(1/28) happy nico day 🥳🥳🥳🥳🎉🎂🎈🎁🔥🔥🧯🧑‍🚒🚒

Felicity Megan Smoak-Queen really can have it all!

Genius, bamf, wife, mother, hero, and HBIC of Smoak Technologies!!!!  EPISODE 7x17 SPOILERS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

SMOAK TECH RISE! After we’ve waited for 84 years, Felicity is finally launching Smoak Tech in the present using the ‘Archer’ program.  I am so excited for this precious bean to create her company and make a difference in the world the way she has wanted for so long.  She already has her first employee--Alena who finally got a last name Whitlock.  And who I now fear might be killed in the line of duty.  Let’s hope I’m wrong and just enjoy the cuteness.

I am also emotional af since we are inching closer to the end and even though we’ve known about Archer for months (thanks FFs), seeing it in the present hit me right in the Olicity feels that Felicity named her premiere pilot program as a homage to her husband.  Do you ever just cry over how much Felicity Smoak loves Oliver Queen and how proud she is of him?!?

Perfect reason to use one of my favorite gifs of all time. :)  Felicity does think the world of Oliver and most of the time, I do too. Oliver being epic tonight was when he took out like ten baddies all by his bamf self and then arrowed the drones in rapid succession.  Not so epic was Oliver being willfully naive and blindly trusting of Emiko.  Including but not limited to bringing her to the secret Arrow lair that his brilliant wife just got restored.  Although Emiko made a fan of Felicity when she found out that Emiko was the one who killed Diaz.  

Probably won’t feel that way once Emiko goes after Archer. :/  In the meantime, Oliver’s guilt complex was back in full force and he believes he can make up for his father abandoning Emiko by saving her from the Ninth Circle.  Oliver still hasn’t quite figured out a couple of things:  1. you cannot save someone who doesn’t want to be saved; and  2. it is not necessary or even very prudent for him to always try to fix his parents’ wrongs.  And there’s a whole lotta wrongs.

Oliver keeps looking backward to heal the hurts of the past.  But those wounds can’t be healed; time turns them into scars that we carry with us, whether they are external or internal.  Our scars teach us lessons and serve as a catalyst for change.  Oliver knows this from experience.  That experience and those scars are what drive Oliver and his huge marshmallow heart to try to right the wrongs his family created.   He hasn’t quite realized he can only redeem it by living his best life in the light and truth of the present.  Which he is already doing.  As his amazing wife has told him repeatedly, Oliver is better than his parents’ legacy.

Yes, Oliver.  Let go of the past.  Focus on the present and future.  Listen to your wife.  Always.  She’s super smart.  That’s one of the reasons you married her.  And now those impeccable genetics are part of a tiny human you created.  That should be a reason Oliver wants to redeem his family name and maybe it is but they didn’t mention it.   I was glad they had BS point out the obvious blind spot Oliver has and then Diggle discuss the fact we’ve tread this road before with him and Andy.   But the difference is the emotional connection that John had with his long-lost sibling had been established since season 1 well before we saw them reunited and then at odds in season 4.   Emiko was introduced as an unknown quantity and then once unmasked, hated Oliver.  This was only maybe the 2nd or 3rd time they have interacted.  Arrow waited too long to try and hinge such a huge emotional impact on a character we’ve barely had a chance or a reason to connect with.  I’m sorry that Oliver has been betrayed by someone else he cared about but not at all surprised and quite frankly, he shouldn’t be either.  

And IMHO, the only family that Oliver should be concerned about at this point is Felicity, William, and baby Smoak-Queen.  (Also, the Diggle family since John seems to be fully restored to the Dig we know and love).  One look from Felicity and John went with Oliver to Emiko’s hideout and gave him a tried and true Yoda Diggle talk.  These are the dynamics I really hoped they would focus on. 

But instead we had to hash out some more plot and in an interesting but kinda sudden twist, we find out Emiko isn’t just part of the Ninth Circle, she is their leader.  So when did Dante hand over the reins?  And why?  We also find out that she knew about (or helped orchestrate?) the Queen’s Gambit bomb plot.  Apparently, Robert Queen pissed so many people off, that boat was going down no matter what.  He at least left his son with some encouraging words.

