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the-himawari · 9 months

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A3! Hyodo Kumon - Translation [SSR] MANKAI Feature (3/3)

*Please read disclaimer on blog; default name set as Izumi

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Misumi: We’ve finished changing~.

Kazunari: Everyone looks totes adorbs as ever~!

Tenma: The last time I put this costume on was for Rio’s earlier spin-off story.

Kumon: Look, Director! I brought my plushie Chacha with me. Can Chacha watch the show from the audience?

Izumi: Sure, I don’t mind.

Kumon: Awesome, thanks! I’m gonna go and be right back, ‘kay!

*runs off*

Tenma: I didn’t think he’d bring it all the way here…

Kazunari: Eh, it’s fine! That’s what today’s star Kumopi wants to do!

Misumi: Kumon looked happy when he said he wants Chacha to watch~.

-pause-

Kumon: Thanks for waiting!

Izumi: Everyone looks all set. Alright, let’s start filming!

-pause-

Izumi: (Rio and Chacha are unwinding and relaxing in Jack’s room.)

Chacha [Kumon]: “*Sigh*~. I’m stuffed!”

Rio [Tenma]: “The food today hit the spot.”

Chacha [Kumon]: “…Huh? Jack’s getting ready to leave!” “Where are you going, Jack? Take me with you!”

Jack: “Hm? Do you want to play? There, there. We’ll take our time and play once I come back home, alright?”

Chacha [Kumon]: “Ehehe~. It feels nice getting pats from Jack~.”

Rio [Tenma]: “Oi, don’t let the petting fool you. We’re going to get left behind if we don’t hold our ground! I’m sure Jack is heading to the bar.”

Chacha [Kumon]: “Ah! It felt so good, I forgot!” “If he’s going to the bar, then I’d like to see Ray and Ruy. We have to make him bring us!”

Rio [Tenma]: “I’ll back you up. Jack, take us with you!”

Jack: “What’s this? You want to play too, Rio? I’m going out, so you two should play together and wait for me.”

Chacha [Kumon]: “That’s not it! We’re going with you!”

Rio [Tenma]: “Guh, he’s not getting our message…”

Chacha [Kumon]: “Ah, I know! If we take our leashes that we use for walks and show it to Jack…”

Jack: “Leashes? Oh, do you guys want to go with me?”

Chacha [Kumon]: “Yeah! That’s right, Jack!”

Rio [Tenma]: “Did he finally get it?”

Jack: “So that’s what you want. My bad. Well, alright… let’s go out together then.”

Chacha [Kumon]: “Yay~!”

Rio [Tenma]: “Jack spoils us quite a bit, doesn’t he?”

Chacha [Kumon]: “That goes to show how much he loves us!”

-pause-

Izumi: (The bar’s mascot dogs greet the two dogs who arrived with Jack.)

Ray [Misumi]: “Chacha, Rio. You’re here.”

Ruy [Kazunari]: “Welcome.”

Chacha [Kumon]: “Ray, Ruy! It’s the first time in a while!”

Rio [Tenma]: “I never thought this place would become Jack’s favourite shop.”

Chacha [Kumon]: “Hehe. I’m glad! Because of that, we get to see Ray and Ruy all the time, just like this!”

Izumi: (Ever since Ray and Ruy saved them from the mafia guard dogs behind the store…) (The four have actually met several times and became good friends with each other.)

Jack: “Haha, you sure get along well. I’ll be having a drink over there, so you boys be good, alright?”

Chacha [Kumon]: “Okay!”

Rio [Tenma]: “Ray, Ruy. Has the public safety around here been alright these days?”

Chacha [Kumon]: “There hasn’t been anything troubling you?”

Ruy [Kazunari]: “It’s been fine.”

Ray [Misumi]: “We get some drunk patrons at the bar from time to time though.”

Rio [Tenma]: “I see. Give us a holler anytime something happens.”

Izumi: (Rio and Chacha follow in the footsteps of Jack who’s a police officer… Fufu, it makes me smile no matter how many times I see it.)

Chacha [Kumon]: “…Huh?” “Is it just me or is that customer…”

Rio [Tenma]: “Why’d you go silent all of a sudden?”

Chacha [Kumon]: “That man over there is kind of suspicious. He’s been glancing around and fidgeting for a while now.”

Ray [Misumi]: “Huh? Which man?”

Ruy [Kazunari]: “…You’re right. He’s acting shady.”

Rio [Tenma]: “It is strange…”

Suspicious man: “…”

Chacha [Kumon]: “! He left the store without paying his bill! He drank and dashed!” “We gotta chase after him!”

*runs off*

Rio [Tenma]: “Oi, Chacha!”

Chacha [Kumon]: “I’ll go after him, so you go get Jack!”

Ray [Misumi]: “We’ll go with you!”

Ruy [Kazunari]: “Leave Chacha to us!”

Rio [Tenma]: “Urgh, got it! I’m counting on you!”

-pause-

Chacha [Kumon]: “Darn it~. That guy… where the heck did he go?” “*Sniff, sniff*… that’s his scent! Over here!”

Ray [Misumi]: “Yeah. That’s his scent, alright.”

Ruy [Kazunari]: “Let’s go!”

*runs*

Chacha [Kumon]: “AH!”

Ruy [Kazunari]: “I can see him up ahead!”

Chacha [Kumon]: “I won’t let him get away! Woof, woof, woof!!”

