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y3ager · 6 months

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STORYTIME I (26 F) FUCKED MY SUPERSTAR CLIENT (24 M) AFTER MONTHS OF SEXUAL TENSION!

— ‘i’m a manager for a pretty big music label and my client is the biggest dickhead in the world but i fear i fucked him after one of our usual arguments.. 😵‍💫’

eren y. x black!fem!reader

tags: modern au, smut, porn not much plot, hate(?)sex, cunnilingus, cowgirl, reader gets called ‘mama’ and ‘boss’, unprotected sex, mild choking, musician!eren, manager!reader. minors do not interact.

my first collab entry MAKE SOME NOISE YALL WTF!!! but no seriously thanks so much to @k9nto for letting me join your event i had a blast writing this! hope you all enjoy! 🤭

YOU’VE ENCOUNTERED SOME annoying people in your life. in kindergarten, a boy taunted you by picking up one your fallen hot pink knocker-balls and refusing to give it back to you. in high school, some chick named tiffany ripped down all of your junior class president posters that you spent weeks designing and printing out on the highest quality paper. your college advisor had been completely useless, you’d still be dragging yourself through your bachelor’s degree if you didn’t stay on your toes and realize the classes you were dropped in were a waste of time. but all of these people, and many more that have slipped your mind, shaped and molded you into the woman you were today. strong, tenacious, independent, a go-getter who never gave up and thus was able to reap her hard work, in the form of three nice crisp degrees and a never pitiful bank account.

but eren yeager, grammy award winning singer, songwriter and musician, with multiple weeks spent at the top of the billboard hot 100 and 200 charts, millions of units sold worldwide, and stadiums packed to the brim, took the fucking cake.

you were warned he’d be difficult. every manager he’s assigned quits before one of them ends up in a body bag. none of them have a single nice thing to say about him, and he finds that hilarious.

for better or for worse, you took the challenge because you’re a sucker for them. nothing in life comes easy, and you figured that the managers before just didn’t come hard enough. maybe eren’s fame and status made them falter, but such a fate wouldn’t befall you.

you dragged him to his magazine shoots, you kept his mouth in line during interviews, you kept his socials clean. he was never a second late to rehearsals and recordings. he was a reflection of you, and if you were perfect goddammit he was going to be too.

until today.

“i’m not putting in another extension, eren. the label is starting to get really irritable. we need to go to the studio now.” you furiously swiping along your ipad, pacing around the singer’s deluxe hotel room. while you’re dressed for the day in clean crisp clothes, sharp stilettos, and jet black lace front expertly melted and laid, eren’s still in the bed. the covers are everywhere, his shirt is next to a couple pillows on the floor, and he’s laying on his back eating a croissant from room service, paying you absolutely no mind. it takes everything in you to not chuck your device at his big head. “i’m serious. get. up.”

“and i said i’m not,” he mocks your assertive tone, voice oozing in sarcasm. “going.” he coughs, obviously faking. “my voice hurts. can’t make those greedy bastards money if my vocal chords ache. they’ll live.”

“you are on a strict deadline this era. if you want to catch award season, this album needs to be finished and dropped in the next month. amidst the press tour, your window of recording time is dwindling fast.” dates in your digital calendar glare at you, red and angry. every time you check something off your to do, ten new things pop up. you feel your jaw clenching, teeth gritting together uncomfortably.

“i’ve won enough awards. i don’t care. i’m not getting up.” eren finally raises up from the bed, narrowed green eyes meeting yours. it’s fire against fire, an unstoppable force that is a manager determined to do her job versus an immovable object, a musician who’s not budging from his spot. “it’s my album. it’s my music. i finish it when the fuck i get ready. that label will burn before they drop me.”

“if you don’t follow contract, they will drop you. they put a lot of money into you-”

“money i made back for those dumbasses-!”

“they are your bosses, without them-”

“they need me way more than i need them-!”

“get,” you toss your ipad over to a small couch, storming over to the bed. you snatch the edge of the covers and yank hard. enough is enough. if he won’t get up, you’ll make him get up. “the fuck out of this bed, eren, now!”

