
3. Rod & Leticia, +1036 (up 96) (U.S. #29, world #83)
4. Amber & Vinny, +626 (down 113) (U.S. #79, world #197)
5. Angie & Danny, +316 (U.S. #110, world #295)
6. Yvonne & Melissa, –227 (U.S. #201, world #519)
7. Derek & Shelisa, –254 (U.S. #206, world #533)
8. Maya & Rohan, –600 (U.S. #299, world #763)
9. Anthony & Bailey, –655 (U.S. #314, world #802)
10. Chris & Mary, –858 (U.S. #348, world #897)
11. Michelle & Sean, –924 (U.S. #354, world #915)
12. Sunny & Bizzy, –974 (U.S. #361, world #925)
13. Kishori & Karishma, –1093 (U.S. #366, world #938)

Group Stats
Group stats are totals for leg wins and averages for all other stats.

Group	Leg Wins	Racing Average	APAM	Average Dominance	Total Dominance	Pseudo-Elo Rating
All-Male (M/M) Teams	9 (75%)	4.50	+35.71%	61.77%	63.85%	+984
Co-Ed (M/F) Teams	3 (25%)	7.39	–5.54%	33.91%	36.73%	–94
All-Female (F/F) Teams	0 (0%)	7.48	–6.79%	25.41%	28.02%	–765

Trivia

• This is the second U.S. season in a row, and the fifth U.S. season overall, to have all-male teams finish 1st and 2nd. (The previous three such seasons were TAR9, TAR16, and TAR21.)
• Ricky & Cesar are the 12th all-male winners in U.S. history and the 38th all-male winners in franchise history.
  • The U.S. winner counts are now: 12 all-male, 21 co-ed, 3 all-female.
  • The franchise winner counts are now: 38 all-male, 40 co-ed, 16 all-female.
• Ricky & Cesar may not have gotten the franchise racing average record or gotten the most leg wins, but they have broken the franchise records in all the other stats I track in the above tables.
  • Furthermore, they might not have finished with all top-2 finishes, but they are the first team in U.S. history and the 4th team in franchise history (not counting Jin Zhongguo & Li Guangzhu, who only competed in one leg) to finish with all top-2 finishes except for a single 3rd place, after Marc & Rovilson, Li Xiaopeng & Li Anqi, and Tiến Đạt & Thúc Lĩnh Lincoln.
• Ricky & Cesar are the first team in franchise history to finish with a racing average of 1.50.
  • They have the best racing average of any team that won the race, beating the previous record of 1.63 by Tiến Đạt & Thúc Lĩnh Lincoln (and the previous U.S. record of 1.83 by Rachel & Dave).
• Juan & Shane are the 5th team in U.S. history and the 17th team in franchise history to finish with a racing average of 3.00.
  • They are the second team in franchise history to finish 2nd while doing this, after Angel & Frankie (who were the last team to do this).
• Rod & Leticia are the 9th team in U.S. history and the 13th team in franchise history to finish with a racing average of 3.17.
  • The last two teams to do this (Rob & Corey and Janne & Robin) both also finished 3rd.
• Do you have any other trivia? Leave it in the comments!

Trying to get my 3rd grader to understand math easier but it's like talking to a wall
Try to assumulate into games and money to make it more relatable
Bought some x and division books for them to take home but they still have a hard time

I came across some mention of this characteristic of some autistic folk a while back but, frankly, haven't been able to remember the rhetoric or wording or phrasing used to describe this phenomenon. I was interested in more information or insight on this because it crops up constantly in my life.
Effectively (and I'll have to speak from personal perception); If I want something that typically takes time and effort to achieve (like a better body by working out, something expensive that requires saving, etc.), in lieu of actually accepting the time stretching in order to achieve it, I'll start to almost convince myself that I've already done those things. So I'll start to think of myself as someone who has put in hard work to do something I haven't done. It's not for most things; usually I just do the work to feel good about myself. But if it's something really out of reach, I almost can't accept that. I'll have to start thinking like someone who is much closer to that goal than I am now. But often; that mentality is what gets me to achieving those things.
Is this anything? It feels like: [Goal] > [Plan] > [if plan takes too long or is too hard...] > [Totally convince yourself you did it anyway] > [Pseudo-become someone that is capable of doing the Goal] > [Finally able to do Goal, but might not because why do it again if I already did it? But might anyway just to feel good about myself] > [Not learn anything or achieve anything that I can utilize again]
I also really really struggle with impossibilities. I think my frustration kicks up more than I realize when they get thrown around and I just really can't understand how anything could be impossible. Maybe there is a correlation between my not liking the notion of impossibilities and my wanting to be impressive. In 3rd grade, for a talent activity in Music class, I told the teacher I could play Beethoven on piano. When it was my turn, it wasn't until I sat down at the piano and looked at the piano and put my hands over it that I realized how HOLISTICALLY INCAPABLE I was of playing BEETHOVEN! on piano in 3rd grade, having NEVER played piano before.... ...so after what felt like 3 weeks of sitting there in a catatonic state of embarrassment, she ushered me away like a washed-up Vaudevillian.
Childhood was fun.... ....shout out to all those teachers that let me dangle....
(Fun side-note: I'm actually a teacher now. I teach ECE k-5 prep and can honestly say that the let-downs of teachers in my past have taught me how to tend to and be mindful of my students. If a 3rd grader tells you they can play Moonlight Sonata, maybe don't challenge them to prove it in front of their classmates. They might not holistically understand what they're saying...)

I was playing through Dead Space 2 for the first time in a while and I noticed some details in the school in chapter 6 that narrow down the date that the game takes place.
As you walk in, there's a board where children wrote their favorite things they did over the school year, which suggests we're late in the school year. On the other side, there's a poster for a show called "The Metamorphosis" (dramatic irony moment) set to be put on at 19:00 on May 10th and 19:30 on May 13th. As you get further in, there's a poster for a show called "Galactilot" being put on by the 4th graders on May 3rd, 5th, and 10th. The sign above the door to the auditorium says that the show is happening after lunch (assumedly the day that the game takes place). The set for Galactilot can be seen immediately after this, with the lights and music on (where Isaac Clarke gets jump scared by the sun). This suggests that the outbreak happened during the show, forcing the actors and audience to flee. This would put the events of the game after lunch on May 3rd, 5th, or 10th of 2511. A teacher report found when exiting the school says that kids were having visions which hurt their concentration over the course of the 3rd semester. I assume this is supposed to mean the 3rd marking period (schools typically have 4, with the 3rd ending in mid-April. This would make the report a month old by the events of the game).
We can speculate to narrow down the date. Having the outbreak happen the same day that a show called "The Metamorphosis" is some great dramatic irony. The only day where Galactilot and The Metamorphosis were both supposed to be shown is May 10th. Since the decorations for Galactilot as still up, we can assume that the outbreak reached the school between lunch (probably around 12:00) and 19:00 when the next show was supposed to start. So the best time/date I can give for the start of the game based on chapter 6 is between 12:00-19:00 on May 10, 2511.
Oddly, when you finish this section the intercom says "recess is over" even though the class schedules on the wall CLEARLY state that recess is way before lunch. However, this is not the discrepancy that I'm talking about. The real contradiction is right when you leave the elementary school and enter the transportation hub. On the hologram when talking with Ellie and Stross, there's the one confirmed date and time in the game, it reads "00:21:41:29 2/7/2511" with the timer counting up. It Appears that this part of the game is about 20 minutes after midnight, which is consistent with the departure times listed in the room. While one may assume 2/7/2511 means February 7th because an American company made the game, some screens on the Ishumura do say "Last serviced: 19-09-42", which only makes sense with the day-month-year arrangement. Then again, the class D cargo lifts say that they were last serviced 11-09-2757 (over 2 centuries after the games take place), so make of that what you will.
tl;dr: While we know the game takes place in 2511 (500 years after the real world release date), chapter 6 gives us 2 contradictory dates for when the game takes place. The elementary school points towards May 10th, while the date and time on a hologram communication in the hub points towards the events of the game taking place from February 6th-7th (M-D-Y) or July 1st-2nd (D-M-Y). While this is a minor issue, it would be nice to have things be more consistent in the remake.

The moment a lot of you have been waiting for is here!
A couple of notes before you read (or after because I would just jump into the list right away too)

1. Direct quotes from Ali herself are in italics.
2. I tried my best to keep everything in timeline order. Some people like The Come Back Kid I placed in the order where they reconnected/talked about on the pod. But I did my best to note this.
3. All this information came from the FMH podcast, the Patreon, the original FMH blog, TikTok and other podcast that feature FMH/Ali. I also crossed reference information with this sub. I got most of this done with the help of the Patreon and listening to 1.75x speed but I lost accessed to the Patreon because my subscription ended.
4. I'm open to edits! Things around the matchmaker era confused me and if anything is incorrect or if I'm missing someone, please let me know! I will note where corrections are made.
5. Some people don't have anything simply because only a name was said or I couldn't find any details about the person/date
6. And of course, please be respectful of all the sub rules!