*runs*

Izumi: (Chacha runs at full speed, faster than he’s ever run before. He throws himself into the man who just happened to stop.)

*hits*

Suspicious man: “GYAHH!?”

Chacha [Kumon]: “You there! Pay up!”

Ray [Misumi]: “You’re charged with drinking and dashing!”

Ruy [Kazunari]: “You're not going to get away with this! Bark, bark!”

Suspicious man: “W-what the hell is up with these dogs! Stop! Let go of me!”

Rio [Tenma]: “Are you alright, Chacha!? I’ve brought Jack with me!”

Chacha [Kumon]: “Jack, I caught the drinker and dasher!”

Jack: “W-what’s going on? I was suddenly dragged here by Rio…” “Hm? Was this guy at the bar earlier?”

Rio [Tenma]: “That’s right! He didn’t pay his bill!”

Chacha [Kumon]: “He drank his fill and ran for it! Woof, woof!”

Jack: “With the way Chacha and Rio are acting… I assume this guy did something.” “Police here. I’d like to speak with you.”

Suspicious man: “Gah…! U-uhh…”

-pause-

Izumi: (A few days after that incident…)

Chacha [Kumon]: “I can see the ocean from this park! It feels great~!”

Rio [Tenma]: “We’ve never been here before.”

Jack: “Chacha, Rio. Thanks to you two, we were able to catch the drinker and dasher.” “Especially you, Chacha. You did amazing stopping the criminal in his tracks.” “Another job well done, you two!”

Chacha [Kumon]: “Ehehe~!”

Rio [Tenma]: “It was nothing. We’re Jack’s dogs, after all!”

Chacha [Kumon]: “Yeah! It’s our job to protect the citizens!”

Rio [Tenma]: “You got that right!”

Jack: “Here. I bought a new toy as your reward.”

Chacha [Kumon]: “Hooray! A reward~! What did you buy for us!?”

Jack: “It’s a frisbee.”

Rio [Tenma]: “Isn’t that what you’ve been dying to get, Chacha?”

Chacha [Kumon]: “Right. I had my eye on that toy! How did you know, Jack!?”

Jack: “There, there. Are you happy?”

Chacha [Kumon]: “I’m elated!”

Jack: “That’s great. Let’s play.”

Chacha [Kumon]: “Okay!”

Rio [Tenma]: “You got it.”

Jack: “Alright, I’m going to throw it. Here goes!”

Rio [Tenma]: “Chacha, let’s compete to see who can catch it first!”

Chacha [Kumon]: “You're on. I’m not gonna lose! Woof, woof!”

Izumi: (Chacha and Rio run off cheerfully with a skip in their step…)

-pause-

Kumon: Ha~. What great weather~.

Muku: Chacha and William look like they feel good drying in the sun too.

Kumon: Hehe, you’re right! Mmm, even so… Chacha watched the spin-off but he hasn’t appeared in my dreams. I’m pretty sure I cherish him as much as Jack does. I wonder if I still don’t have enough love for Chacha…

Muku: This is just my opinion… but I think it’s the opposite.

Kumon: The opposite? What do you mean?

Muku: I'm sure he hasn’t been appearing in your dreams because you’re taking good care of him. From what Tenma-kun said about his plushie Rio, it sounds like Rio also stopped appearing in his dreams after Tenma-kun started taking care of him. Isn’t Chacha the same way? Chacha’s really happy with how much you care for him. It feels like you’re communicating even if you don’t dream about him. I think that's wonderful in its own way.

Kumon: I see. Good point..! It’s because I cherish him that I don’t dream about him… I’m glad if that’s the reason! Thanks, Muku! Hehe. Let’s keep getting along from here on out, Chacha!

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#a3!#a3! translation #hyodo kumon #act! addict! actors!#still struggling with the new editor but thanks for everyone's help and patience!!!

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ramblings-of-a-cavill-lover · 4 years

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Dust, Earth & Ash pt. 3

Summary: As you daydream of sad blue eyes, helping a stranger takes an unexpected turn. Clark deals with his grief as best as he can.

Warnings: canon typical violence

Word count: 2,3k

A/N: It’s been 84 years but he’s back. Thank you all who love this story for your patience. I hope I don’t let you down. Thank you to the always lovely @shellbilee for having my back, being my beta and my editor at the same time. 💜

Divider by @writeyourmindaway

The days remained rainy in the weeks after meeting him.

You focused on work in the diner, doubling the attention you gave to your customers, helping in the kitchen - where you didn’t really have to be at all - and you mostly managed, but time and time again you caught your thoughts flashing back to those distraught, blue eyes that haunted your dreams and every waking moment.

You even earned a bonus for working that much.

Marla, noticed you spacing out one evening. Dinner rush had long dwindled and you two could chat for a bit, as you normally used to, the only problem being that you hardly initiated conversation anymore.

“Hey, you ok?” came her soft voice and warm touch on your shoulder.

You sighed deeply before you answered, “Yes, just fine. You need anything?”

Looking deep into your eyes she pursed her lips.

“I’m worried about you kid. I’ve been watching you working like crazy and everything is apparently going swell, but, somehow, it feels like you’re miles away and not at a resort in Aruba. Spill.”

She crossed her arms as if to tell you you wouldn’t escape this one. You lightly chuckled.

“Remember the day you missed work?” Marla nodded. “Well, that morning someone was here.”

