i just know nico is texting toto like “FIX UR CAR LEWIS COULD HAVE WON IT YOU IDIOT” while sending lewis longing glances across the paddock

Sakhir GP Race Review

I held off writing this for a while so that I could collect my thoughts and not write out of frustration/anger/sadness/literally any negative emotion one can feel. However, I think I hold the crown as Pettiest Bitch Alive so I will try to be objective in the first half and be very much opinionated in the second half.

The lights went out, and George had a really good start despite being on the worse side of the track. Kimi ended up spinning at the same place Romain had his accident last week, but luckily the new tyre barrier wasn’t needed as Kimi just spun all the way around, not touching the wall. Only a few seconds later, Checo and Charles collided as Checo turned in on him through a corner. Technically Checo did have the right of the racing line, but he also left Charles nowhere to go. Max, who was right behind them, turned left to try and avoid their collision, but lost it a little, leading him straight into the unforgiving hands of the gravel trap as he traveled agonizingly across it and into the wall. Charles, with his front left suspension completely gone, also slid right in front of the wall, just a few feet from Max. These brought out a safety car, which was pretty bad for George as he pulled a Lewis and was gone after the first corner. George’s safety car restart was also very good, and he managed to maintain a gap to Valtteri of about 2 to 3 seconds. The race was fairly uneventful barring a VSC brought out by Nicky until shit hit the fan in the last quarter of the race. Jack managed to lose just the front of his front wing, ducking quickly into the pits, but debris still on the track. A VSC was brought out at first, but quickly turned into a full-on safety car. I don’t exactly remember every event that happened, but basically Mercedes made a bad call on a pit stop and managed to make a “colossal fuck up” in the wise words of Toto by putting Valtteri’s tyres on George’s car and nearly put George’s on Valttteri’s car until a mechanic realized and they switched at the last second, creating about a 27 second pit stop. This gave George no advantage however, as he immediately had to duck back into the pits, once again putting him and Valtteri on the same playing field. At this point, things were looking bad, but not impossible for George to recover from. Our hopes, dreams, and general happiness were all crushed when George got a puncture, meaning a race that could have been a 1-stop had turned into a 4-stop. By this point, there were less than 10 laps left, and George was down near 15th place. The shining moments for him, in my opinion, were those last 10 laps. His spirit must’ve been crushed, and they obviously were as he was crying after the race in parc ferme, yet he showed us what a strong person he is, and did something that no one really expected. He was pulling over a second a lap on Lando (P10), and ended up just over 2 seconds behind Valtteri, even with his additional pit stop. He easily had fastest lap, with his time (I believe) less than a millisecond over 53 seconds flat, an improvement of over three tenths from Bottas’s pole-taking time. Every fastest sector said one word: Russell. Instead of letting the mistake put him down like Valtteri seemingly did, George channeled that negative energy into proving himself, storming to his first, albeit bittersweet, points in Formula 1. After the race, Toto and Bono came on the radio to George, apologizing profusely to him and telling him that he did a great job, an obvious testament to how much they respect him.

Now for my opinions (this is literally just me venting because nothing makes me more upset than George being sad and a victory/podium being stolen from a driver, so feel free to skip because the opinions here prolly aren’t too popular):

Fuck you Checo. I really don’t have a problem with you but come on, man. You ended Charles and Max’s races when they both had incredible qualifyings, and even though it is a first lap incident, I’d say Checo was the one to blame, if anyone (feel free to disagree, again I’m the Pettiest Bitch Ever so I really don’t give a fuck). Yet, Checo was the only one who got away from that incident unscathed, got a free pit stop from the safety car that he created, and ended up winning not because he was the fastest, but because he took out two of the fastest people and the other two fastest people had stuff happen to them completely out of their control. Listen, I’m cool with Checo getting a win and all that shit, but I really don’t care. He’s had his time to prove himself and (unpopular opinion alert) so has Hulk. I love Hulk and don’t particularly care about Checo, but like come on, guys. There’s only so many times we can excuse your performances. They’ve had long enough to prove themselves, and Checo only just got around to it while Hulk still hasn’t fully proved himself. How many more chances can they ask for before people start saying no? They’ve had their chances and they blew it. So open up the seat for new drivers. Also words cannot describe how trash that podium combo was (for me, at least). I just turned off the TV because the sight of RP cheering while George was crying made me too upset, and I didn’t watch any of the podium interviews or even the podium itself (although it probably was nice to hear some different anthems). Also, I hope that this race will never be replayed because damn, it was worse than France 2019 (yes, I went there). At least France was expected to be boring and hit the standards set for it, but Bahrain initially exceeded expectations, then slammed them right into the ground, putting no mercy up for the kindest driver in F1 (he even gave Carlos, who he is not obligated or expected to help at all, a tow in quali! You can’t tell me he’s not a great person and unfortunately if you do, please remember my title and I’m not afraid to use it). 