Names on the original FMH blog

• Mr. Adorable aka The Coach
• Trouble
• Waffles
• Future Husband Brian (FHB)
• Cookie
• Peter Pan
• Ambiguous Goodbye Guy
• Bad Bitch Man

AOL chatroom Boyfriend
Mentioned on Tiktok and on the pod once
Myspace Boyfriend
Mentioned on Tiktok
Third Boyfriend
Met on eCrush.com in 2002 and this was mentioned on the Cracked Up podcast, The Dave Glaser Podcast and Tiktok
The Kiwi
Met on a 2 week Model UN type youth trip in high school when Ali was 15, never a boyfriend but she had a huge crush on him, he tried to kiss Ali and she literally ran away, didn’t talk the rest of the trip but exchanged numbers and screen names (Ali’s was FineGal13 or BeachJewel760), she made him a mixtape cd called “Ali’s really cool mix for The Kiwi” but never sent it and she still has it. In 2021, he DM’d her when she posted photos of her and her mom in France and invites her to visit him in London, she says she can’t but says they should catch up if he comes to NYC
Fourth Boyfriend
Met on OkCupid when you had to use it on the computer, this was mentioned on Tiktok
The Homecoming Date or Light Switch
First boyfriend? (she goes back and forth calling him her first bf or a situationship), a family friend, a month younger than Ali, dated in high school but went to different high schools, football player, made him ask her to her Homecoming dance over email (her words), Ali hid in the bathroom the whole Homecoming dance, 3-4 revisits of this situations as adults, saw him on Bumble a few years ago and texted him that he had a typo in his bio, “he very much wanted to be with me” and now he’s married with a kid. His mom is still “obsessed” with Ali and she listens to FMH
Random college guy
Freshman year of college, Ali doesn’t have a nickname for him/doesn’t remember his real name, met this guy through a friend, was texting him to invite him over to hot tub but her phone autocorrected to “how about some hot rubbing tonight?” but Ali didn’t noticed/didn’t correct it and he never replied, Ali had a house party and got really drunk and was all over him, he left the party early, she messaged him on MySpace 3-4 times asking why he left
The Resident
Matched on Match.com, first guy she dated in NYC after college, older than Ali, a doctor, lasted 3 months ”maybe”, he didn’t like Ali’s friends, got a card from him on her birthday and it said “Love, The Resident” and it took Ali back a little, Ali drinks black coffee because of him, he coordinated having her mom visit NYC for her birthday then he broke up with her a week later
The Ghost
Met at a bar when she was 25, turns out they matched on OkCupid and they already had a date scheduled next week, they dated for 6-8 weeks, had sleepovers, “The worst ghosting experience I’ve ever had”, he borrowed The Great Gatsby from Ali’s roommate, planned to make dinner together after a beach trip in August with her friends and never showed up, Ali is blowing up his phone and gets no reply, two weeks later she finally texts “are you alive? check yes or no” and he responds “Yes”, Ali then ask if he could return the book and gets no reply again, 5 months go by and she receives the book in the mail with the note: “Here’s the book back. Sorry. P.S. sorry about last summer. I was in a bad place. You’re a great person and your salmon is amazing”, since then she has ran into him twice on the streets and matched with him on Bumble
The Coach/Mr. Adorable
First serious boyfriend at 26/27 in 2013, matched on Match.com or met through work depending if you’re listening to the pod or reading her OG blog, clean-cut look, played volleyball, Ali invited him to a friend’s birthday party and they made out in the streets at 4am, on their second date he asked Ali if she was seeing any one and when Ali said no he ask her to be his girlfriend 3 days after their first date, dated for almost 1.5 years or almost 2 years depending on if you’re listening to the pod or the Patreon, first time saying “I love you” to a guy, “lovely guy“, never would posted Ali on his instagram until Ali said something, he “lived” with her for two weeks while he was in between apartments, tried blind folding/hair pulling during sex and she didn’t like it, by the end of their relationship Ali didn’t like sex and thought she wasn’t a very sexual person, after they broke up Ali drunk texted him at 2am and he picked her up and she spent the night and she took her things in the morning in a rolly suitcase, from her blog in 2015: “I just want to be careful I don’t end up with another Mr. Adorable situation, where I find myself dating my platonic best friend”, had drinks with him in 2016 from the blog: “Not in a romantic way (at least on my end)”, Ali still talks to him sometimes through casual instagram DMs, he’s currently (as of 2021) dating someone for 4+ years and Ali thinks they’re going to get engaged
Trouble
OG 2015 FMH blog, never mentioned on the pod, “I was immediately enamored with him”, met at a Beer Olympic party but he worked with one of Ali’s best friends (Ali was still dating The Coach at the time), lived in BK, tattoos and stubble, Ali’s best friend said he was a “fuck boy”, “he very much made me see that it was the right thing for me and The Coach to not be together”, from her blog in 2015: “he has this look in his eye like he’s constantly laughing at me – in a super sexy way”, he texted her saying he didn’t see anything romantically with her and she sent a gif of someone shrugging
Personal side note: Ali has mentioned she has cheated on someone but never disclosed who she cheated on or with. I feel like she cheated on Mr.A/The Coach with Trouble because of the timeline. Just a guess.
Waffles
Matched on Bumble, OG 2015 FMH blog, he asked Ali fuck/marry/kill breakfast foods, dated 2 months around summer time, on Fourth of July while watching fireworks he said how they had a great day and Ali replied with something along the lines with “yeah, it would be better if I could call you my boyfriend”, he said he wanted a relationship but just not with Ali and shortly afterwards they stopped seeing each other
The Buffalo
Lived in Buffalo NY, 6’5, Scorpio, met in 2015 at Adults National volleyball (Ali’s team won that year) where he was heckling her while she was playing, asks Ali’s mom for her number and Ali’s mom said “I guess you’re tall enough” and told him to ask her himself, he flew her out and she met his parents, dated over summer, exclusive but never boyfriend/girlfriend (but called him her LD boyfriend on TikTok), texted and talked on the phone a lot, Ali’s best friend’s favorite ex “they had really good banter”, in October he invited her to his cousins wedding and she invited him to her friends wedding, after Ali bought her ticket to his cousins wedding (with the promise he would buy her ticket to her friend’s wedding) he ghosted and stonewalled her, she “poured her heart out to him on voicemail” and he never replied, she asked him to pay her back for her ticket and he got mad that she “made this about money”, 2 years later he told Ali that he freaked out because he really liked her and saw a future with her but knew she would never move to Buffalo and it would “never work”, Ali said at the time she would have considered moving for him, Ali used to have him blocked on Facebook and told all her friends not to update her on info about him (unless she asked). He’s now married and goes to Disney with his wife (which Ali kind of scoffs at?), Ali said on TikTok that she dodged a bullet
Baby Bic
Met him at Adults National years ago, had a flirtationship with him in 2016 when he was 19 years old, ran into him at the Adults Nationals 2021, last texts she got from him were about getting his fake ID taken away at the bar and him visiting her in NYC but Ali didn’t want to buy him beer and drink at her apartment
The Chef
Matched on Tinder around 2016, he loved karaoke, “total shit”, asked Ali to be his girlfriend and to meet his mom after a month, off and on dating, broke up the first time because he was talking to his ex, lied and flew to Mexico to see his ex while dating Ali, that ex sent Ali a Snapchat of them in bed together on that Mexico trip, Ali broke up with him via text and called him a shitty boyfriend, he’s the reason Ali deleted her Snapchat because of drunk Snaps he would send post break up, FB messaged Ali 6 years later (while Roark was visiting/staying with Ali) and said sorry for being a shit head. Ali’s best friends hated him
The Dentist
Met on Halloween in the wild, Canadian, dated NYE 2016- May 2017 “nice guy, not my guy”, one of Ali’s best friend’s favorite ex “he adored you, “he was too sweet for me” and “he had no edge to him”, he painted Ali’s cat for her 30th birthday but she was annoyed it was just Rory and not both cats, The Chef texted Ali while on a date/sleeping at his house
ASV - Aspiring Sober Vegan
Met through a friend (her best guy friend’s college roommate) the day before she had to fly out to her dad’s memorial, a doctor, into meditation, remembered him “being cuter” when they went on a first date, felt “the spark”, had “omg this is awesome sex”, Ali described this relationship as a “slow burn” and “the most attracted she ever been to a partner” even thought she didn’t think he was that cute in the beginning, dated 2-3 months before he tried to ghost Ali but they talked and broke up, four months later they start casually dating/FWB because he’s moving but this turns into a ‘middle distance relationship’ and he moves to Philly, had a lot of communication issues but didn't have a lot of fights, wants to live in Ohio and give a % of his income to charity, Ali was close to saying ‘I love you’ but didn’t, he uninvited her to meet his extended family and they got in a fight, broke up with her a couple weeks before their 6 month anniversary at the park while on a picnic and told her that she’s still his favorite person, Ali used to think he was “the one that got away” and would frequently have dreams about him. From what Ali knows, he's sober but not vegan
The Scientist
2017 or 2018ish, from San Diego, went on one date, Ali ended up ghosting him due to the decline in her dad’s health, saw him on Hinge while she was in San Diego for 3 months in 2020, texted him and apologized for ghosting him, ended up going on 2-3 more dates, took a selfie in front of his house and sent it to him but acted like she didn’t know that was his house and made a TikTok about it, things ended up not working but she doesn’t make it clear on who ended it. She can now see she shouldn’t have been going on dates during this time when her dad was sick.
Good on Paper Divorced Dude
Met a couple of years ago (she told this story on TikTok in 2020) on Bumble
The Groomsman
Met at her friend Ashley’s wedding in Chicago Oct 2019, had a “two night stand” with him, texted/talked/FT’d for 3-4 months, divorced, never dated seriously/FWB, saw each other a couple time when he came to NYC, Ali stopped talking with him due to FMH and her trying to find a serious relationship, he starts dating someone, follows FMH on insta, slid into her DM in 2022 and then sent her soup while she was sick, turns out he’s single again, 2 months later Ali is heading to Chicago and texts him “Hello! Reminder that my arrival to your neck of the woods is imminent” and turns out he is now seeing someone and Ali doesn’t see him while in Chicago (at least she doesn’t mention it)
Unnicknamed person
He was her plus one at her best friend from college’s NYE wedding 2019/2020, met and hung out with Ali’s mom, posted photos of them together on her personal Insta story, “fully dating but weren’t official hehe” doesn’t have a nickname/never gave him a nickname? This could be The Latvian/the person she texted her friend in DC about saying “I think I’m on a date with my husband”