You pause and remember as you debate telling her about his physical attributes. You decide against it and sigh once more.

“Well? Did the person treat you bad? Good? Was it a man or a woman?”

You smiled at Marla’s impatience and continued.

“He treated me… ok, I guess.” Marla frowned and opened her mouth but, before she could say anything you hurried to reassure her. “He didn’t treat me badly. He just wanted to be left alone.”

“And why didn’t you leave him alone?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Because when I poured the coffee for him, I saw the look in his eyes and it was clear that he’d been crying, you know. I couldn’t help it. I had to try and make it better.”

“And did you?” she insisted.

“I don’t think so.” you mumble, as you think about the cake barely eaten and the untouched coffee. “He took my hankie with him.”

“The one your mother embroidered?” her question was amplified by the long gasp.

“Yes."

The fact you couldn’t help the stranger coupled with losing one of the things you valued the most ate away at you, making you feel like you had failed everyone.

She touched your shoulder and pulled you in for a hug. Patting the back of your head lightly, she said it was going to be okay, though you were not so sure yourself.

As you left the diner that night, all your thoughts were focused on your conversation with the handsome stranger. Clark.

No news of any murder involving him had surfaced, so you were even more baffled as to what he could have meant by saying he had killed his wife.

He had left such an impression on you that you had dreamed about him more than once. Those nights were not the most pleasant; you’d wake up with a start, feeling a presence in your room, but upon turning the lights on, it was empty, just as you had left it before going to bed.

That same week you learned that your favorite customer unfortunately had passed, making things a little sadder. Her funeral was attended by a host of people, not only those who had worked with her, but who admired her work and wished to pay their respects.

The hot topic, however, was the absence of her husband, the not so famous, but equally well known, Clark Kent.

The buzz reached you from several sources and all of them told you a reason why he wasn’t there. Most of them, not so respectful. Even the newspaper they worked for, the Daily Planet, mentioned the fact.

Your customers talked about it, brought clippings to show you; it was on the radio, even on the tv news broadcasts. "Metropolis in Mourning” read one of the headlines, not really mourning but gossiping about the attendees at the funeral.

Your reaction was to always smile and let them gossip. You had never met the man, Lois was the one to come buy coffee almost every day. She was kind and always stayed for a while to talk to you. She bothered to ask you questions, as if you were an important person she just had to interview. She never failed to make you smile. A kind person through and through. But those were details you preferred to keep to yourself.

The walk back home wasn’t long, just a few blocks, but lost in your thoughts, you missed the fact that you were being followed.

The hand landed heavily on your shoulder and turning you didn’t know if you were more startled by the fact that someone got that close to you without you noticing, or the fact that the person whose hand had felt like a bag of potatoes on your muscles was such a small and frail-looking old lady.

“I’m sorry if I startled you.” she apologized in a feeble voice, that again, had such jarring contrast to the touch. “I called out, but you were on another planet!”

She laughed then, showing her blackened teeth, and you smiled awkwardly, not really knowing what she wanted.

She was repugnant. It wasn’t a mean observation, it was a fact. Her world-weary face was mostly wrinkles and you could tell life hadn’t been kind to her so far. She reminded you of fairy tale witches with the hooked noses and cunning eyes. The unease only increased as you took in the state of her clothes. She wore what looked like a voluminous tunic, of thick and frayed fabric. It stunk, but nothing like the city stench you were used to. It was something akin to the smell in the crypt where your mother’s remains were buried.

You shuddered and shook your head slightly to dispel the disturbing thoughts. The woman, thankfully concentrated on the movement of the cars on the street, didn’t witness your discomfort.

“Would you be a dear and help me with these?” she half requested, half complained, looking down at two very heavy looking shopping bags full of groceries, that you could swear she hadn’t been carrying when you first looked at her.

“Sure.” you replied, noticing your labored breathing as you picked the bags from her hands.

They were indeed very heavy. You wondered if she bought bricks and put them in the bottom, just for the exercise.

“Do you live far?” you asked her, as the light turned green, but she just started crossing the street without a single glance back at you.

She walked briskly, and the extra weight had you struggling to keep up.

“No, just three blocks that way.” her hand pointed to nowhere in particular ahead of you both.

“Okay.” was all you could add.

You didn’t know how you got yourself into this, but now that you were in, all that was left was to see it through. Even if you had to see the worst side of town along with it.

It wasn’t easy catching up with her, she seemed to be always a few steps ahead of you. But when you were about to give up, she stopped in front of a derelict house that looked abandoned.

She opened the door and asked you to put the groceries on the frail looking table in the middle of the living room, walking off further into the house.

You did as she asked, relieved not to be carrying them anymore, and looked back at the corridor where she had disappeared to, jumping when you saw her already next to you. It was as if she had the ability to simply materialize wherever she wanted.

“Forgive me, I didn’t want to startle you. Again.” she mumbled with a chuckle. “I have something for you. It is not money, for I do not carry such mundane things. I do believe you’ll find it useful. Eventually.”

From her pocket she pulled a leather cord, tied around a vivid, red crystal.

“You don’t have to repay me. It’s alright.” you said, taking a step back.

She merely grabbed your wrist and thrust the necklace into the palm of your hand. It was warm, and when your two hands connected around it, a blinding light emanated from it, blinking out almost immediately.

You felt heavy and sleepy, and the last thing you saw was her gruesome smile and the shears in her other hand.