He did.  He survived the event that altered his life forever.  The source of his scars.  His catalyst for change.  The start of Oliver’s journey that brought him tremendous pain and loss.  But also ultimately led him to find his purpose and the love of his life.  Years after returning to Star City, he made it home and is making it better.  

We got a cute Olicity moment in the lair when Felicity was comforting Oliver with one hand on his face and the other resting on her belly while Oliver looked at her in his broody affectionate way.  I really would have liked if Oliver had placed his hand on hers.  He doesn’t need to be super overbearingly protective now that Felicity is pregnant but some little demonstrative touches would sure be nice to show he is thinking of their future, especially when the dialogue is lacking.  Also, what happened to the little kisses?  Yes, I’m greedy.  We only have so many episodes left and I want all the adorable Olicity moments we possibly can.  

We’re now entering a three-week hiatus, fam.  Also, don’t forget when they return on April 15, it will be an hour later.  Please let the writers utilize the new time slot appropriately by letting Olicity have dessert.  7x20 is coming up.  Let’s see if the writers were smart enough to capitalize on this amazing chemistry and continue in the fine tradition of 3x20 and 5x20 epic love scenes! ;)

Resurfacing a piece gifted to Genevieve and Sunja following their wedding day a year ago. Happy Anniversary to the both of you.

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We were due for a Genja Solstice. 

I remember meeting the both of you for the first time. Genevieve, popping up near my desk, new from New York and more professional and tenured than the entire GREYSF staff put together (...we’d find out ...sorry, MJ), and Sunja coming to meet us in those first few days, hanging out near the window at work, catching up in the light of the sun and on whatever drama that particular day served up. I remember the friendship growing, mostly through G at work. And by way of being her work wife, falling in love with Sunja in parallel. You cannot hear the way G talks about Sunja and not - the depth of her caring is so evident in how she speaks of him. We have unbelievable memories from those first 2 years; from 2am pitch nights to 2am hamburgers.

I also remember Genevieve's feeble attempt at conniption fit over a New Years Eve - just wanting a proposal, a ring - to be Sunja’s wife. Pouting outside of the Make Out room trying to make a point - I’m laughing right now recalling it. I remember feeling that Sunja’s greatest art was his romance to Genevieve - the art pieces, the jean jackets, the hours toiling at night in secrecy to bring these things to life - and asking him to push a deadline up on the most precious form of romance and commitment - a proposal - would go against every fiber of his creativity. Good things take time.

Well thank the Lord you did it Sunja, and made way for us to have a front row seat to what would be one of the most iconic weddings I’ve attended in my lifetime.

Genja Solstice was the first break in the hiatus of weddings I’ve experienced for the last 4 years. I’ve never been able to complain about how many weddings/ showers/ bachelorettes I’ve got to juggle physically and financially for the summer – I just don’t have enough close friends. I’m okay with it. This past weekend in Dripping, though .... was a hell of a falling off the wagon.

I love you, Genevieve, and I love Sunja. Both magical in your existence, unapologetically yourselves, and unsparing in doling out your love for each other in personal, non-flashy ways. It feels so real. In Talib’s foreword, I registered with the notion of G being “scared to introduce her friends to Sunja… out of fear they would like him more.” He is a fresh thing, untarnished by the outside world, blossoming and loving and gentle. He is so damned likeable. And, as previously mentioned, he will forever be my Burger King - the only man I’ve truly ever eaten in non-tensioned silence with - peeling off to a relic burger joint two doors down while the rest of our friends partied for a birthday.

Genevieve, you command any room you enter, squinty-eyed as you hone focus on your next victim (you refuse to wear glasses whaaaaaat whyyyyyyy),** let laughs escape from deep in your soul, and are forward and open and strong in your convictions. I have once, rather famously said “To Genevieve, fact and opinion are the same.” Genevieve, if you were a professional athlete, I whole heartedly believe you’d play scrappy ... for the sheer fun of it.