Starts FMH on January 2020 on Instagram/TikTok

The Traveler
He was browsing Bumble while Ali was in the bathroom during their first date, he was banned from Bumble and was using his grandma phone number. Ali turned down a second date
The Duke
Early FMH, went for long periods of time in between texts, 7-8 Zoom dates while Ali was in San Diego and he was in NY, Ali said you could see three of his ex’s on his instagram page (without scrolling), they finally went on one date and it was “meh” but they did kiss on their date
The Oyster
Matched on Bumble (he had one photo and no bio) two weeks before Valentines Day, Gemini, a lawyer, part of the 13 First Dates in 30 Days series (he was #13), dated Feb 2020-Aug 2020, love bomber, felt “the spark” and became official after 3 dates, best first date ever??? at the time, said “I love you” to Ali after two weeks, “For most of my relationship with The Oyster, he didn’t live in the city he had moved to Connecticut without telling me”, would fight all the time, opposite political views, Ali felt like a “fucking summer camp director” because she planned all their dates and he would get upset if Ali didn't have a plan, sought out a therapist (Megan) because of her relationship struggles because of him, went to Mass/church, he wanted a traditional marriage/life/wife/kids (at one point had Ali thinking she wanted that), didn’t want to live in NYC, didn’t support BLM, Cindy hated him
The Pilot
Went on 3 dates, texted a lot, didn’t hear back from him in four days and when she said she was looking to date someone who showed more consistency, he replied saying he met someone the day after their last date who seems to have more free time than Ali and he wants to pursue that but would like to be friends, Ali said on TikTok that this other women “bent her schedule to his schedule” and she was unwilling to do that. Mostly talked about him on TikTok
The Analyst
Matched on Bumble two years ago and went on one date, re matched in 2021 and he stood Ali up, she send him a text “getting stood up” script and he never replied. Only mentioned him on TikTok (?)

Ali and Roark start FMH: The Podcast February 2021

The Boomerang
First date on the pod? I couldn't find anything else about him
The Scuba Diver
The Music Man
One date, “he didn’t do anything wrong, he’s just not for me”, amped up small talk, complimented Ali a lot which made her feel awkward cause she wasn’t feeling it, he texted her and asked for a second date and Ali sent the no ghosting script
The Bet
Uses the phrase “ok bet”, 28 years old shoe designer, only went on one dinner date to a spot he picked, turns out its cash only and he didn’t bring cash, was not into him , not looking for the same thing
The Dinosaur
Nickname was previously The Hawaiian, first date at Dinosaur BBQ, stood in a parking spot to save for Ali, he asked for a kiss after their date and Ali declined saying maybe next time
The Rose
He sent her a rose on hinge, first date was an hour long walk in the park while drinking beer
The Comic
Matched on Hinge, older than Ali (Ali’s friends express how happy they were to hear that), had brunch on their first date (was the first part of a double header but the second guy canceled), listed as “moderate” politically on Hinge, good and easy convo, went back and forth twice over text and then never heard back from him, “technically not ghosting...”
The Camper
Met in the wild at a volleyball tournament in July, lives in Chicago, 27 years old, hung out the whole time, over heard Ali asking someone to get her a make out partner, gave Ali his number, drunkly ask him for a FT date in the future and he didn’t reply, Ali texts him again about a volleyball thing and he replied back with not a lot of enthusiasm, Ali is going to Chicago in Sept for a volleyball tournament and she’s already planning on playing 4-on-4 with her best friend vs. his roommate and maybe The Camper, he texts her saying he has to work on the date of the tournament and won’t be able to do the 4-on-4 game, “I feel like I got broken up with someone I never want to date in the first place”

Ali’s Matchmaker contract starts in August 2021 - 6 matches

The Schmoozer
Went on a dinner date, was chatting up the waitress in a kind of creepy way, was bragging about a lot of things and it turned Ali off and Ali texted him her no ghosting script
The Accountant
1st matchmaker match, 31 years old, lives in BK, his dad has also passed away, easy to talk to, on the third date she wasn’t sure if she saw a future with him and in her gut doesn’t feel like this would be a slow burn, Ali breaks things off with him, months (?) later he sent Ali a 5 min long voice memo and they said they were both down to see each other as friends. He later on dated and ghosted Erica
The Aussie
Matched on Hinge, in politics, from Australia but lived all over the place, asked Ali what she’s looking for on the first date and he said he’s “casually looking for something serious”, Ali accidentally walks up to a different person on their second date, Ali texts him saying she would love to see him before he leaves on a trip and she wasn’t happy that it took him till the next day to reply and he can’t see her before he leaves
The Goalie
Was supposed to be Ali’s 2nd match, he’s a paying client, Ali didn’t hear back from him for a while when she told him where she lived, he wrote to the matchmaker saying that she lived too far away even though it states where she lives in her matchmaker profile
The Journalist
2nd matchmaker match, ended things because she was dating/pursuing things with The Discoball and paused her matchmakers matches

The Threepeat
Matched multiple times on dating apps but this recent time with Hinge, Amazon seller, first date was a pizza lunch date (with bubbles aka champagne) and he gave her a single yellow carnation, talked a lot about her “side hustles” aka her food blog, coaching, FMH and the pod (Ali didn’t mentioned the name on FMH), had an awkward half kiss during the date and then gave her a peck when they said goodbye, he had no night stands by his bed?, spent the night but told public pod they had a movie night, different kissing styles, 6 dates, broke things off with Ali two days before her first date with The Rower WHILE Ali was on a Halloween girls trip
The Rower
Dated from Halloween 2021 till early Feb 2022, Pisces who is 6 days older than Ali, has an ex-fiancé (they dated for 8 years, engaged for two of them, she broke off the engagement with him 1.5 years ago once he started dating Ali), has a shared dog with this ex, slept together around Xmas on the fourth date and Ali got a UTI, first time having “omg this is awesome sex” since ASV, first person Ali slept next to wearing an eye mask "that's a big step for me", had him watch 90 Day Fiancé, on New Years Day told her that he sees “long term relationship potential” with her but doesn’t want to be exclusive after 5 dates, “we didn’t talk all week”, he said he wasn’t as ready as he though to date someone seriously and “I don’t know why I don’t want to be in a relationship with you” they broke up over the phone, Ali said he’s a good human and wants to date someone like him, 3.5 weeks later Ali drunk texted him at 3:00 am saying “its really hard not to talk to you” which Ali said was a lie, he replied back (few days? A week later?) while Ali was on another date and it made her cry a bit, she replied back saying “the door is closed but not locked” in regards if he wants to get back together. “Fin… for now”