Ever since Diana left, Clark had been alone with his thoughts in the silent, and aptly named, Fortress of Solitude. She had stayed for four days. They didn’t talk much, they didn’t eat or drink.

“Why did you bring me here? I told you to take me to Barda’s!” he didn’t mean to yell, but that direction wouldn’t take him where he wanted to go. He needed to blow off some steam, all of the steam, inside his head. “Kal-El, I know you are grieving, but that does not give you the right to slaughter an entire planet…” “I don’t…” he interjected, impatient. “Do not interrupt me. It’s quite rude.” she said, calmly. He hung his head, grinding his teeth. She was right, he knew it. But he was not in the mood to give her the satisfaction. “You know yourself.” she continued. “Right now, all that pain and anger at nothing and no one in particular will unleash the full force of your power on whatever enemy you have in front of you. And then what? How will you feel when you stop seeing red and all that’s left is the utter loneliness, the memory of what Lois would have thought of that, and the blood of a planet on your hands?”

The stillness in her voice had disturbed him. He hated her for it, for being right.

He actually hated himself. All the more for thinking ill of a friend. Another friend who put it all on hold to help him.

In Metropolis, Bruce would be taking care of everything. He contacted Ma Kent and was dealing with the funeral arrangements. He called the Lanes. He was the friend Clark knew he could be under that tough exterior.

“Give me all you’ve got.” he asked her. She then flew away, making him follow her, and put at least a hundred miles between them and the plane. “If you put the slightest dent on my plane I’ll never speak to you again.” she said with a shake of her head. “How would you know?” he scoffed. “It’s invisible.” He had had enough of talking and charged her. “Believe me, I’d know!” she said through gritted teeth absorbing the impact easily. “C'mon. Give me your worst.” she shouted. “You can’t handle my worst!” he shouted back, shooting up and hovering high above her. “We’ll see.” she exclaimed and attacked.

The blows coming from her fists hurt.

He couldn’t complain, as her stubbornness and willingness to beat him into venting his frustration had truly helped.

She had offered to take him back, as the funeral had been scheduled for the next day. He refused.

Now, a week after she left, after getting tired of Kelex’s updates on the state of the world outside, and not really knowing what to do with himself anymore, he decided to go back to the only thing that made sense.

Metropolis. Catching bad guys, frustrating their plans. Helping humanity in any way he could. Anything to fill the void that she left. Maybe making Bruce really mad by hunting down and putting an end to the Injustice League single handedly, or finally catching Joker… He couldn’t decide.

Indecision and life after Lois were frightening, even for the man of steel, and without her beside him to face humanity, he didn’t know what was left to ground him.

Despite that, he found a calming monotony in rounding up bad guys and had been quite effective in the short time after coming back.

He didn’t go back to work, telling Perry he needed more time, but he could now think about her and remember without all that anger taking over his every thought. He was able to feel the pain, really feel it, feel her absence, but not be consumed by it.

Metropolis had become a much safer city and he was tempted to tell Bruce he could do the same for Gotham. Slightly.

He checked on her a few times, thinking he should go back and return the handkerchief he absentmindedly took and perhaps try that pastry Lois loved so much.

The thought was dismissed as quickly as it came. It was still too soon for that kind of ritual. Her memory was still fresh in his head.

The kind woman went on with her life, and the few times he had observed her, he noticed that she went out of her way to make sure her customers were happy.

He regretted not asking her name.

He could have overheard the conversations in the diner if he wanted to, but that felt wrong somehow.

Now, flying over the area he listened for her heartbeat; it had become a habit.

She wasn’t at the diner where he had expected to hear it.

Frowning, he flew high into the clouds and concentrated.

Her heartbeat was slow, almost faint, and not in the region he knew she lived.

Speeding to the area where the faltering beating was coming from, he found her lying on the ground of a closed junk yard, still in her uniform, and a shimmering red pendant lying on her chest.

Using his x-ray vision to assess she was unharmed, he picked her up and not knowing what else to do, shot into the sky straight towards the batcave.

#clark kent x reader #superman x reader #clark kent fanfiction #superman fanfiction #musings sans muse

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michaelfallcon · 4 years

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Two Months After National Competition, America’s Best Baristas Are Vulnerable

Just a few long, long weeks ago in February, the annual United States Coffee Championships took place in Orange County, California. Competitors from across the nation gathered to showcase spectacular coffees and hard-practiced skills in a range of events, including the United States Barista Championship and United States Brewers Cup Championship. Each competition drew from a series of regional qualifying events, producing a national field of competitors representing the best of the best, an elite sub-section of baristas and coffee professionals in the American specialty coffee industry.

Lance Hedrick (left) with Elika Liftee (center).

Ideally, the months that follow these events are a time for competitors—whether they placed in the top slots or not—to head home with a renewed sense of community-inspired purpose, additional professional opportunity, and the wisdom of experience to bring back to their day jobs. But here in April 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, almost no coffee person’s day job looks the same.

Competition isn’t everything, but the February event offers us a fascinating lens through which to view how today’s new reality is impacting America’s elite baristas. To learn more we reached out to a range of Barista and Brewers Cup competitors and asked for an update. Two months ago they took the stage in Orange County—what’s happening with them today?

Adam JacksonBey.

Sprudge: Are you, as of the time of this interview, actively working in coffee? Are you furloughed, laid off, or otherwise?