In summary, I’m very upset and would rather watch the 2019 French GP than have to rewatch this race. At least I could sleep during France.

NIPPON GA DAI SUKI (JAPAN WE LOVE YOU)

Traveling to an exotic country sounds, well, exotic. And it is. It’s a true adventure in life. It’s also exhausting. And enlightening.

I’ve traveled afar throughout my entire adulthood. All over Europe, The Middle East, Egypt, Central America, Mexico, Eastern Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia… Florida. ;)

I give travel (and my parents, *ehem*) credit for keeping me grounded, humbled and modest, in the sense of “I AM BUT A SPECK ON THIS EARTH” or “MY BELIEF SYSTEM IS NOT EVERYTHING” or “I DON’T KNOW AS MUCH AS I THOUGHT I KNEW” or “I REALLY DON’T KNOW HOW I GOT BEST DRESSED IN HIGH SCHOOL” (read: France ;)).

Travel helps us all to get out of our comfort zone and to see what a tiny place we occupy on this planet. It’s a liberating realization, embracing one’s insignificance in this world. It’s not about being small, because none of us are. It’s more about the world being BIG.

Travel puts your life into perspective; your problems and celebrations do not hold as much weight as they seem. It also shows you how much you have or what you don’t have. It’s a healthy reality check.

That’s why travel is good for you.

I am reminded this after a crazy year. My husband and I have been on tour with our music (The Smoking Flowers) for a lot of 2018, in and out of the country. It’s been a healthy year of these reality checks for sure.

That’s why I am writing this post on my health blog, as this type of health is just as important as the physical.

And so I write.

I write to journal.

I write to inspire (myself, if no one else).

I write to remember.

I write because I am bored today, it’s cold outside and my matcha is steaming, infusing me with memories.

I’m also writing because I miss Japan.

Of all my travels, I think Japan smacked me across the head when I needed it most. It made me feel like I was five years old again. Everything, down to using the toilet, I had to relearn/rethink. Yep, it took 43 years off my life. Now that’s a natural youth serum I can live with.

It also made my brain function differently. Trying to learn a foreign language audibly and visually that has no history in the Latin world is truly a foreign language. I now know how to order water, draft beer, sake and vegetarian ramen in Japanese. Basics. (Although a friendly laugh is usually the response to the veggie ramen inquiry). I now know how to tell a Japanese punk band they did a great job after seeing them open up for us at our show. I learned to say just plain “awesome”, and used it a lot. Japanese is pretty “saikou”, after all.

Japan can feel very futuristic, and Tokyo is like being on a movie set at times. They are the future for most of the civilized world seemingly 10 years ahead of us all, yet still remaining ancient and historic at the same time. Eating sushi or having tea can be presented like it was 400 years ago or like something out of The Jetsons (ala conveyor belt computer sushi restaurants).

But beyond the exotic veil, it was the culture and etiquette that really impressed me and made my head spin.

Below are but a few observations of the plentiful Japanese culture I experienced over my month long visit. And of course, they are my own, so they are neither right nor wrong. Just observations from a somewhat worldly gal who grew up Southern in America:

1. The Japanese have manners like I’ve never seen.

They are unwavering in their politeness. Selfless hospitality is a cornerstone of Japanese culture, and you can feel it in everything down to their quiet nature to their cleanliness to the way they package your purchased goods like a present. And that bow! That Japanese bow. It makes you feel special.

2. They are startling quiet and calm.

Given that Tokyo houses more than 13 million people, the sense of order and calm as everyone goes about their responsibilities with concern for others is remarkable. The Tokyo city streets are shockingly silent. You can hear the air, the machinery hums that run a city and the cars passing, but they don’t honk like NYC. I think I heard two honks the entire time in Tokyo, and that’s not an exaggeration. We drove the interstates a ton on our tour, all over the country... aggressive driving doesn’t seem to exist. Could this be from their Zen culture?

Also, they don’t bump into you trying to get on the subway in a hurry. It’s an orderly line and gentle squeeze to fit everyone on the trains, like a can of sardines without the stink.

I want to throw in another aspect of “calm” here; safety.