2022

The Discoball
Matched on Hinge but didn’t go on a first date for two week, Gemini, used to be a singer in a band, moved from DC to NYC, went on 7 dates in 2022, had a dog w/ ex and ex got full custody once he moved, met one of his friends on the second date, slept with him on the second date “morning and night”, he tried to find the podcast without knowing the name, podcasted from his house in DC, he would send Ali photos of them together “all the time”, gave a virtual presentation from his hotel room, did Molly together in DC, had him watch 90 Day Fiancé, moved to BK (didn’t see each other for 2 months pre-move), had a sex-less sleepover (a milestone for Ali), he showed up for her on her dad’s death date (something that a person she’s dating has never done), used to listen to the pod but stopped before they stopped seeing each other, ghosted her after they had a talk about moving things forward to exclusive and Ali texted him something along the lines of “your silence is the answer” when she didn’t hear back from him for a week and he ghosted her. Ali said he sucks in #77 AUA
Lisbon
The Brit
M&M
The Come Back Kid
They went on 2-3 dates in Nov 2018 and reconnected in May 2022, "felt immediately comfortable", sat next to a very drunk lady on their second 1st date and was supportive but "didn't step on Ali's toes" when the drunk lady said something offensive to Ali, couldn’t remember if they slept together or not, knows about FMH, ghosted Ali
The Trainer
The Cold Brew
The Nomad
3rd matchmaker match, reminded Ali of The Oyster, wanted kids and didn’t want to live in NYC forever, Ali was upset at first because her matchmaker was supposed to screen for that but the matchmaker DID check and it wasn’t mentioned when she was screening The Nomad, no second date because those are dealbreakers to him
The Catcher
Matched on Bumble, “good not great” after their first date, ~April 2022, talked about sports a lot on their first date
The Gentleman
4th matchmaker match, knew about Ali’s FMH socials before their date, Ali didn’t like his texting style, awkward intro on their first date “like hugging a 2 x 4”, he runs a dating event company and actually email Ali to be a guest on the pod when FMH first started, awkward goodbye, didn’t discuss the actual first date on the main pod because she doesn’t want to give him a reason to reach out again
The Tennis Pro
Ali had a good time on their date, “He is an adult, he’s mature” BUT “I don’t think he was into it”
The Padre
Matched on Bumble, 3 dates, from San Diego, “energy mismatch”, doesn’t want to know or listen to FMH, no psychical connection/kiss, only a kiss on the cheek on their last date, “I haven’t spoken to him since Friday night [a week]”, she didn’t want to do what The Threepeat did to her (break up while on vacation/traveling), she said it might be a MOO

Roark leaves and Erica joins the pod Oct 31st 2022

Captain Kirk
5th matchmaker match, found him on Bumble before their in-person date, ghosted Ali AND the matchmaker???
6th matchmaker match
Last match and Ali states she will not talk about this date or anything about it
JFK Kirk?
Matched on Bumble, didn’t realize he’s located in SD, exchanged personal instagram info, not sure where things went or how things ended

Kirk #1
Met in the wild, make out a lot the night they met, “stealing kisses throughout the night”, exchanged numbers, planned a date (no specifics, just the day) but when Ali texted him day of he asked to reschedule (no specifics again), he replied back that he’s picking up a rental car, told him she’s looking for someone to respect her time and he never replied back

2023

The Falcon
First date of 2023, matched on The League, first nickname was “League Kirk”, hard to talk to, felt like Ali was always reaching for the next topic, likes to travel, “there wasn’t a vibe”, MOO
The Roommate
Used to be her friend’s roommate and have met before (Ali doesn’t remember but it was the day after that exclusive convo with The Rower), “totally cute”, reunited at their mutual friend’s engagement party January 2023, made out at the bar, comes back to her place and sleeps over (no sex), Ali questions why her friends never set them up and its because he was taking a break from dating, first date they made out a lot at the bar (again), “I really felt like we were already a couple”, “It didn’t feel like a first date”, mentions her FMH content has popped up on his FYP, tried texting him after their date and he wasn’t giving effort, she’s glad she didn’t sleep with him because “one night stands aren’t my thing”, MOO
The Belgian
Matched on Bumble, accidentally had their first date during a trivia night at a bar, easy to talk to
The Viking
Ali forgot they had a first date on the day of said date
Tinder Man
Matched on Tinder (duh) on Valentine’s Day, first Tinder date in three years, good convo on first date but got a pushy vibe from him at the second bar they went to, put his hand up her sweater and was kissing her in the bar, made Ali uncomfortable and she told him that after he asked her on a second date
The Historian
Matched on Bumble, good conversation on the first date with a wide range of topics like “urban planning and its impact on feminism”, he’s in grad school
The Georgian
Matched on Hinge, he asked if she was free on Friday and she said yes but didn’t hear back from him in two days and in that time she made plans for Friday, rescheduled for a Saturday afternoon date at a dive bar, ate on her way to her date “it would be next level rude to eat on the subway”, good first date, talked about places he wants to take her to
The Publicist
Matched on Tinder, lives in BK, Jewish, one year younger then Ali, good first date, invited him to the Chaotic Singles Party that night, came over to Ali's apartment (which Ali said was messy) before and he made her favorite cocktail for her, a couple of listeners met him at the CSP, goofy and silly convo mixed with deep and serious convos, second date was at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and a tasting menu dinner, he made a Resy reservation and Ali got an email saying she was added to it ”fuck receiving gifts, THAT’S my love language”, he's into words like Ali, he sneezed and Ali said "God bless you" but then corrected herself and said "gesundheit" and he leaned over and kissed her and said he loves that she cares about her words, he met her friends on the third date ”It felt so easy. It felt so comfortable”, her friends took “sneaky” picture and videos of them together which Ali said she loves a sneaky pic, took all their date recap videos on his phone, cooked Ali steak on their fourth date, "it's very comfortable", had him watch 90 Day Fiancé, Ali met two of his friends and some of his teammates he plays a rec sport with, had sex the day they took a trip outside of the city, Erica met him before their trip to Greece and I said “he’s dorky in a good way”, WhatsApp video chatted while in Greece and told her “see you in two days!” at the end of their call, said she felt less anxious about him compared to other relationships while on vacation, sent him a birthday present while she was in Greece, felt an energy shift coming back from vacation and didn’t hear back from him 3 days after she came home, Ali requested a call to talk about this distances she was feeling, ”I did the 12 date rule and it didn’t work!”, she said the distance help her see that they’re not compatible, went on a total of 9 dates. Ali talks about the “break up” on episode 123
Mr. Chaotic
Matched on Tinder but he saw Ali at the Chaotic Singles Party and Cassidy the host is there mutual friend, went to a brewery and played games on their first date (Ali said this was her favorite first dates in episode 147 where they recapped 2023), works in entertainment industry, very high energy, knows about FMH and he said she's entertaining to watch, splits his time between NYC and some unknown city, texted while she was in Greece, ”The man gives good texts”
Random Matchmaker Match
Withdrew his match to Ali because he found her FMH socials. Talked about on #71 AUA
Gone with the Wind
Matchmaker match, said some gross things about women in volleyball outfits on their first date, Ali told her matchmaker about this, ”I would describe him as misogynistic overall”, Ali was glad he did say those weird things so early on so she didn’t waste her time, the matchmaker flagged his account. This was around June 2023
The Rock
Ali knows him from an activity that they used to be involved with in the city (she's very vague about what this is) from 8 years ago, he had a very serious/long term GF when they met, follows her personal Insta, has never talked about him because he’s never been a “prospect”, summer 2023 they met up to catch up and found out that he’s now recently single but he’s moving out of NYC for work, Ali texts Cindy saying she thinks this is a date, Cindy said to tell him that you really want to kiss him, he ends up telling Ali “I really want to kiss you”, made out at the bar, Ali invited him back to her apartment and they had sex the night before Ali ended things with The Publicist, “one night stand vibes” but she said she was down to do it again, Patreon only and talked about on #75 AUA
The Tourist
Matched on Hinge, just moved to Brooklynn, went to a brewery in BK for their first date, Ali showed up to the date dripping in sweat, allergic to cats, he sent Ali a ‘no ghosting’ text the next morning
The Stout
Matched on Bumble, ”we had really great banter right away”, laughed the whole time on their first date, talked about going on a second date during their first date
Speed Racer
Matched on Bumble, drinks first date, axe throwing second date, made out after their second date, MOO, randomly texted Ali ~6 months later because he said one of Ali’s date recap videos about him popped up on his FYP (Ali and Erica think this is a lie), he thought Ali wasn’t into him, he claims he was doing all the work with texting even though there was only a few messages since they exchanged numbers after their second date
Billy Joel
Recently sober, Ali said she felt like they had several inside jokes before they met in person, ate pizza on her way to their first date, second date was getting coffee and going to the museum, they cooked dinner together for their third date at Ali’s apartment and they watched 90 Day Fiancé (he didn’t like it), he Googled how to clean a red wine stain when it spilled on her countertop, he asked if she wanted to have sex and she turned it down, the next day/the day before a 7am flight Ali booty called him and they had sex, she was drunk and said the sex wasn’t good/they stopped mid way, helped Ali pack for her flight, Ali said he’s at a crossroad and he doesn’t seem like a long term fit, Erica found a condom on the ground while cat sitting, Ali said she didn’t regret hooking up with him but wishes she hadn’t done it, MOO
Sales Cycle
30 seconds in and Ali said he was very boring, only really talked about his job, stared at Ali’s boobs, “might be a MOO”, texted her ‘merry christmas’