Michelle Johnson, US Barista Championship, Red Bay Coffee: I’m not actively working in coffee. I’m furloughed.

Adam JacksonBey, US Barista Championship: As of right now no, I am not working in coffee. I have been furloughed since about 3/31, which seems to be about when most of the folks I know were furloughed. I’m also working on coffee-related projects on the side to stay busy.

Elika Liftee, US Brewers Cup Champion, Onyx Coffee Lab: Yes, I am actively working in coffee. We have furloughed about 40% of our staff. Though this past week has allowed us to bring back about two people per cafe. So, we are probably around 34% furloughed. With the closing of our public and wholesale classes I am working in our cafes and trying to drive traffic to website sales. Update: At press time, Liftee reported that Onyx had been able to rehire up to 85% of staff and is hoping to invite the remainder of furloughed personnel shortly.

Anthony Ragler, 6th place, US Barista Championship, Liemco Ltd.: Currently, I’m working with a coffee equipment service company. Thankfully, since we work with a lot of non-specialty-focused clientele, we still have work at least part time to keep us afloat, and all employees are still being paid full-time, so that’s a blessing. Not financially struggling is something that I am fortunate to experience during this tough time.

Michelle Johnson.

Sprudge: Is the company you worked/operated for prior to the pandemic still operating? If so, in what capacity?

Isaiah Sheese, 5th place, US Barista Championship, Archetype Coffee: We are still operating as carry-out only. Our website is fully functioning and helping to supplement all of the wholesale that we have lost during this season.

Tyler Duncan, 5th place, US Brewers Cup, Topeca Coffee: Topeca is still operating, though obviously with a fairly significant limp. Our two namesake locations are operational at limited hours, with limited staff, and only “curbside”. The roastery is still going, though orders are greatly diminished. We’re kept afloat thanks largely to grocery and online sales.

Michelle Johnson: Red Bay is still roasting while the roastery cafe and Broadway Box (shipping container location on Broadway in Oakland) are open on a limited basis for takeaway items. The Red Bay Coffee van has also been out serving coffee and retail beans in different areas around Oakland.

Isaiah Sheese.

Sprudge: What are your biggest concerns about your business or employment right now?

Lance Hedrick, 2nd place, US Brewers Cup, Onyx Coffee Lab: I’m sure this is a shared concern, but my biggest fear is what the landscape of specialty coffee will look like following the pandemic. As people are brewing more and more at home, what will the traffic to shops look like once the quarantine is lifted? What will the wholesale program, which is my main role, look like if shops aren’t doing well? Will all roasters be converted to shipping singles to residential addresses and grocery stores? What happens to all the baristas, which make up a majority of most coffee company’s employment?

Andrea Allen, US Barista Champion, Onyx Coffee Lab: In the long run I’m concerned about the future of our cafes. They are designed for intentional human interaction, a place for the community to meet, work, and hang out. With the unknowns of the pandemic and the absolute need for social distancing, I wonder how we will begin to step back into community? As this situation wears on I wonder how the new isolating patterns we’ve formed, learned to live with, and perhaps begun to enjoy might change. I’m anxious to see what we will look like on the other side of this.

Elika Liftee: My biggest concern for my business is maintaining high retail sales to float the business. If retail becomes as slow as wholesale, then we would likely have to reduce staff further. Should Arkansas issue a Shelter in Place order, we would have to end cafe service.

Tyler Duncan: My biggest concern about business is that shops aren’t going to be able to open up fully and hire everyone back, or give them the same hours. The food and beverage industry is massive and the dent to our economic success is a dent in the entire country’s economic success (unless we eat the rich).

Michelle Johnson: Even though furlough comes with a promise of job security, that can always change to a lay off if the business isn’t able to stay afloat under current conditions. I haven’t had a reason to worry about that too much yet, but it is on the back of my mind.

Adam JacksonBey: My biggest concern is if I would find the same amount of hours that I had before because I was only really working part-time in the shop and doing freelance stuff on the side, and the freelance work has completely dried up and who knows what will happen with hours once we come back.

Anthony Ragler.

Sprudge: Do you have any hopes or indication as to whether you’ll be able to return to a similar job function you had before? If so, what does the future look like as far as you can see it?

Anthony Ragler: In an ideal world, we’ll all recover from this 6-12 months post COVID, and opportunities will continue to open up and the industry thrive. My main hope is that coffee professionals are still taken care of well enough to want to stay within this industry once all of this blows over.

Elika Liftee: I expect my job to return to normal after this is over. I hope that states are patient. That’s my message, patience. When the cases begin dropping is not the time to return to normal, wait and listen to the CDC so that we don’t prolong this. I am worried about other cafes. I suspect that many roasters and cafes who were forced to close their doors may never open them again and that worries me for the future of Specialty Coffee.

Michelle Johnson: I’m hopeful I’ll be able to come back to work. I worked remotely in LA from home, pre-COVID, creating educational and training content for the company. A lot of those projects have been put on hold but I’m optimistic of the direction we could take if we were to pivot to virtual learning. I’ve written online coffee courses before and found a love for doing virtual lectures (I would do trainings from LA to Oakland monthly), so I hope I’ll have the opportunity to fully lean into that.

Adam JacksonBey: I have hopes for sure, I’m a hopeful guy, but no indication as of yet. Because I was working at one of the busier stores, I think that my job/role is fine, but I don’t quite know for sure. Right now, I can only see about a day in the future, which is better than when this all started and I could only see 5 minutes, so I’m literally taking everything one day a time and hoping for the best.