Your bachelorette was the event I began to believe in humanity again. Before I touch on the supernaturality of the friend group, do know that I am a generally fear-laced, anxiety-prone human. I need alone time. I need sleep. I need deep and constant hydration. I need to talk about these things with whoever will listen. The love and fun of G’s friends that weekend taught me I might not need any of those things if I am enjoying myself and the company I keep, enough. The group of friends should be studied closely, appreciated for the individual traits and how they contribute to the ecosystem of the group. I felt like I was on safari, but if you got to hang out with the animals close up and they give you lots of compliments. People in the crew do what they want when they want to do it, with the team behind them cheering them on - usually with a “FUCK ME UP!”. They make decisions, and laugh together at the wrong ones, and prefer anything that makes for a better story.

G’s friends are family. There are actual real-life family units within this chosen family, but the sibling connection you feel and the peace a loving one provides is palpable. It contributes to the strength of the tribe. There is no competition. If there are big feelings, the words associated with them are released immediately - unsavory sentiments do not stay trapped within this group. I could speak on their beauty and palate of ethnicities and skin tones and hand movements and hair textures that I am absolutely mesmerized by; how they speak so freely, handle their business and work, and never seem tired. About how every conversation is a deep one. How intelligent each of them is - another thread of similarity none of them seem acknowledge but all just know. They understand life is for living, and they lean into experiences with reckless abandon. I learned this weekend they all said yes to moving to New York some years ago while rolling to Boyz Noize. They actually did it. I’m still shaken up.

The wedding weekend started slowly for me, at my weekend cottage, so beautiful and out in the open that I felt as though I was checking into rehab. I could have stayed there for 3 months of summer, easily. Doing nothing and losing my edge. There is a bench swing attached to an oak tree that I will bring my morning coffee to and swing for about an hour. After a stint of getting unreasonably lost with Uber (Does this story belong here? Probably not), I make way to the event, excited to see everyone but somehow overwhelmed by anxiety. Bird, my guardian angel, pulls me aside for a conversation that becomes something much bigger. About my thoughts holding me back, what I have to offer to this world, and how to tap into strength and be my own source of abundance, acceptance and love. It will trigger me to go home that night, stay up 3 hours listening to The Women Who Run with Wolves (completing the book by the end of the weekend), and decide I am going to make some cataclysmic changes in my life to direct it where it needs to go. Weirdly, I’m realizing, the weekend does become a rehab.

Saturday is a day and night out in Austin with new friends. I am out eating lunch alone, in one place, in all of Texas, and I see them outside. I had been texting with Amber and we had planned to meet up later, but by some stroke of luck, mid-bite of brisket, they materialized in front of me. Of all the restaurants, of all the cities, of all the people. They were only outside because Rachel wanted to buy a homeless woman food. The day was more good conversations, sugary shots from the bartender at Jackalopes Scates took $120 from the night prior, which would turn to me playing dice with Scates and 5 beautiful, dangerous, dirty, tattooed men (I thought Austin was going to have more cowboys?), bars bars bars, vegan bowls and drinks and dancing at gay bars. We become part of a block party on 6th Street while walking and eating pizza and checking out some snakes.

We find out the next day Courtney will much later lock herself out of her hotel room in the middle of the night while naked, and have to yank down a common area curtain to go speak to the concierge. You cannot repeat this story unless she brings it up because I don’t even think I am supposed to know it. In any event, Genevieve has more wonderful friends who I also want to be friends with for as long as they’ll let me.

Saturday is the wedding. G, despite it being your fucking wedding weekend, you make it a point to think of me, text me how much I mean to you on Friday night, and graciously extend an invite for me to come whenever. So, beyond thoughtful. I take up the opportunity after lunch in Drippings with Courtney, Rachel and Sarah, who got rear ended an hour before by a 16 year old named Luke Harrison Ford who was late for his summer lifeguarding job… truly. We do make-up to Staple Sisters, people have wine to kill the nerves that hangovers have generously exacerbated, and we head out. I head down to the area G had toured me the night before with her sick ass pony, to have my breath taken away by the backdrop of the ceremony and the weight of realizing... it’s here. Baby’s breath peppers the alter that will frame the ceremony of two people I love, and behind them, a crystal clear creek with cattails, sweet little frogs, and ciccaedas chirping. We have a warm breeze (is there anything better in this life?), and New York style park jazz playing for us.