2024

Pie Guy/Dr. Laundry
Matched on The League, 34 years old, requested a nickname change from Pie Guy to Dr. Laundry, he had to cancel their second date because he got hit by a car, went on two dates, Ali sent him a pic of his subway stop saying something along the lines of “the stop isn’t looking as cute today” and turns out someone he dated with in that photo, were supposed to go on a third date the night she got back from a bachelorette party but he didn't answer her text when she said she landed, the next day he asked her how her trip was not acknowledging her previous text at all, Ali expressed her disappointment and he replied that he was tired last night, she said she would've been understanding if he said something then ghosted her
Andddd I stopped listening to the podcast around the Dr. Pie Laundry Guy but have stayed up to date with everything via this sub.
I have a huge interest in dating culture, human behavior and data similar to Ali and this little project of mine was really interesting once I got the framework of this list. I started this list once I found this sub in December 2023 and started re listening to the Patreon while working out (and lost 10 lbs ayeee) and writing down information in my notes app. I did my best to keep this list unbiased and just give facts and information that was said.
My own thoughts after making this list is that I'm very sad for Ali. I didn't realize the extent of her dating history. I think about my own dating history or even my friends who are in their 30's and dating and Ali's dating lore runs so deep. Is Ali unlucky with love? Did she pass on someone that could have been great for her? How has she had so many dates with little success in a long term partner or even going beyond 6-8 dates? Or is Skyline the person she has been waiting for? What's the pattern with all this dates/men? So many questions.
I truly do hope Ali finds her guy because I believe theres someone for everyone. Until then, I'll be hopping into this sub (cause y'all are too funny and give the best advice) and waiting for Ali to find Mr. Height.
Enjoy and I look forward to everyone thoughts! I'll keep my eye out for any edits that need to be made.
Bonus quotes:
“Longest relationship was a little under a year and a half. Haven’t made it past 6 months with anyone else” - AUA #7 11/27/21
“I spent the first 10+ years of my dating life being sort of perennially single” -1. The Actual First One episode 2/21/21
"I think my parent's story is the reason why I think that I can romantically get back together with an ex and it'll work out" -The Dave Glaser Podcast 4/5/21
“Almost every relationship I’ve ever been in, with a couple of exceptions, started as a situationship.” -21. The Undefined One 7/11/21
“All of my boyfriends have been white” -Ali’s BFF Special on Patreon 4/23/22
“You definitely need an older guy” -Cindy on Ali’s BFF Special on Patreon 4/23/22
“I’ve been on the dating apps since high school. Dating websites at the time” -Ali’s BFF Special on Patreon 4/23/22
“Who would be the perfect man for Ali?”
“Clearly a combination of the The Dentist and [the early stages of] The Buffalo” -Cindy on Ali’s BFF Special on Patreon 4/23/22
“Do you consider The Rower or Disco ball to have been situationships?”
“No, I don't consider either The Rower or The Disco Ball to be situationships” -question asked on TikTok 11/9/22

My daughter is doing youth volleyball right now. She's on a team of 3rd and 4th graders and been playing for like 8 weeks. My wife and I are also coaching her team despite knowing nothing about coaching or playing volleyball.
The regular season was...not great. They only won one match out of five, and lost a couple by pretty large margins. But they showed improvement and they were working hard.
Today was their tournament and if I'm really honest I didn't expect them to do great. In the seeding round they were 3-1 and ended up 5th seed out of 6 teams.
But holy shit did they turn things around in the elimination part of the tournament. They got kind of lucky because the first two seeds got a bye in the 1st round so they were matched up 5 vs. 4. They won their first game and then something just sort of clicked for them. It's like the lightbulb turned on for all of them and they realized "Oh, we can do this"
They won their second game to eliminate the 4 seed and then were playing the 2 seed who had already beaten them pretty badly in the seeding round. They lost their first game, won the second, and then killed it in the tiebreaker game to move on to the finals.
The finals were, of course, against the Titans. This was the team that had kicked the shit out of them earlier in the season, and boy was the team aptly named. I don't know how it worked out that way but every girl on that team was huge. They were the same size as most of the 5th and 6th grade teams and they were good too.
I wish I could say they won, but they didn't. They lost their two championship games 25-22 and 26-24. But against a team that had beaten them by 15+ points earlier in the season it was an incredible showing.
There were tears, but at the end of the day they walked out with their heads held high and they were proud of themselves. And goddamn was I proud of them too.

Some people have been saying Ricky and Cesar had an advantage due to Ricky growing up in Philadaelphia. I know there's been teams that flopped despite racing in a hometown though, so I decided to do some digging.
Here are all the finale teams with one or both members who lived in the place the finale leg was in, and the result. I'll admit this doesn't take into account birth towns, just whatever state they're listed as from, so people can chime in if there's more info.

• TAR1 Frank and Margarita (New York, 2nd place)
• TAR1 Rob and Brennan (New York, winners)
• TAR5 Colin and Christie (Texas, 2nd place)
• TAR17 Jill and Thomas (California, 3rd place)
• TAR17 Brook and Claire (California, 2nd place)
• TAR17 Nat and Kat (California, winners)
• TAR20 Amani and Marcus (Georgia, 3rd place)
• TAR21 Josh and Brent (New York, winners)
• TAR28 Dana and Matt (California, winners)
• TAR30 Henry and Evan (California, 2nd place)
• TAR31 Cody and Jessica (California, winners)
• TAR32 Tyler and Korey (Michigan, 2nd place)
• TAR36 Ricky* and Cesar (Philadaelphia, winners)

(Ricky grew up in Philadaelphia, but the team is listed as living in New York.)
So does this mean anything?
Honestly, probably not.
Aside from Ricky and Cesar, like I said, I don't remember any of the teams who mentioned they grew up in the area. I remember Rachel saying she spent time in Las Vegas for TAR24, but I don't recall offhand the specifics, and I think Justin and Diana infamously got 2nd place due to Justin thinking he knew New York. And some states are obviously larger than others.
Humorously, every team in TAR17's finale was from California, so obviously one of them was going to win. And interestingly, despite the race having cast a fair number of teams from Florida and it being a finale city a few times, no Florida teams have made it to the finale on those seasons.
Anyway, just some trivia. It doesn't actually mean anything, just partly writing it out for my own sake.

This is long. No tldr. I wrote this while crying for an hour.
It was September, and I was 11 and in 6th grade. I got on the bus, and was stopped by this kid I'll call Dean. He was much shorter than me, who was 5' 6" at the time. "You're so tall" etc, etc. I walked by him and sat in my usual spot next to the window. The bus started moving, and he was talking with some other kids on the bus.
Then, he sat down next to me, trapping me in. I was drawing on my phone, and he asked, and I showed him, (I was very nervous + had/have a lot of social anxiety.) He made small talk with me for a while. My bus was the last stop on the route. His the stop before. Before he left, he asked me for my number. I texted my mom, as asking permission to give someone my number was a rule she gave me. She can I could give it to him if I trusted him. I was too scared to say no to him, who was blocking my way, and I didn't know. I gave it to him. Learned his name was Dean.
The next day, things went routinely for me, until my last class got out. I was walking down the 8th graders' hallway, when he saw me. (note, he was 13-14, I, again, 11) He walked up to me, and offered to carry my stuff. I declined. I walked down to the 6th graders' hallway to my locker. He followed me the whole time. I was embarassed, and scared. Again, he sat next to me on the bus.
The third day was a repeat of this. Until after I got home. He texted a confession of love, the stress of which left me spiralling. The next two days, I was physically sick, and trying to calm down. I felt too embarassed to tell my mom about him. During those two days, he was constantly calling and texting me, until I reached my breaking point, and I gave him a basic rejection speech. He called immediatly after. Asking if we could still be friends. I, the scared and unprepared kid, said yes.
He never got on the bus again after that. (I hypothesize that the only reason he ever took the bus on the 2nd + 3rd day was because of me, as I never saw him before or after on my bus.) After this, I only saw him twice, during transition periods between classes. And I thought after that, that I wouldn't have to worry about him.
But I did. On the first day I saw his back. I thought it was him, but he would've been a junior, which made no sense bc the first day of school was only for freshman. I didn't come across him again, until my 3rd quarter of freshman year.
I was sitting at lunch with 2 of my lunch friends, when he suddenly approached the table. Said that he had just gotten back from a suspension after a fight. I had transitioned at the start of freshman year, and he didn't recognise me. I was uncomfortable. Staying quiet, I let everyone else at the table talk to him, and I took note of the information he openly gave out.

• He called himself 'King' never Dean
  
• He went to a different middle school
  
• He was 17, and indeed a freshman
  
• Once mentioned having a dead twin brother
  
• One time I hid my ID from him he asked why, "I don't want you to know my name" "That only wants me to learn it more"
  

With this, I was gaslighting myself on whether this was the same kid. I realised that he was nowhere near as popular as he tried to make it be. He often hopped between tables at lunch, and I couldn't trust the dead twin thing as it would've made a good excuse if older kids knew him, and that he had repeated freshman year multiple times already.
Eventually, I was too scared to eat lunch in the lunchroom. At this point, I still hadn't told anyone about him. I spiraled again after this. I ended up ghosting my 2 lunch friends, who although they didn't like him, I didn't want to seem crazy for bring up what happened in 6th, and just dissappeared. I ate lunch in a different room. With the stress I was going through, I stated physically stimming, hitting my knuckles together, tearing through paper with my pencil, and having panic attacks. Eventually my therapist recommended that I needed to stay out of school for some time. The only way I could get a prolonged abscence excuses was in six week intervals. For the entire 4th quarter of my freshman year, I spent alone. I ghosted all of my classmates, friends, and aquaintences. I decided, with professional recommendation not to return, and instead start being homeschooled.
Over the past year, I have made piece with losing friendships with people I knew in grade school, that I would never have a normal high school life going forward, and all this time, I had still ocasionally thought and gaslit myself on if it was really him, and if I ruined my normal teen life for no reason at all.
Today, my older brother's yearbook arrived. Dean was in it.(18 now) and still a freshman. The relief I felt, and frustration that I hadn't gotten my younger self (14 at the time, 15 now) to confront him has resurfaced. Looking back, I see that he was likely lonely and clingy, but that doesn't excuse what he put me, an 11 year old through. I don't think he will pull it together though. I believe that the high school kicks people out at 21, so I think it's very unlikely that he will graduate in the next couple of years.
Thank you for reading. I've done a lot of mental and physical healing over the past year, and this was the last piece I needed to really let go of my old hs. Please, and I mean this, don't confess your love to anyone who is 2+ years younger than you.