Isaiah Sheese: I definitely am not a fortune teller… I do have high hopes that things will normalize sooner than later. As for what the new normal looks like, I have no clue. I do know one thing, the specialty coffee industry is filled with the kindest, most giving community I have ever been a part of, and I have no doubt that we will be able to band together and weather this thing. Stay healthy and hopeful even when it looks grim.

Liz Clayton is the Associate Editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Liz Clayton on Sprudge.

Photos by Charlie Burt for Sprudge Media Network.

Sprudge is an official media partner of the US Coffee Championships. For complete coverage of the 2020 US Coffee Championships visit SprudgeLive.com, our dedicated hub for coffee sports.

Two Months After National Competition, America’s Best Baristas Are Vulnerable published first on https://medium.com/@LinLinCoffee

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shebreathesslowly · 4 years

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Two Months After National Competition, America’s Best Baristas Are Vulnerable

Lance Hedrick (left) with Elika Liftee (center).

Adam JacksonBey.

Sprudge: Are you, as of the time of this interview, actively working in coffee? Are you furloughed, laid off, or otherwise?

Michelle Johnson, US Barista Championship, Red Bay Coffee: I’m not actively working in coffee. I’m furloughed.

Michelle Johnson.

Sprudge: Is the company you worked/operated for prior to the pandemic still operating? If so, in what capacity?

Isaiah Sheese.

Sprudge: What are your biggest concerns about your business or employment right now?

Anthony Ragler.

Sprudge: Do you have any hopes or indication as to whether you’ll be able to return to a similar job function you had before? If so, what does the future look like as far as you can see it?

Liz Clayton is the Associate Editor at Sprudge Media Network. Read more Liz Clayton on Sprudge.

Photos by Charlie Burt for Sprudge Media Network.

Sprudge is an official media partner of the US Coffee Championships. For complete coverage of the 2020 US Coffee Championships visit SprudgeLive.com, our dedicated hub for coffee sports.

from Sprudge https://ift.tt/3bEZmSc

#Sprudge

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erikanavaja · 7 years

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Update, April 2017. Lit.

Almost a year had passed since last update. Approximately 2 semesters ago, I was astounded how my journey towards teaching went.

A year has passed. I’ve met well-traveled young men and women who couldn’t be separated from cellphones and yet would struggle through Math. I’ve met colleagues who inspire me to work hard everyday. I’ve taken tests that boggled my mind. I’ve answered a lot of questions, but parked a lot others. Even though I considered myself a private believer of a supernatural being, and being jaded of the opioid that is the Church, I reflect and discern a lot through my writing.

I’ve started to do things and discontinued others. I’ve traveled and have boarded off a plane (back and forth).I’ve met friends, and lost others. I’ve tried to think of retorting political analysts but I’d rather stay apolitical and let the present administration do their jobs to the state. I still think of law as interesting, but I’d rather not debate about. I still think of literature as venerable, but I think I lost the patience to read long and compelling ones.

I am now 25 years old. Just like John Keats, I had fears when I cease to be “content.”

They call it ‘writers’ block’. During this block, I helped people hit competencies they would probably use in life but wouldn’t realize for now, being their young, rebellious selves. During it, I passionately lobbied for the arts, individuality, and spirituality. I look back and think of a way to convert that into writing.

An old story brought the once voracious reader and pseudo-poet back to life.

College. I had no idea what to pass as the final project for my fiction class. One midnight: a eureka moment. The draft was done in five days. My professor told me to hand the draft over to a Manila-based editor. (He later told next batches how odd our batch is because of the fact that most stories we have submitted were based on actual experiences of people close to us, and–gasp!–ourselves. I could totally understand his point, but where else do we get our ideas from by then? Making up stories is hard.) I tried to. No news.

I even handed it over to a local weeklie that has already provided light to my poems. Still no news.

Then this announcement came January this year. They had hinted that they would gladly accept any material that had a hint of cultural heritage, but would also accept those who didn’t have it. It had a relatable predicament that included intercultural marriages and possible conversions of faith. I did not immediately heed the call because of schoolwork. There was even extension of deadlines, but I was able to pass this a day after the presupposed date.

I didn’t even edit it. I was bothered by the ending. My professor’s comment was to make the female character’s sickness more definite. I added that to the ending, but only for compliance. After graduating, my father revealed what made the story take a different turn: The separation was due to a series of arguments about the daughter’s future as a person. (She turned out well.)

Yesterday. I was cleaning my workstation inside the faculty workroom. Here comes my friend who took the exams to comply with her application as a teacher. She told me the news. I didn’t want to expect anything. Writing a good piece is a hit or miss, I recall in Creative Writing 101 class.

My story made it.

But a draft is a draft is a draft, and it’s time for this old story to be braised and cooked into a hot skillet, or be praised because of the wildest conflict ever conceived, or the point of view, or the narration. (I’m the last to know what possible strengths the story is.)

I thank everyone in my life who gave me a point in the world last year. My world has been lit.

#INWW2017

Meanwhile, right in the feels, you lovely gif

#updates #writers block #stories #writers #workshops #ao haru ride

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itsworn · 7 years

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Why Teams Chase Their Setups

Going In Circles

I had a recent déjà vu moment. I was reminded that common sense is not all that common after all. I also now understand why some teams seem to struggle year after year, sometimes having success, but mostly struggling. It’s not that they don’t care and just want to be “out there”, which I really once believed to be true. It’s because they are ignorant.