“you need,” the cover is yanked back, tugging you forward along with it. you lurch momentarily before righting yourself upwards, leaning back to give yourself more leverage in this childish tug of war you find yourself in. “to calm the fuck down, ___. i’m not going and that’s fucking it.” eren may be lean, but he’s toned like a MMA fighter, muscles rippling under tan skin when he calls upon them. another tug and you topple onto the california king bed, one expensive heel sliding off your foot and falling across the room.

your heads snaps up from the covers, brow furrowed deep in anger. “stop being so fucking difficult, you moron!” emotions welling, you grab one of his arms, preparing to drag him out of this bed. your to do list is a nagging itch on your brain that by the grace of god you are going to scratch. you’re not about to let this bad-with-authority dickhead best you when all he has to do is record a fucking vocal.

“oh, we’re doing this?” easily, too easily, so easily that you register your back hitting the soft bed before you realized he even grabbed you back. he pins you down easily, slightly calloused hands grip your upper arms firmly, pushing them down. he places his legs other either side of your hips so yours are forced in between them, but doesn’t keep you from writhing to free yourself. “whatever fucking—stop doing that—chip you have on your shoulder, you need to fucking solve it because shit’s not going your way today. i’m not going and that is final.”

the tussle leaves you two of you panting, eyes boring into each other’s. eren’s long chocolate brown hair is disheveled not only from a night’s sleep but from this impromptu wrestle. small beads up sweat trickle down his naked chest. your writhe again, and he presses down against you, a synonymous hiss sliding through both of your mouths.

“i hate you, eren.”

“whatever helps you sleep at night, ___. looks like you wanted an excuse to feel up on me.”

“oh, like you wanted an excuse to hump me like a mutt?”

there’s another beat of silence as you two watch each other. eren’s hands tighten their hold just a tad before he presses his hardening length hard against your clothed cunt. against your better judgement, your head tilts back and a small moan fights against your bitten bottom lip.

eren hums lowly, his dick bulging against the constraint of his boxers. “hate me too much to actually fuck me, huh? i’m only worth a dry hump.”

oh how eren frustrates you. how he makes even the simplest things in life painstakingly difficult. how he makes you want to smoke ten packs of cigarettes after a day of dealing with him. but oh, how handsome he looks under the lights at photo shoots. how his deep, smooth voice reverbs in your ears. how his fingers move so deftly on his guitar, as if it’s merely an extension of his body. who wouldn’t fantasize about that late at night, him bending you over and snatching down your pants to fuck the stress out of you, or yourself knocking him down a peg and making him beg to let you cum inside.

“shut-” another roll of his hips makes you gasp. “up..”

“i want you, ___,” eren confesses. his hips don’t falter, his cock becoming hungry for release. “i want that pussy. i wanna fuck that little attitude out of you, can i? i see how you look at me and i stare right back.”

you shiver, hand rushing to undo your dress pants and feel more of eren’s dick against your dampening cunt. his hands work with your perfectly, yanking your pants down. it’s a whirlwind of clothes, your sweater, bra, your other shoe.

eren reaches up to grab your breasts, rolling them in his palms, squeezing the supple flesh, pushing them together. “oh, pretty girl. pretty fuckin’ tits.” leaning down, he kisses down your sternum, stomach, inching closer and closer to your center. he wastes no time grabbing your thighs and licking a nice, long stripe against your drooling cunt and sucking on your clit.

your back immediately arches up and your hands fly to grip eren’s hair, tugging at the locks and pulling him in closer so you can feel everything. “oh my god, eren.” the singer’s not shy at all, audibly sucking at you and reaching up to twist and pinch your pebbled nipples.

with another languid lick eren pulls himself away. he pulls his boxers down on and off, freeing his dick from the constraint. he rubs the thick, weeping tip up and down your slit, staring hungrily at the juices leaking out. the feeling of it makes you shiver in anticipation.

“mmm, mm-mm.” you push yourself up. “let me get ‘n top..” there’s a greedy look in your low eyes as you place your hand on eren’s solid chest and lay him down on the bed.