We got our test scores back and had to conference about them. I dropped about 6 full percentage points and ended up just beating the state average, owing in no small part to the OG experiment my school foisted upon my fifth graders.

• Those students who tested low in reading skills attended OG, 50 minutes 4 days a week.
• Students who tested low in comprehension, I had to teach an extra period of reading to during that time.
• Neither group had anyone proficient on last year's iLearn.

This took up times where I would work on comprehension or fluency across the grade levels during interventions and on writing skills in my homeroom.

• 80% of the students who were pulled for OG dropped in test scores, and dropped, on average, 21 points. 0% became proficient. The 20% that grew, grew on average 14 points. Maximum growth was 26 points.
• 36% of my workshop students dropped and, on average, it was 7 points. 25% became proficient. 63% grew, on average, 56 points. Maximum growth was 116 points.

^{I'm not saying mine are stellar numbers. I'd never taught this model of intervention before and it was dropped on me in the middle of the first quarter with only 3 days to prepare for it.}
I spent all of August saying I didn't think the 3rd Grade OG curriculum and pacing was appropriate for 5th grade - that instruction in phonics is valid, but it needed to be accommodated and presented at an age-appropriate level. That was rejected.
Now, in our meeting, the first thing that was brought up was my scores and how they were barely better than state average, and they'd really want better scores than that. When I countered that about 20% of my students were pulled for OG, and that group showed even less growth than our IEP students, I was told that was "an anomaly". Okay, well, it's an anomaly that affected my overall score that I had zero part in, so why am I getting the blame?
Our gen ed population had 56% proficiency, up from 41% last year, but does anyone comment on that? No. Of course not.
I smiled, thanked them for their time, and left hoping that the schools I've interviewed for will get back in touch with me.

Sitting in a Quest Diagnostics waiting room. Boomer enters.
There are no Quest employees in the lobby; just a tablet for checking in. The UI is extremely readable, visible, legible. "Touch here to check in" interface a 3rd grader could navigate.
Phlebotomist opens a door to call in the next person. Boomer yells at the guy "HOW DO YOU WORK THIS THING?"
P: You just use the touchscreen and check in.
B: But I don't know how to work that thing. How do I work that thing? I got sent down here from *ramble ramble ramble shuffling papers in his hands ramble ramble*
P: As soon as you're checked in, we'll get you in back and get your blood drawn. The tablet is where you check in.
B: BUT I'M AN OLD COOT!
P: *completely puzzled, apparently the first time he's ever heard the word "coot"*
B: *in disbelief no one is rushing to his aid*
P: *takes the next person into the back and closes the door*
B: *defeated and deflated*

This year our school decided that instead of having it an all day event like the previous years, each grade level would only do activities for 2 hours and then rotate with another grade level. At first this seemed better than having it for the entire day, but we soon realized it was actually worse. By only having us out for 2 hours, it gave us only 5-10 minutes at each station which is barely enough time to get them to have any fun before they booted us to the next station. My class (4th graders) were just over it by the time we got to our 3rd activity. assuming only elementary schools do this, but does anyone actually ENJOY field day? Teachers constantly complain, the paras complain about having to stay at one game/activity while shouting out instructions to every class for hours outside. The kids are FERAL, so many fights and arguments break out, and by mid-day, everyone’s just exhausted. Our PE teacher is the one who coordinates everything, so for like the entire week prior to field day, she’s stressed and grouchy to everyone. I just want to know why we even do it if everyone lowkey hates it. 🤣 please tell me I’m not the only teacher who dreads it every year. As much as I think the kids need a day of just play… they aren’t so much playing as it is just crowd control for us 😂

Hoping everyone can help. Our STEAM elementary school starts sewing in 3rd grade. By 6 the grade we want them, if they continue to sew when given opportunities, to feel comfortable using the machines basically by themselves for their projects. These are kids are young 8 year olds when they are first learning, and about 11/12 years old when they graduate from the school.
After 2 years of working with 3rd-6th graders there are some specific things I think we need in our sewing machines to make it worth spending money on new machines:

• Easy/simple threading
• Easy self threading needle feature
• Bobbin thread automatically pulls up
• Top/horizontal bobbin loading with clear top
• Computerized so kids aren't tempted to mess with knobs (they will!)
• Up/down, tie off and reverse button
• Want a cutting button, but not necessary
• Ideally - metal components for durability and heavy hands
• Overall - an INTUATIVE easy to use machine

These are young kids. We do walk them through how to thread the machine, but it needs to be EASY! (Machines that automatically pull up the bobbin thread is a must). The first year they thread the machine and sew a square with a straight stitch. Easy right? The challenge will be the other computerized and automatic options that make sewing feel so easy.
Ultimately - we get very little time with each kid, so we want it to be so easy that they walk away feeling so confident about being able to thread and use a machine.
Thank you in advance. Also, if you know how to search specifically for "Bobbin thread automatically pulls up," please let me know. I searched for this phrase but it keeps bringing up machines without this feature.
Location: Southern CA
Budget: $250-$400

Over the past year my 8 year old autistic daughter has finally caught the gaming bug. She routinely plays Mario games, animal crossing, and stardew valley on her switch, loves make up/beauty games and cooking games on her iPad, and recently expressed interest in PC games, she likes games with colorful characters and loves to play games she can find YouTube videos of to model off of. Light on reading is preferred as though she can read, she doesn't much see the point outside of school.
We have a to switch, Xbox s, PS4, and a few gaming PCs.

My 3rd graders found a caterpillar on the playground a few weeks ago. We ended up bringing him in and creating the most elaborate set up for him (twigs, fresh leaves daily, a nice size tank). Archie was a caterpillar for a few days, then he cocooned. And after 17 days in the cocoon, he is now a moth! We set him free in the forest behind the playground.
The kids saw the caterpillar life cycle in real life and learned about caring for an animal along the way! Major success for us!

Someone here about a month ago asked for a summary or notes on Sheras teachings and I cant seem to find it anymore, so I will list here some of the things I have noted.
• Have a goal in mind
• Stay feminine
• Dont talk about your personal business, family/exes/private personal life heavy on the exes!
• if he tries to have sex immediately and he’s all sex sex sex just tell them ”Okay maybe this isn’t going to work out, but I have the perfect friend for you who likes your type. Her name is Alexa, I’ll send her number to you. She is soo free spirited” or just blatantly ask for money if he’s that rude.
• if he asks for your body count, ask about his bank account (only dusties ask this)
• He needs to like you more than you like him
• Spend his money
• Allow him to cheat, dont try to control any man
• All men are the same, their income isn’t
• Whatever comes out of a mans mouth, reverse it
• If you want him to love you, love yourself not him
• Men want what they cant have
• Emotions and fighting. Treat him like your boss in that sense, you dont get messy with your boss either.
• Emotions are better if you act them
• Laugh at his jokes
• Let him do the talking, and dont correct him. You want to make him feel good about himself around you.
• Tell them you dont have sex outside of relationships
• Exculisivity costs money, you’re not 3rd graders with post-it cards asking to be their girlfriend.
• If they say something you dont like give them an ugly look
• If he doesnt fix his issues within a week he’s a dusty. (E.g car breaks down etc.)
• ”I don’t deal with men who cant keep their word and are secretly broke”
• Dusties run away on their own if given a financial burden
• Always have a financial problem as a reason why you havent texted back or are unable to see them.
• Don’t be too available
• I look for what a man can do for me, offer me. I make him feel good, and elevate him
• When he makes time for you, you make time for him. And make sure that your time is being compensated, wheter it’s experience or material, or money
• Have several options
• It’s all about him stroke his ego
• You are the prize !!!!
• Ask him for help for free stuff first then he doesn’t have a problem with problems that cost
• Pay attention to details and make mental notes about him
• Dont sleep on the first date
• You cant change a dusty, a dusty will change themselves
• Be their weakness
• Say ”I’m very attracted to you” to ugly men
• Be emotionally reclusive
• Let him pick the place for the date but know in advance so you can ghost if it’s a cheap coffee shop
• Believe the red flags
• Talk slow and sensual
• Act like you dont need him at all
• Only being sexual, giving sex, talking about sex, initiating sex is being a pickmeisha. Use your other assets, such as voice, eyes, body language, humor, appearance
• If you want to be a pickmeisha, be one to a bank account
• Confidence and being the prize is in your mind, there is no tutorial for it
• Dont outshine him in gift giving
• If you’re talking and he’s not listening, ask ”Do you hear me? I want your opinion on this you’re so smart after all” you train him subconciously to listen and react to you while giving him a compliment
• Everytime you stress about a man, wheter he’s seeing other people etc. Reverse it. Why isn’t he stressed about you?
• You can be a pickmeisha to get their attention if you immediatly go back to yourself
• Dont carry the conversation
• Men tend to be seduced by looks, women by words. Be careful he’s not all talk, but actions too.
• When they give you the silent treatment, you act like they arent giving you the silent treatment because youre not talking to him anyway and that way it wont work on you
• ”Oh baby yeah I cant wait it’s just going to be so great, but I have to get to know you a little better first. It makes it more passionate for me, and I know you want to please me, right? I cant just sleep with anybody I barely know, it’s not exciting for me.”
• He should have more than 1 income
• Date dusties and for fun when young, start dating for funds at 23
• If he tries to come back, have a list of things you want and make him complete all of them.
• Play dumb
• If you playing the game correctly you shouldn’t be worried about commitment
• ”How you doing?” ”Oh I was doing bad but now that you called I’m feeling much better”
• Being unbothered holds actual power
• If a man ghosts you or has other options you dont care
• Dont approach men, but you can always pass them the ball
•In order to take things slow with a man you need to have high values
• My brain doesnt understand less
• ”It’s been a while since I met a handsome succesful man that’s not afraid to impress a woman”