Before you jump to conclusions about using that “I- word” let me further explain. If you look up that word, it means among other things, according to Merriam-Webster, “…lack of knowledge”. An example given is, “parents ignorant of modern mathematics”.

We can substitute the word “parents” for racers in this case. Many of the teams I am referring to don’t necessarily lack specific knowledge about the race car, they just plain don’t know how to put all of that knowledge together into a package.

To be fair, I think it takes a special mind to decipher all of the various parts and pieces that go into a modern setup. The pieces must fit together like a puzzle and that is not a cheap metaphor, it is reality. To end up with a completed puzzle, one or more pieces left out ruins the whole picture.

So, how does a team that cannot put the pieces together get around this dilemma? They have to collectively agree to allow someone outside the team that can come in and put it all together for them. This is asking a lot and most egos will not allow such an intrusion. There, I have gotten to the root of the problem, egos.

Many teams have what I loosely refer to as “mentors” who might be out of racing at the present time, but who have raced a lot in the past. They still want to stay engaged in racing and I think it is a wonderful thing, to a point.

So, these mentors take control of the setup aspects of the team and are mostly resistant to anyone from outside butting in, no matter how briefly the encounter. And, it doesn’t matter how strong the intruder is in their knowledge base.

I have had well-known consultants, who were many times winners in their own right and are now many times winners with younger drivers they are bringing along, tell me that certain teams, who they are friends with, just won’t take the most basic of suggestions for improvement. It frankly boggles the mind.

In this world there are givers and takers. Almost every consultant I know is a giver, or they would never be trying to help other in the first place. Most of them can’t stand by and watch a team struggle when they know how to solve the problem at hand. But they have to at times or risk a rebellion.

So, they stay friendly and stand back and observe. It’s not easy, it’s just human nature. I know that with the articles we write on the pages of CT, as well as all of the other technical writers out there trying month after month to help the racers get better and have more success, we’ll get through to only a percentage of the readers.

There is even the phenomenon of people out there having disdain for those of us who dare to tell anyone how to do anything. I don’t have patience or time for those in that category. My thought is, if you already know what we are presenting, pat yourself on the back and move on.

Where all of this is leading is this. If you are caught in a situation where you have “advisors” who are resisting change and whose ego does not allow differences of opinion just because it is a threat to their control, find a way to urge them to move on.

It’s a fairly easy thing to do, just quit listening to them and doing what they say. Their egos won’t be able to stand the rejection and they’ll find another team to dominate. Your team’s performance will improve and someone else’s will get worse. Better them than you.

If all of that seems harsh, it’s got to be even harder going year after year with no success and struggling to finish in the top five. It is entirely your choice who you associate with and who you have relationships with. Look around you and evaluate which relationships make your world better and which ones drag you down.

There is nothing we can ever do about the past and it’s not worth worrying about. But the future is an entirely different thing. We should care about it and we should make changes now to ensure our future is going to be better than our past. It’s called growth and it’s one of the reasons we are all here, not my words, but nonetheless true. Hey, it’s a whole new day, right?

If you have comments or questions about this or anything racing related, send them to my email address: [email protected] or mail can be sent to Circle Track, Senior Tech Editor, 1733 Alton Parkway, Suite 100, Irvine, CA.

Freddie Query is a very experienced and successful driver and now consultant who mentors young drivers to success. If and when he tries to help race teams, they would do well to listen. He is one of many of us who continually get frustrated with the resistance we run into with race teams.

Setup For Bristol

Hi Bob,

I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction for a decent starting point with springs and shocks for a 3100 lb metric 4 link car for the race at Bristol? Any help would be great, thanks.

Chris Titcomb

Chris,

If you will read my piece about Bristol, you’ll begin to understand the challenges you will face running there. Although you, in your class, won’t be experiencing the high speeds the Late Models will be seeing, you will be traveling much faster through the turns than you ever have.

That puts a lot of loading on the suspension. My suggestion for spring rates for your type of car is similar to what we did back in the day with the Late Models. Basically triple your current spring rate.

So, I think most teams running stock classes are in the range of 700-800ppi spring rates. Triple would be going to 2,000-2,400ppi springs. Since your ride height is more than the late models and your speeds lower, you might get by a little softer, but I wouldn’t go there with less than 1,800ppi or so.

The first time out, you will pay close attention to shock travels to make sure you are not in danger of contacting the track with the cross member, or god forbid the oil pan. This brings up another important design requirement, make sure the cross member is lower than the bottom of the oil pan.

The other part of the presentation about Bristol is the part about the high loading on the other components of the car besides the springs. Everything must be in very good condition like your ball joints, control arm bushings, etc. This race will test how well you, or whomever, built your car.

Cheater Motors

Back many years ago when I was living in England and had a side business of building and racing “spec” engines for various formulae we faced the same problem. The solution was the regulations were re-written to allow any competitor to buy a “winning” engine for a fairly low fixed price. The owner could not resist. A refusal to sell would result in the engines owner being immediately banned from that category and losing any winner’s purse from that event.

To race in that formula you agreed your engine could be bought at the end of a race meeting for the agreed price. The price included the “accessories” such as headers, carburetor(s), fuel and oil and water pumps. The “seller” was responsible for the removal under the eye of the buyer at the end of a race meeting. Sometimes the “seller” would accept the “buyers” engine in part exchange, again, for an agreed price, but mostly they wanted cash only.