Sarah and I keep looking around (why? we still don’t know). We are talking to each other but neither of us are listening. And then the moment is here. The xx plays, and lithe, beautiful Talib appears, his shoulders back and down, gliding along the white rose petals, to the archway he will officiate from. He is the perfect entity to accept and deliver the responsibility of officiating a wedding and a lifetime of love together. He professes on the subject of Love. It sounds metaphorical, it is not. You could register for one of his courses. For this - it couldn’t be more meaningful. Sunja surfaces in a suit that makes me want a suit - mauve crush velvet. His skin is glowing. Next is Mona and Austin, followed by Bella and Jared, Sunja’s siblings, and the Plahey girls. When Ajinder and Parmeet surface, I have goosebumps. For most of this 95 degree event, I will be showing anyone who will give me the time of fucking day, that I have goosebumps. Women are so beautiful and powerful, and knowing the heart of the bride is in both these girls hands and safe forever. I think of the secrets and stories and laughter they have shared in this lifetime. These are the girls. They sit down in front of Sarah and I, with their thick, tousled hair, in their blush chiffons, fanning themselves in the heat and air that is rich with love.

After what felt like eternity, escorted on each side by her loving parents, Genevieve emerges.

I do not plan on crying at this wedding but will end up crying violently at this wedding. It is not me, watching Genevieve walk down the aisle and imagining myself – something that triggers crying so often for people. No. This is me, seeing Genevieve, the bride who is so beautiful and has wanted this since she was itty bitty and embodied what it means to be a good partner whole heartedly. She is walking down that aisle and passing the threshold, no matter her fears and hurts and worries that day or that lifetime has served up to her, knowing she can handle it and that her marriage will continue to conquer these hurdles that she is challenged with, and she will chose to show up anyways. Knowing how important this day was and her friendships were there, did it for me. It was at this wedding that I got it.

The vows are beautiful – and I refuse to say which was better even though I know Genevieve is reading this hoping I will reveal it. I will not. It was Sunja’s.

In all seriousness, the vows were exactly what we hoped for and what we needed. Each were laced with words that spoke as much to the person reciting them a as the person they were meant for.  And when the you both faced us and acknowledged the crowd, something I had never seen before, it felt so, so meaningful. I was absolutely honored to be there.

And when it was time, Talib, whose cadence and low voice guided us so eloquently and calmly through the ceremony, announced you both life partners. I was deeply moved. 

There are moments in a wedding that you feel that what you are watching is some kind of a movie, show, or form of entertainment. The bride is with you but mentally on to the next table, conversation, or portion of the evening, playing out everything in her head, the angles for the camera, making sure nothing about the evening is out of place or captured incorrectly. There is a high alert. It feels like you are observing a celebrity amongst common folks. There are outfits, customs and traditions that are reserved for weddings that don’t make much sense outside of them (or in them for that matter), but this wedding had none of that. There was a moment, where myself, on the other side of the room, waiving at G, and honestly dumbfounded when I saw her wave back at me. How was she even noticing me right now? So beautiful and glowing and in the spotlight. But GENEVIEVE ALWAYS NOTICES. And I know it would have been so easy to embody the alternative, I appreciate Genevieve so much during this wedding for stepping outside of the standard bride role and being who we came to support all along – her.

We have a bit of well-timed southern summer rain, some wine, some more excellent music choices. Grimes??? I’m shaken. And the dances. In a very moving moment, Sunja’s mother joins him standing, and supported by him, for a single song. I can only imagine what this meant to each of them. I look at Amber, a table over, who is crying into the sky. You cannot prepare for how these moments will take you away. 

We have incredible food and BBQ from the famed Salt Lick. This also leads me to my next tangent - almost everything that has been served up to me, from the locations of these bachelorette and wedding events, to the food and experiences at them, WAS STUFF I WOULD HAVE GONE LOOKING FOR ON MY OWN. It felt like you guys were truly looking out for our best interests and offering experiences you we would enjoy doing. It was such a gift. 

The speeches delivered from Adela, Parmeet and Ajinder were windows into G’s former adolescent and collegiate life. Each breathed to life with the personality of the story teller, including Parmeet’s impressive 6-page narrative, which allegedly when confirmed by the wedding coordinator, Genevieve approved with negative hesitation.