Manhattan Project B Reactor Tours The B Reactor National Historic Landmark, Richland Daily, 8:30a-12:30p Free
My Rad Art Lab After School Program Art Your Way, Pasco 4p $29/class, $99/mo (4 classes)
Columbia Basin College Annual Juried Student Art Show CBC, Pasco Thru June 6 7:30a-5p
SageFen Maker Fest II Red Lion Hotel & Conference Center, Pasco May 17-19 10-4p
The Sound of Music Vibe Music and Performing Arts Center May 17-18 Times vary
Auditions for Equivocation By Bill Cain The Richland Players, Richland May 19-20 6-9p
Poker Richland Community Center May 16-17 1p

Wednesday May 15

Classes
Whimsy Apothecary Candle Class Goose Ridge Estates, Richland 5:30-7:30p $65/non-mem
Fresh Pasta Class Layered Cake Artistry, Kennewick 5-7p $85
Cooking Classes - Summer Grilling Series-Grilled Mahi Mahi w/Peach Mango, Cilantro Lime Jasmine Rice, and Grilled Asparagus Red Mountain Kitchen, Kitchen 6-8:30p $Unk
Puzzle club Andventures Underground, Richland 11a
Games and Comedy
Bingo at Summer's Hub, Kennewick 5-7p
Game Night Live at Two Bits and a Bite, Richland 7-9p
Open Mic Night Tumbleweeds West, West Richland 5-8p
Sporting
Tri-Cities Dust Devils vs Hillsboro Hops Gesa Stadium, Pasco 1:30-5:30p $8-46
Music
Isolation Big Band with Carmichael Middle School Jazz Band The Emerald of Siam, Richland 6p
Jazz Jams at The Emerald The Emerald of Siam, Richland 6p-8p

Thursday May 16

Classes
Beginning Brush Lettering Workshop Philocaly Lingerie Boutique, Kennewick 7-9p $Unk
Paint your own Planter! Chills Froyo and Custard, Kennewick 6-8p
Events
Back-To-School Immunization Clinic by BFHD Kennewick Health District Mothership 2-6p
Hat Burning Workshop + Fundraiser for Alzheimer's Research Chandler Reach Estate, Benton City $85pp
Albariño Master Class Barnard Griffin, Richland 6:30-8:30p $35 non-mem
They Want Our Rhythm, but Not Our Blues: African American Innovation through Pop Culture Lecture Museum at Keewaydin 7p-8p Free
LIGO Science & Art Showcase LIGO Hanford Observatory, Richland 5-8p Free
Thursday Afternoon Book Club Richland Public Library 1:30-2:30p
Grandma Niesie's Storytime Adventures Underground, Richland 11a-12p
Games and Comedy
Geeks Who Drink The Emerald of Siam 7p
Tri-Trivia Night Summers Hub, Kennewick 6p
Solar Spirits Trivia and Taco Truck Solar Spirits Distillery & Tasting Room, Richland 6-8p
Game Night Live Round Table Pizza, Kennewick 5-7p
Mah-Jongg Richland Community Center 1-3:30p
Sporting
Tri-Cities Dust Devils vs Hillsboro Hops Gesa Stadium, Pasco 6:30-10p $8-46

Friday May 17

Classes
Intro Into Gelli Printing Bristle Art Gallery, Kennewick 1p $45
Events and Games
CBC Health Sciences Information Sessions Health Sciences Center, Richland 8a-2p
3rd Friday Dance Richland Community Center 1-3:45p $10pp
Solar Spirits Trivia and Taco Truck Solar Spirits Distillery & Tasting Room 6-8p
Trivia! with Heat Entertainment Tumbleweeds West, West Richland 7-10p
Third Fridays Columbia Gardens Wine & Artisan Village, Kennewick 4-8p Free
Card Show Night Edition at Summer's HUB of Kennewick Summers Hub, Kennewick 4-9p Free
Vinyasa Flow With Susie Red Jasper Studops 4:30-5:30p $20
Twist Clothing Company 15th Anniversary Fashion Show and Fundraiser Twist Clothing Co, Kennewick 5-8p $20
Wine and Mushroom Tasting with Chesed Farms Barnard Griffin Winery, Richland 6:30p $75non-mem
Book Club Richland Community Center 1-3p
Potluck Dinner Richland Community Center 4:30-6p
Music and Comedy
Gabriel Knutzen Goose Ridge Winery 5-7p
Jack Rothwell Tumbleweeds West, Richland 7-10p
Key Lewis Comedy Show Jokers Comedy Club, Richland 7:30-9p $12
Fallout The Branding Iron, Kennewick 9p-1:30a $5
Baduku and Bahuru Columbia Gardens Night Market, Kennewick 5-7p
Lost Ox Emerald of Siam, Richland 9p $10 cover
Stephanie Steele Pop/Jazz Trio Emerald of Siam, Richland 5-8p
Sporting
Tri-Cities Dust Devils vs Hillsboro Hops Gesa Stadium, Pasco 6:30-10p $8-46
Outdoor Fitness Class- ALL AGES WELCOME Southridge Sports & Events Complex, Kennewick 9:45-10-45a $7pp

Saturday May 18

Events
Petting Zoo/Hobby Farm Jostens Petting Zoo 10a $8
Puppies & Posies by Pronto Puppy Rescue Mac's Garden Center, Pasco 12-4p
Pasco Farmers Market Downtown Pasco, Lewis St 9-1p
Spring Market Vino Yasa Hedges Estate, Benton City 10a-12p
25th Anniversary Barrel Room Dinner Goose Ridge Estates, Richland 6-9p $200/nonmem
Farmer's Market Tour and Cooking Demo Ciao Trattoria, Pasco 9:45a-12:30p
FCSC/4-H Joint AM -PM Schooling Show Franklin County Saddle Club, Pasco Starts at 8a
Connie Hampton Connally, Conversation and Book Signing Barnes & Noble, Kennewick 12p
2024 Gentleman's Ride Richland 4-5p
Pokemon May League Challenge Casters, Richland 11a registration
Metaphysical Market Uptown Shopping Center, Richland 10a-4p
Classes
Paint your Partner Night Honeycomb Studio, Kennewick 6-8p $50pair
Paint your Pet Art YOUR Way, Pasco 6-8p $70
Paint & Craft night Anything Grows, Richland 5:30-8:30p
Special Topics In Pelvic Health - Gender Affirming Care, Hypermobility, and Nocturia Therapy Solutions, Richland 9a-4p
Mosaic Dragonfly Workshop Allied Arts Association: Gallery at the Park 1-3:30p $80pp
Music/Comedy
Dysfunctional Society / Pazzi Pazzi The Emerald of Siam, Richland 9p
Guitar Gathering Blackthorne Neighbourhood Pub, Kennewick 1-3p
Mia Lenay Summers Hub, Kennewick 5:30-7:30p
Karaoke Night Wine Social, Richland 8-11p
Mid-Columbia Symphony Concert "Young Artists & Joyful Voices", Mid-Columbia Mastersingers KHS AUditorium, Kennewick 7:30-9:30p $15-70
Key Lewis Comedy Show Jokers Comedy Club, Richland 7:30-9p $12
Jeff Davis at The Underground Taphouse The Underground Taphouse, Pasco 8-10p
Fallout The Branding Iron, Kennewick 9p-1:30a $5
Live Music with Keith Scott Rattlesnake Mountain Brewing Company, Richland 7-10p
Elaine Eagle The Emerald of Siam, Richland 5-8p
Sport
Tri-Cities Dust Devils vs Hillsboro Hops Gesa Stadium, Pasco 6:30-10p $8-46
Midget Mayhem Wrestling & Brawling LIVE Pasco Eagles 5-7p and 8-10p $Unk, but can you really put a price on a show as this?
2nd Annual St. Joseph's Legacy Golf Tournament Canyon Lakes Golf Course, Kennewick 11a check-in, 1p gun start $160/pp $600 team/4
Plyometrics, Agility, & Speed Training- ALL ATHLETES WELCOME Southridge Sports & Events Complex, Kennewick 10:45-11:45a $7p
UKI Gamble fun match Fetch Sam, Pasco 1p
Lifted Ecstatic Dance - Flower Child Edition with Jennifer Lifted Lotus Yoga 2-3:30p $5 donation
PFLAGS Walk and Roll 3k Chiawana Park, Pasco 10a-1p
Better Together Spring 2024 5K Celebration Howard Amon Park, RIchland 8a

