Breath in Strength, Breath out BullS**T

[ID: wikipedia article screen shot reading "Food-grasping and anemone-distancing strategies are considered forms of kleptoparasitic interactions.[9] ... the restriction of food access by the crab causes the anemone to remain at a reduced size, like a bonsai." :/ID]

They will also rip the anemone in half if they only have 1 (they regenerate tho so) I also feel compelled to point out that these crabs are only a few inches across at most and hey what was that

Theoretically I was just supposed to list off the numbers.  Except. Very early I started parsing the figures and give my own analysis.  Apparently engineers and geophysicists got a bit freaked out by a ten year old going ‘It’s not that good, the flow’s really slow compared to last week, and there’s gas pockets really screwing up the flow in the east pipe judging by the pressure report.’

Dad still got that yelled at him at conferences: ‘This is the fucker who used child labour to do well analysis!’

‘Was it wrong?’

No one wanted to buy Haru, so the farm she was born in decided to train her as a racehorse. Surely they thought this would go well; her father, after all, was also a racehorse and he'd won many races.

So they put Haru in her debut race...and she lost.

No big deal, horses lose races all the time. So they put her in another one.

She lost again.

For the next four and a half years, Haru would lose every race she'd been entered in. She would sometimes get close to victory, but she would never get that 1st place spot.

After her 80th loss, the media picked up Haru's story and made her a household name. She was dubbed "the shining star of losers everywhere" because even though she always lost, she still continued to run.

This made people start wanting to bet on Haru. They became enraptured by her story and wanted to cheer her on, hoping that maybe this time she would finally get to win.

Thousands of spectators came to watch Haru. Hundreds of millions of yen was bet on the chance of Haru's victory. They even made merch for her!

Haru still continued to lose, but if anything, that only made people's love for her grow.

After losing 113 races, it was decided that Haru would be retired. Many people were against this decision, including Haru's trainer, but Haru's new owner stood firm on their decision. They did not want to see Haru race again.

There were many plans for what to do with Haru after that, but none of them ever came to fruition, and Haru's whereabouts were left unknown for years.

Eventually Haru was transferred to a new farm. Half a year later, the owner that retired her would stop visiting her and paying her stable fees, effectively abandoning Haru.

But Haru fans never gave up on her, even in retirement. An association was created to take care of Haru in her remaining years, and she still receives regular visitors to this day!

And, in 2019, a miracle occurred: Haru finally got 1st place, in a race for retired horses.

i am kind

i am in control of my emotions

it does not bother me when someone is in the kitchen while i was planning to be in there alone

everyone in the house has the right to be in the kitchen

Okay so bearing in mind that I have ADHD and Chronic Terrible Observational Skills:

I am in Cardiff

For a concert I am attending solo

Doors open at 5

4:15 ish I go 'hmm I should eat something'

Cardiff is - unsurprisingly, being tiny and yet home to FOUR concert venues - Very Busy

Find McDonald's

McDonald's is very full. I recall my last concert related McDick's experience, and promptly bounce

Directly across the street

Is an Italian restaurant

It looks closed but fuckit maybe I can beg for like. Bread or some shit

Go over

Am immediately pounced upon by the hitherto unnoticed chain-smoking woman hanging out by the door mostly hidden by a potted ficus(?)

"I was wondering if you were open and if-" "yes yes we are open what would you like?" (strongish Italian accent)

Inside restaurant is Deserted

Explain that I'm sort of in a rush, am assured it's fine

Order chicken milanese which is generally a pasta dish with a breaded chicken component

Am led to seat nearish the front and promptly provided with a pint of coke in a glass tankard

Am then provided with a front row seat to an absolutely incomprehensible series of people entering and exiting (and in one case walking directly into) the door to what I can only presume is the kitchen

Starting with the guy who had been sitting at a table chain-smoking over a pile of papers

I counted at least three people exiting at least twice without actually entering in between

Am finally brought food

It is a breaded, butterflied chicken breast approximately the size of my face and a small pile of pasta approximately the size of my fist

It is all delicious

Chain-smoking papers man reappears, now wearing a chef's apron labcoat thing

Go up to pay, chain-smoking ficus lady is now having a very loud argument in a language I did not recognise but was not Italian Welsh English French russian Gaelic or Spanish

She sees me, says, and I quote 'ah little girl lost, one moment' and promptly hangs up

I am 27 and only nominally female

I am not remotely lost

She charges me for the pint of coke but not the food

I try to point out that she hasn't charged me for the food

'do you want to pay for the food?'

'.... Not if I don't have to?'

'good'

I leave. The door is now full of half a dozen very tall very Italian men and one absolutely adorable cocker spaniel

I ask if I can pet the dog (I have my priorities straight okay)

I am allowed to pet the dog. The dog and I are now best friends

The dog lead holder asks me in extremely accented but impeccably correct English if I had enjoyed the food

'yeah it was great!'

Everyone laughs a bit

I smile and pet the dog and realise I'm now late for the concert and hurry off