As one may expect, once the dance floor opened up we about blew the roof off the place. Most of us were busting at the seams waiting for gen pop to get the okay to infiltrate. I danced with Joe, I danced with Jake, I danced with Talib and almost died from cardiac arrest in the process of keeping up. Sometimes it was all too much for my little heart to handle that I had to face on the goddamn window to settle myself the hell down. Everyone at that event held their own. Everyone at that event realizes their power as individuals is as important as their power as a group. No place is as telling as this as a dance floor. It was the most beautiful way to share the evening with people. 

On that note, I want to thank both you and Sunja for this window into your life and love beyond what I already knew. Outside of the wedding itself, which I would lift directly and replicate for myself if I could, you are living out a truth in love that is honoring you as individuals as much as it is as you as partners. I want that. It was clear as day to me that my current path was not this, and I guess Ajinder felt it too, because we both went home and broke up with the people we were seeing. When it’s real, it’s real.

At the end of the weekend it was very clear to me what was important in this life - it is the relationships those who you surround yourself with on this journey. You are truly blessed if you get to laugh with them, which we both know, YOU ARE. You have not only incredible friends, Genevieve, but the most incredible best-friend to call your husband. I am honored to have witnessed this evening, considering it a pivoting moment in my own realization for the life I want to lead, and look forward to seeing the rest of your story unfold.

May we dance on many more floors together.

Love you both,

T

6.22.19

**((update here G came over last night and now she wears very cool, very hip tortoise shell glasses) 

Column: Already a winner

New Post has been published on https://grandpx.news/column-already-a-winner/

Column: Already a winner

  2019 sees one of the most exciting shake-ups of the driver market in recent years, but one name that will be returning to the F1 fold stands out above them all. Having completed only a handful of laps in the first pre-season test at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, the jury is very much still out on Robert Kubica’s anxiously awaited return to full-time F1 racing. However, before we learn how much Williams has been able to improve on last season’s offering, or how much of the scintillating performance- from his first career- Robert Kubica can rekindle. Let’s consider the scale of his gargantuan comeback and celebrate the rarity of such an achievement.

  Cast your mind back- if you can- to the 2010 F1 season. In the U.K, Gordon Brown was succeeded by David Cameron at No.10, in the U.S, Obama was 2 years into his first term as president of the United States of America and in F1- Sebastian Vettel won the first of his four World Championships to date, snatching the title away from Fernando Alonso at the final race in Abu Dhabi. Aside from the beginning of an incredible winning streak for Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull and the return of Michael Schumacher into the F1 Paddock in 2010- we also witnessed a simply astonishing season of driving from one Robert Kubica, qualifying and racing his Renault into positions it had absolutely no right to be in. At Monaco, a track where overcoming car deficiencies with driver skill is still very much possible, he managed to qualify his Renault 2nd on the grid, a mere 3 tenths of a second behind pole-sitter and Monaco specialist, Mark Webber, and a full second and a half ahead of team-mate Vitaly Petrov (who qualified 14th). There are numerous Kubica 2010 achievements to consider, but in terms of pure speed, talent and ability; none do him a better service than qualifying 2nd and converting that to a finishing position of 3rd in the race with a car that in other hands failed to reach the top 10 in qualifying. Often praised by the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso as one of the very best, his efforts in F1 had not gone unnoticed by the top tier teams- it has since been revealed that he had even signed a pre-agreement to drive for Ferrari in 2012. Back in early 2011, it looked as if Robert Kubica along with Hamilton, Alonso and Vettel was going to dominate F1 for the foreseeable future. However, these hopes and expectations were suddenly and violently put on hold when in February 2011, Robert- competing of his own volition in an Italian Rally- suffered life-changing injuries as his car collided with an Armco-barrier that pierced into the cabin, impaling Robert in the process. His consequent injuries were horrendous- nearly losing his right hand alongside compound fractures to his elbow and leg. The same rugged determination that served Kubica so well in racing undoubtedly contributed to his remarkably speedy return to racing. Despite breaking the same leg again slipping on ice near his home in early 2012- as if to prove a point- Robert got into a rally car again on the 9th of September that same year! His competitive spirit and skills behind the wheel seemed undiminished as he went on to win the event by well over a minute, nonetheless, the confines of a single-seater did not give his right arm and hand enough space to operate. Undeterred, he went on to make successful appearances in other forms of motorsport, such as winning the 2013 title in the World Rally Championship’s WRC2 class and the ’14 European Rally Championship season-opener, Tests in GP3, Formula E and LMP2 machinery followed before a return to F1 machinery in a test for his old Renault team at Valencia in June of 2017. Lewis Hamilton summed up his thoughts on the Pole’s talents before a test later that year at Hungary’s tight and twisty Hungouring, “Robert’s one of the quickest drivers I’ve ever raced against, If he was still racing he’d be up in contention for the world title if not have won one. Just raw natural talent which in the sport is a shame we don’t have here with us. Not a lot of great, great drivers come through. It filters and then filters down, you have some that are much better than the rest but then still not the greatest. Then you have real special drivers like him.”