The result was that people did not invest much money in clandestine upgrades as they could lose them if their engine was bought. Likewise, people did not invest much time in labor intensive upgrades such as blueprinting, port realignments and/or polishing. It also meant any “secret” performance modifications were quickly learned by the competition and were not secret for long.

Here’s an example. I raced in a saloon car category that required “stock” engines. All parts had to be as supplied from the factory without modifications, meaning no grinding or filing of parts. I had been building Formula Ford spec engines and had a “traders’ license so that I could go to the Ford factory in Dagenham and pick through their inventory to select weight matched pistons, roods etc.

I used to take my gauges and scales with me and sift through sometimes hundreds of parts just to find, for example, four well matched rods, where the small and big ends were closely matched across all four. Likewise with pistons, valves, etc. You can imagine just how long you could take, especially when you had three of something and needed a fourth! You’d have to look for multiple sets and settle for the first set of four that were “good enough”.

I always did that for a customer’s Formula Ford engine. Careful selection could improve a standard engine from rated 72 bhp to sometimes as much as 105 or more bhp. I only did the above once for my street saloon. That engine was bought after the first race of the season and the next race was the following week. I had a full time job and couldn’t afford to skip work to sit and sort Ford parts for a couple of days or longer.

However, I discovered quite by accident that if I had a carburetor gasket that was torn in just the right place and was opened up just a little as the screws were tightened down it would create a fuel “leak” between the float bowl and choke when cornering around hard right hand curves and corners. This was good because the engine would normally starve and misfire badly at racing speeds under these conditions normally but this “extra” fuel eliminated the problem with resultant quicker lap times.

One could even “tune” the amount by careful adjustment of the gap in the “torn” gasket. I had three relatively cheap engines bought before the secret mod was discovered and everyone soon followed suit. When the scrutineers learned of the practice they at first banned it as an “unapproved modification” but later reinstated it for “safety” reasons, stipulating precisely where and how wide the cut could be that replaced the “tear”.

The things we racers do to find an unfair advantage. But fixed price buying of a competitor’s engine will keep the competition even and reasonably cost effective.

Phil Grice, Carlsbad, CA

Phil,

We already have claimer classes in the US. The plan you describe might be applicable to the crate or “strictly stock” motor programs possibly. If a sanction really wanted parity, and I truly doubt that is true in some cases, then they would enact the claimer rule for “stock” and sealed motor classes. The impression most sanctions give is that they want to be fair and everyone on the same performance level as to motors. Well then, let them claim. I won’t hold my breath on that one.

Outlaw Grill Openings

Bob,

I have noticed that a lot of outlaw asphalt Late Models don’t have any grille openings on the front of them and they pull air from the bottom of the duct work to cool the car instead of the front. Is there a reason why most pro/super late model guys don’t do this?

Would it not increase front downforce since the grille opening would be covered? This is just something I have noticed and wanted your input on the concept. The only drawback I see to this design is the duct work would be like a vacuum and suck all the trash off the race track. If you could help me out with input that would be great.

Thanks, Michael Murray

Michael,

I’m not sure what you are referring to, every outlaw late model I see has a grill opening in the front. If the body is black and the hole, screen and trim is black, it is very hard to see, but it is there, it has to be. Look much lower and you’ll see it.

What many racers have discovered is that they don’t need as big an opening as was previously thought. It helps to be out in the lead where you can get clean, undisturbed air to cool the motor. So, these openings find a way of moving lower and becoming smaller.

Torque Arm Systems

Hello

We are now in our closed season and are looking into our rear end setup. I’ve just read your article on mounting the 3rd link offset to help load the tires evenly through anti-squat. We currently run a three link system with a panhard rod. I’ve been looking but can’t find a article you’ve done on torque arms.

Is there any advantage on a torque arm system over a 3rd link? I’m trying to achieve more bite off the corners but can’t find good enough info to tell how the torque arm would work on circle track racing as they are all on old muscle cars. Any info you might have would be great before we start altering bits about.

Thanks Carl

Carl,

There is a current stampede to find more rear grip for accelerating off the corners. At the Speedweeks show this past February at New Smyrna Speedway in Daytona Beach, we saw cars with huge amounts of bite off the corners. It seems like the more bite you can get, the quicker you can get back to the throttle coming off the corners.

As for the old muscle cars using torque arms, most of those are leaf spring cars and the use of torque arms or what used to be called traction bars was to prevent wrapping up of the leaf springs. I had a friend back in the day who hit third gear in his highly modified Nomad and pulled the driveshaft out of the tranny. My first engineering job on hot rods was to design traction bars for his car. It solved the problem.

In my article on traction in this issue, I explain in some detail the problem with un-equal loading of the rear tires due to load transfer. We can therefore go to what used to be thought of as “extremes”, but now know as necessary, lengths to add load to the left rear tire.

Any device or method that can get that done is worth looking into. There are two basic goals for adding bite for better acceleration. One is torque absorbing and this can be done with spring or rubber pull bars, torque arms, lift arms, etc. This method takes the shock of initial throttle application out of the tire and puts it in the device.

The other is the redistribution of rear tire loading and that is what we discussed in the current article. Both help gain forward bite, so keep looking around and incorporate the systems you think will work best for your application.

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