Sunday 19

Classes
Spring Fling Charcuterie Workshop Elk Haven Winery, Pasco 1-3p $Unk
Nutrition 101 Class Natural Grocers, Kennewick Sundays, 1p FREE
Chef's Wine Pairing Dinner Monterosso's Italian Restauraunt, Richland 5:30p $86pp
Goat Yoga with Bumper and Bliss The Studio Bespoke, Richland 1p $30pp
Events
Yu-Gi-Oh! Casual Play Caterpillar Cafe, Richland 12-4p
Adopt a Pet Day! Summer's Hub, Kennewick 11a-3p
Spring Blooms Floral Workshop Muret-Gaston Wine Bar, Kennewick 3-6p $65
Tumbleweed Pet Vaccine and Microchip Event Horse Heaven Hills Pet Urgent Care, Kennewick 8a-2p
Canvas Blowout Sale! Crepe Haus + El Compadre Restaurant, Kennewick 1-5p
Pokemon Pre-Release Twilight Masquerade Adventures Underground, Richland 11:30a-2:30p $35pp
Sport
Tri-City Dust Devils vs. Hillsboro Hops Gesa Stadium, Pasco 6:30p-10p $8-$45
Music
JJ Ofrancia Howard Amon Park, Richland 1-4p
Dustin Stecker celebration show with The Van Dels and Ghost Motor, and Mad Ruby Ray's Golden Lion, Richland 5p $10pp

Monday 20

LGBTQIA+ Craft Social Richland Public Library 6:30-8:30p Free
Moving Mondays with Jo Miller Summer's Hub, Kennewick 5:30p7:30p
Beers & Bikes Night Summers Hub 5-8p
Geeks Who Drink Trivia Night Moonshot Brewing, Kennewick 6:30-9p
Open Mic Night The Emerald of Siam, Richland 7p-12a Free

Tuesday 21

Beers and Bike N' Bikes Summers Hub Tuesdays 5-8p
Bingo Night at Wine Social 6:30-8:30p
Trivia Night Parkade Bar & Grill 7-10p
Game Night Live Trivia Iconic Brewing, Richland 6-8p
Music-Live Solo Guitar Music! Peter Janson Emerald of Siam, Richland 6-8p
allevents.in and visittri-cities.com

Hello, I’m looking for some easy to read Spanish novels. Maybe something a 3rd grader would read. If anybody has any fun suggestions please let me know!

Hello!

Welcome back to another week of what's on. This list will improve as time goes on. Dykes on Bikes has already gone, as has the LGBT business breakfast. If I've missed something or you would like to leave a review of your experience - let's have it! In the comments, of course.
Without further ado:
On the radio: Wednesday 15th of May 4ZZZ Radio - Tranzmission - Tuesdays - Podcast on Website 4ZZZ Radio - Dykes on Mykes - 1800 - 2000 4ZZZ Radio - Queer Radio - 2000 - 2200
Check out Wet's Recurring Events (men only, 18+) https://wet.com.au/pages/events
Check out the lineup at The Beat https://www.beatmegaclub.com.au/media
Last chance to vote for the Q-PAH Competition - Voting closes 17th May https://www.q-pah.org/qphc
Fluffy! https://www.fluffy.com.au/
The Quivr - from 1700 Thurs, Fri, Sat https://thequivr.com/ba
What: Brazilian LGBT+ Dance Party
Where: Stock Exchange
When: Sat
Tickets: About $22
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/proibidona-pink-edition-celebrating-1-year-tickets-893663310017
What: CaBBaret Shine Bright Like A Diamond Where: The Rosie Theatre When: Sat 1800 - 2200 Price: From $25 Ticket: https://events.humanitix.com/cabbaret-shine-bright-like-a-diamond
Sportsman Hotel
What: Queer Sister Smackdown - Head to Head When: Thursday from 2100 Bookings Recommended
What: Balls Out Bingo When: Friday from 2000 Bookings Essential
Saturday: Check website for Drag Shows and Lineup https://www.sportsmanhotel.com.au/
What: BrisBears Tradie Party Men Only Where: Bunker Bar @ the Sportsman Hotel Tickets: $10 https://brisbears.tidyhq.com/public/schedule/events/61623-hardware-a-tradie-party
The Wickham
What: Beer Garden Trivia When: Thursday from 1900 Tickets: Register on the night
What: Beyonce Cowboy Carter Party When: Saturday from 2100 Tickets: $22 https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/be22884a-711e-4cc8-9fdc-26b3dd6bdeb2
What: Balls Out Bingo When: Sunday from 1900 Bookings Essential
Come to Daddy
Wednesday: Karaoke/Open Mic Friday: DJ Aaron Maybus 1830-2130 Saturday: Drag! 1900, 2000, 2100 - Miz Minge and Miss Veeta Sunday: Dj Sessions - DJ Luze and Mitch Medcalf
Gold Coast - Hairy Marys Drag Race Viewing Party Saturday from 1500 https://www.hairymarys.com.au/whatson/drag-race-viewing-party
Gold Coast - The Pink Flamingo Zirque LaLa Friday 17th May - 3rd August Tickets from $48 https://pinkflamingogoldcoast.online.red61.com.au/event/2066:4/
Surfer's Paradise POPPERZ: Neon Cowboy Saturday 2200 - 0300 Tickets: from $12 https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/popperz-neon-cowboy-tickets-887469373787

My family has lived in a suburb of Houston for about 10 years, and unfortunately our city has had a huge increase in crime and drugs… especially our high school. We want to move further from the city, but my 3rd grader FREAKS out if we mention moving. I feel guilty because I was lucky enough to go to school with the same group of friends from Kinder-High School. I am so worried he will struggle making friends and resent us. Any experience moving a kid going into 4th grade? Advice? We also have a 6 year old and 5 year old, but they are fine with the idea.

Couple days ago I posted about how I don’t like that people tell me they can tell I have ADHD. And I figured out why. It’s because I hate it when people tell me what to do or pigeon hole me with out my say. It is one of my worst triggers. I’m honestly fine with being different or being disorganized. But, you try to tell me what I “am”….. 😡. When i got diagnosed, I thought I would be relieved. Instead, I just felt analyzed and like I had people telling me what to do (even if they were/are trying to be helpful). It was the same feeling I got when I was 8years old and I had to get special help for reading (also Dyslexic). I was just a 3rd grader, but I remember My first thought was “what the heck? I thought I was doing ok, why is everyone talking to me like I’m a sick baby?! Screw them, they don’t know me!” Anyway, I’m not sure what I’ll do with this realization. But it’s helpful to know where the feelings are coming from. And, I wanted to share Incase any of you have children who are ADHDers. I know the special Ed system is different now and my parents did their best. But, it was still painful. Anyway, thanks for reading. I hope this post helps someone.

Last week I subbed for a high school class twice. The first day, the 3 different classes were okay and they had different assignments. All the assignments were on their laptops and I had no access to them at all so I just reminded them to finish it and stay on course if they really looked like they weren't doing their work. During 3rd hour I hear a familiar noise coming from a students laptop, which sounds like a game. I, obviously thinking they're playing on a game they shouldn't be, quietly make my way to the student in question to take a peek at their screen before I bust them.
What I see FLOORS me. It's a clock face with 3 time options on the side. I look around to other students laptops and they're doing the same assignment. I double check my notes and see "Time and money activity" and I'm stunned. These kids are seniors in highschool. Their assignment is to read a fucking clock. The students I know tell me this is the type of work they always do and that no one cares about the teacher because she doesn't even bother teaching. I was and still and flabbergasted.
I can't express how sad I was when I saw that. Not only because it's busy work with no real benefit but because I had literally taught the exact same assignment to first graders the week previous. I had mentioned the curriculum to one of the vice principals since I'm friends with him and he just rolled his eyes, confirming what the kids told me. She is an irresponsible teacher with no accountability and will fudge the students grades just so they pass. They aren't learning anything from her, their other teachers complain about her students because she allows them to walk out of the room whenever, do their makeup in class, not do their work, etc and it apparently gives the kids a complex about not wanting to be in other classes because the other teachers actually have expectations of them.
I don't understand what the point in keeping a teacher around is when they don't teach and they actively hinder the students and fellow teachers from doing what they need to do. I understand the teachers union protects the teachers but protecting teachers like this is why people hate the union. These kids deserve better. They deserve to have their growing minds nurtured not neglected and I can't tell if I'm more sad or angry watching this train wreck.