Feeling safe, stable, and secure is central to our health and wellbeing. How safe we feel at home and in our neighborhood can influence our social habits and feeling of freedom. When we feel safe, we find it easier to relax, do all the things that comfort us, and focus on the work or study we need to do to help ensure our stability.

I’ve never felt safer anywhere in my life than when in Japan. I never worried about my purse or goods being stolen. Never worried about locking our apartment or car doors. Never got ogled at or hit upon. Wowza.

3. There’s no trash on the streets. And I mean zero. Not even cigarette butts. And it’s not like there are janitors sweeping the streets and alleys. To make this fact more amazing, it’s hard pressed to find trash bins anywhere. So where does a city of millions dispose of their goods while walking/biking about? Their pockets… until they reach home to throw in appropriate bins.

RETRACTION: One time we were walking under an over pass in Tokyo and we saw, gasp, trash. The remarkable thing was that this trash was piled neatly in a small pile, waiting anxiously to be picked up properly.

For an interesting article on Japan and the waste culture check out this article: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/07/why-japanese-dont-litter/

4. They seem to really care about the planet.

And don’t just post about it on social media.

You won’t find paper towels anywhere, sans a few nice restaurants. Water waste is thoughtfully considered in everything they do it seems. Yes, even the toilet fill water after a flush is used as a sink to wash your hands before entering the tank. They line dry their clothes (like most of the world except America). They ride bicycles like it’s Amsterdam on steroids. There are even parking lots just for bikes. This eliminates the need for excess taxis on the streets (i.e. “fossil fuels”). I know this goes on all over the world, but I again, I’m sticking to Japan here.

5. Buddhism and Shintoism.

I have practiced Buddhism since my 20’s and see it as more of a mind set and lifestyle than a religion. So for me, I felt right at home in a country that houses over 77,000 temples (No typo there). Incense permeates the air, especially in Kyoto. Smelled like my house and I couldn’t have been happier about that aspect.

But it’s more than Buddhism. The main Japanese religion is Shintoism. Many Japanese people practice both. The beliefs are very compatible and not contradictory.

6. ROBOTIC TOILETS!

Japan has a magic thing called Toto Toilets. And the toilet culture there is really something to behold. I fell in love with their toilets and never once worried to sit on the public toilet seat. I can simply not go back to our classic Kohler again. Trust me, once you experience a heated seat, self-cleaning, massaging, butt-cleaning, “privacy sound”, hand-washing toilet all in one small package, you’ll never go back. Don’t know how to expand on this in a blog… just “go” try it for your self.

7. 7- Eleven heaven!

Yep, you heard this health advocate correctly. When you are looking for a healthy bite on the road or on the quick, there’s a 7-Eleven on every corner. And it’s not the 7-Eleven we know in this country at all! Made fresh daily veggie sushi, veggie rice “sandwiches”, miso soup, raw veggies, healthy drinks, tea, fairly healthy snacks if you are into the packaged food thing. All for super cheap. I cannot tell you what a lifesaver it was on the road for us when there were practically no healthy options. Also, we decided to add fish into our diet while in Japan, and certainly glad we did. I’ve never had better fish in my life. It really felt healthy. My nails are still shiny like they’ve been shellacked. Win win.

8. VENDING MACHINES!

Super convenient and anonymous, there are vending machines all over Japan (even in remote villages) that can get you most anything you need instantly: from fermented bean drinks to green tea to hot or cold coffee to fully cooked meals to used panties. Yep, the Japanese can get weird.

Ok, so maybe the last three points are less about culture, but I had to throw them in for the “wow” factor.

I could go on and on about Japan… it’s as wide and deep and old and beautiful as it’s countryside beacon Mt. Fuji. But it has its pitfalls too. No culture is perfect. I just prefer to focus on the ideals I look up to, rather than focusing on the negatives. Their negatives are no different than America’s: too much sugar and meat in the diet, it’s a highly misogynistic society, cigarettes, stressful six day work weeks with long hours, those darn plastic bags… But we all know those are WORLD WIDE ISSUES.

Japan, you definitely stole my heart. Thank you to all who came to our shows and to those that showed us your rare style of hospitality. And a huge special thanks to my tour manager, Gus Bennett, who introduced my husband and me to this beautiful country, showed us the ropes and helped us navigate into this great unknown that will certainly be with me forever.

Mata, chikai uchini, aeruto iine.

Photo credit: Marley Parker at ML Parker Media

also the way everyone and their mother and god was testing lewis hamilton yesterday like that man cannot get to ferrari fast enough