“take charge here too, huh?” your forwardness makes him chuckle as he watches you straddle his waist. “okay then. ride me.”

you brace yourself on your toes as his hand and yours grasp his shaft, directing it to your pulsing hole. you slide down gingerly onto him, his size quickly stretching you out. “ahh, fuck, eren. fuck…”

“you got it,” he assures you, one hand on your thigh as you sink lower and lower, taking him in inch by inch. he bites his lip at the wet tightness of your walls, squeezing and sucking him in. it makes him throw his head back, a couple of small pants escaping his mouth. “mmhm, fuck that pussy feels so good. take that dick, boss.” his hand raises only to land on your ass check with a sharp slap.

you start out slow at first, letting yourself adjust to the wideness of his dick but that quickly gets old. you’re soon addicted to the feeling of him fitting inside so perfectly. gripping his free hand in yours, you swivel and raise your hips faster and faster, effortlessly, desperate for that feeling of him pounding that oh so sweet spot. your juices slide down his length, the slap slap slap of your ass against his muscled thighs filling the room. “‘s so big, feels so good,” your voice slurs.

eren hisses from his spot under you, eyes trained on where you two connect. mouth slightly agape, he watches your cunt swallow him up and the fluid that leaks out. “yes, mama. keep fucking me just like that. feels.. f-fuckin’ amazin’…” his hands grab your plump ass cheeks, fingers digging in hard as he thrusts his hips up, driving the tip of his cock even deeper inside you and pulling a loud moan from you. “keep goin, mama, ‘m almost there, don’t stop, please..”

his pleading make you clench even tighter around him, and that feeling deep inside your tummy aches for release. you place a hand around his throat to better balance yourself, relishing in his low groan. your thighs quake and tremble, your hips meeting his eager thrust perfectly. “oh, my god; oh my god. i’m— shit!” you throw your head back in ecstasy, cumming hard enough on your client’s dick to leave you numb.

“aw, fuck, boss.” eren thrusts up to push his cum deep inside, holding you against himself to ensure a single drop doesn’t leak. “take it, take it..”

the two of you are left panting hard, bodies sweaty and gleaming with the afterglow of sex. you gingerly pull away, cunt left sore and spent from a round of sex months in the making. eren reaches over to caress your ebon lips, admiring the smooth, wet feeling once you roll onto your back. “no more attitude from you, yeah?”

“no more attitude from the man reduced to calling me ‘mama’ and begging to cum either, i’d assume.” your teasing laughter is cut off by him purposefully sinking three fingers deep inside you. “mmh…”

“mhm, sure.” roles reversed, eren climbs on top of you and stares down with green eyes aflame with lust through his tousled brown hair. “now i want to see what i can make you call me.”

#eren yeager x reader #eren yeager x black reader #eren jaeger x black reader #eren jaeger x reader #eren jeager x black reader #eren jeager x reader #eren x reader #eren x black reader #🏙.aotmodern #❤️‍🔥.aotsmut #kishibyesredditcollab

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starr-fall-knight-rise · 4 years

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HASO “Evidence.”

Still working on the trial arc, and sorry I am late in posting. I had to go to work at seven and am trying to write in between helping guests.

CREDIT and a THANK YOU to one of my amazing discord community members Eddi, who has been working for the last few months on the audio visual and transcript logs seen here. I did not write them, Eddi wrote them an was kind enough to let me use them in this story. I loved it and thought it brought a lot of authenticity to the story by bringing in an outside voice.

WARNING: GRAPHIC blood, gore, and bodily mutilation. The Steel eye project development is VERY horrible, so don’t read if that is something that bothers you.

It was a beautiful day.

The sky was a bright eggshell blue stratified with only the occasional cirrus cloud highlighting the sky with a touch of distant white. The sun was bright though the temperature was moderate only in the mid eighties.

Swimmers could be seen as distant pinpoints of light and froth on the surface of lake Geneva. Voices echoed up from the city coerced mostly by the purring of hover-car engines.

Towering white buildings rose high into the sky adding height instead of width to a city that had not grown outside its own borders for the past thousand years other than to go up.

Itw as a more environmentally efficient way to build, and left the countryside untouched by the scars of infrastructure and humanity.

Adam stared out the window for a long moment wishing for the peaceful embrace of the skies and the roaring of a jet engine. A soft whimper at his leg, and he looked down to see Waffles sitting at his heel, her head tilted back to look up at him. WHen he didn’t immediately respond to her she whined again and scooted closer, her paws making soft clicking sounds on the wood flooring below.