Why does this matter now? That 2017 test came at a relatively mature point in Robert’s comeback to F1. Rather tellingly, after an intense assessment from Renault, he was not offered a seat with Renault for 2018. It’s hard not to imagine that Renault would have snapped him up if he had fully recaptured the abilities that secured him 2nd place in qualifying at the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix. Late in 2017, Kubica had already begun testing for Williams, but after an inconclusive end of season in Abu-Dhabi, where his qualifying runs were not on a par with the heavily inexperienced Sergey Sirotkin, Robert had to make do with operating as reserve driver for Williams during the 2018 season before being confirmed as part of the 2019 Williams driver line-up. The pertinent and obvious question is, how much of the 2010 vintage Robert Kubica are we likely to see this year? Will he continue to improve with more time? Or will we need to be satisfied with the fact that it’s an absolute miracle, comparable with Alex Zanardi’s come back to full-time racing after losing both legs racing in a CART (formerly a rival series to Indycar) event, that Robert has made it this far?

Reflecting on his return to F1 late last year Robert intimated that “From the human point of view, I understand and see the point that it is a story that probably nobody has believed. Probably the only one who never gave up was myself and the people around me. We all knew that it might be something not achievable. This shows that somehow nothing is impossible. From the driving point of view, you just have to wait a few months and you will see. If I would not be able to drive competitively enough, I would not be here. It is a normal way of thinking that people see my limitations and ask how it is possible I can do it, and I know it is hard to believe. But Williams has seen it this year and I have seen it in the last 16 or 18 months since I first drove an F1 car in Valencia last year that I can do it, thanks to work, but also that my limitations are not limiting me as most people are thinking. Deputy team principal Claire Williams further endorsed the Pole’s incredible comeback: “It is a great credit to his strength of character and tenacity to return to Formula 1. He has a level of determination that is remarkable to see.” There can be no doubting the magnitude of Robert’s return to F1, his levels of determination to drive- to all intents and purposes- with one hand is obviously remarkable. But what would be fascinating to learn, is whether Renault would pass again on the opportunity to sign their former “Monaco Magician” if they assessed him now in 2019, with Robert having had more time to recover and gain knowledge of current F1 machinery. Remember, a lot has changed since he last competed in 2010- much wider cars with possibly the highest levels of downforce ever seen, totally different power units with various elements of hybrid technology and perhaps most importantly- entirely different tyres (the rock solid “Bridgestone” Tyres of 2010 required an entirely different style of driving to the still comparably fragile Pirelli tyres of today, Robert was a master of braking late whilst steering into the corner- certainly not a good idea in current F1). In an interview with F1’s in house podcast “Beyond the Grid” with Tom Clarkson, Kubica remarked that the muscle memory of driving the narrower-bodied cars from his first stint in F1 served him very well in his 2017 Valencia test for Renault in their 2012 car but that the wider dimensions of the 2017 and onward cars put him into the position of almost being a rookie. Evidently, there has been a re-learning process for Kubica, both in terms of coming to terms with an altered body and also vastly different F1 machinery.

  What can we expect from Robert in 2019? Undoubtedly, he will not be picking up where he left off in 2010, just the time away from F1 without his injuries would make that impossible (one only has to think of how long it took Michael Schumacher to get up to speed following his 4-year hiatus from the sport), but as he remarks above- he wouldn’t be on the grid if he wasn’t up to the required standard. Instead of lamenting the untimely curtailing of his first career in F1, let’s celebrate an unlikely comeback that ranks alongside any in the world of sport. Welcome back Robert, we’ve missed you.