Finally he reached down and scratched her behind the ears.

She could sense his agitation, and it was clear that she didn’t much like it.

He couldn’t blame her.

He didn’t like it either. He sighed and turned his head away from the do and he window, back to the mirror in front of which he now stood. He didn’t see himself.

The man in the mirror was tall, straight backed with sharply trimmed and styled hair, jaw squared and raised. Both eyes were green though one expanded and contracted like the appriture of a camera. The expression on the man’s face was stern and unyielding.

He looked…. Like his father.

He had never seen much of a resemblance between them, but now he could certainly see it.

It didn’t help that the stars on his uniform seemed to add an extra ten years to his age.

With a soft sigh, he pulled his captain’s cap down snuggly onto his head and whistled low for his dog.

She fell into a perfect heel at his side, and he clipped the leash onto her colla.

Her black service vest was strapped on tight with a pair of doggie saddlebags on either side carrying water bottles. Waffles always liked having a job to do, and a little extra work would help to keep her relaxed during the trial rather than antsy.

She was going to have to stay very still for a very long time for the next few days.

“Ready girl.”

Her tail thumped against the floor at his voice.

“At least that makes one of us.”

He transferred her elash to his left end, though he didn’t technically need it, and led her out of the bedroom and into the large living room. It was a lot of hotel room for just one man. He would have been fine enough with a double queen personally, but he supposed if the UNSC was paying there was no reason to argue otherwise.

It felt strange, going to a hotel on the UNSC’s Dime to testify against the UNSC in one of the biggest trials of the century.

His stomach churned.

Waffles nosed his hand.

Dr Krill floated down from his examination of the chandelier, “I admire human artistry, but pragmatism is still my preferred way of living.” he motioned around the room, “A bit opulent.”

Adam nodded his agreement, “You can say that again. I haven’t slept on a bed that big in my life.” In all honesty, he was trying to keep his mind off of what was to come. He didn’t really care about the bed and certainly didn’t know if he had ever slept in a bed that large.

He sort of doubted it, he was in the UNSC after all.

A knock came on the door and he turned reaching for the handle and pulling it open. The driver from yesterday was waiting for him, his suit pristine. He bowed slightly, “The car is waiting for you, sir.”

He nodded, and motioned the other man to lead the way.

The man nodded and thanked him, stepping down the hall and leading them down into the lobby. They got a lot of looks as they made their way down, most likely because of krill, though his uniform might have caught some attention.

He was led out towards the car and slid into the back seat, suddenly surprised to find that he wasn’t alone.

“Admiral Kelly!”

“Good morning, Adam.”

“What are you doing here.”

“I am here to witness the trial. UNSC representatives thought it would be best if some of the newer brass came to oversee proceedings.”

He quickly looked out the window, suddenly remembering which side of the conflict this was on.

A hand rested on his arm, “I’m not here to make you feel bad about your decision, Admiral. You’re doing what needs to be done.”

He sighed and nodded, “I… thank you ma’am.”

“You sure this is something you are ready for.”

He paused and then shook his head, “No… I’m not ready, and I never will be.” She went to open her mouth but he stopped her, “But I’m the only one we have, so I will do what it takes.”

The car went silent as it slowly accelerated into the early morning traffic.

It was going to be a very long day.

Admiral Kelly turned to look at Krill speaking with him quietly while Adam looked out the window.

He wasn’t in the mood for talking right now though he knew how odd that was.

His stomach continued to churn as they drove through the streets heading towards the outskirts of the city where the Geneva court had been built just over 200 years ago.

The last buildings on the outskirts of town went by and their first view of the court appeared in the car window. It was made in the classic greco-roman style with large white pillars and sloped rooftop and carvings on the top that depicted all the deities of justice ever conceived by historial religion, all cast and depicted in marble.

The thoroughfare up to the building was long and wide with a decorative reflecting pool at the center and a set of daunting steps leading up to the ornate front doors.

The grounds were meticulously kept with hedges shrub and flowering bushes, with what must have been miles and miles of water features and fountains off to the side.

It was a beautiful location, and it seemed that visitors found it a nice spot to rest while they enjoyed touring the sites.

He didn’t see much in the beauty today.

This was the UN supreme court, and the history of Geneva made this place hallowed in ways that made the court case for today all the more poignant.

The car pulled to a stop before the doors and a few gloved attendants stepped forward sharply dressed and opened the doors with almost militaristic precision as Admiral Vir and Admiral Kelly stepped out.

Waffles followed at his heels

He knew as soon as he stepped onto the marble steps that he wanted to leave, an the only thing that kept him there was the memory of those faces…. All the people counting on him back at the house, all the people who had never been given a chance to recover like he had.

He took a deep breath and ford himself up the steps and towards the front doos where a group of people were already congregating.

There were a few reporters there, without cameras, waiting to attend in the audience and record the proceedings for their news stories and daytime television. A few of them snapped discrete photos of him as he passed and was led through the wide double doors into the expansive inner hallway with a beautifully muraled ceiling and a line of decorative plants down the side.

Voices echoed inside the building, rising up around him to bounce off the marble.

The voices themselves were indistinct and difficult to understand as he made his way further into the room.

Men in suits lined the walls.

He eyed them critically wondering if any of them happened to be the defence.

A hand was placed on his shoulder, and he quickly turned to eye another attendant, who had evidently been trying to get his attention, “Right this way sir.”

He nodded and was led through the halls and into a nearby antichamber.

A wand was passed over his body.

“Please hold out your arm , sir.”

He did as ordered and watched as his forearm implant was temporarily deactivated.

“The room is completely radio proof, sir. No signals go in or out. If you must make a call, I urge you to take it during the court recess.”

“Understood.”

“Please step inside and sit on the second row on the right side behind the prosecution.

He did as ordered, and stepped into another wide curving room.

It was much bigger than he would have thought, two stories high with amphitheater seats, and a massive curving desk at the front where nine Geneva court judges would be seated on their entrance.

There was no jury.

The Geneva court judges would be the jury for trial at this time.

Law practices had changed a lot since world war III but there was still some semblance of the old ways that still lingered on.

He took his seat, waffles grumbling softly as he slid onto the ground beside him.

Two people in suits followed him inside one in a dark blue suit and brown shoes, the other in pinstriped balck.

The one in blue was a woman, dressed sharply, her hair pulled back into a bun so tight you could have strummed out a tune on the hairs. She paused next to Adam and held out a hand, “Admiral Vir, we spoke over the phone.”

“Ms. Trevor.”

She nodded and motioned to the man, “And my partner Mr. Jackson. I trust you understand your purpose here today?”

“Yes Ma’am.”

Jackson lifted his head, “Our case here is solid, admiral. This case isn’t about who is going to be punished for what happened, but about how long they will be punished, not to mention it is likely to set up some new legislation for the ethical creation and use of military hardware. Once we are done, something like this is unlikely to ever happen again.”

He wasn’t entirely sure he believed that, but he nodded and let them take their seats in the desk before him.

Waffles whimpered and prodded at his hands with her nose.

He stroked a hand over her big pointed ears.

The courtroom filled up within the next hour, and, Looking across the room, he saw a line of men and women sitting on the second row of the defence. Something about them put him on edge.

He had a feeling they were the scientists.

They were the ones who had developed the steel eye armor.

“All rise! For the honorable Geneva court judges!”

The entire room took to their feet as the nine judges filed out of a back chamber and stepped onto the floor. All of them wore traditional black robes with white collars as had been tradition for nearly thousand of years. They took their seats with a mass shuffling.

“Please be seated.”

The room shuffled back into place.

The head judge,at the center of the table leaned forward.

“On this day June 24, 4024 we open the Geneva Court case of The People VS UNSC Biomechanics Division. the court will begin by hearing opening statements from the council.”

Council for the prosecution stood, shuffling her papers once before stepping up to the lectern.

“Honorable judges and members of the court, today we are here to present evidence against a faction of the UNSC scientific division for gross ethical violations, torture, and pruposeful endangerment of human life. Evidence suggests over 29 killed, over 21 critically injured, maimed, or permanently crippled, and over 61 with lasting mental trauma. This is not counting over 50 Steel eye soldiers coerced without prior knowledge, into participation in the program, 30 of which are now deceased 15 of which have lasting mental trauma, and five that, while functional, still feel the effects today. Today we will be presenting, written documents, video recordings, and audio files from prior testing as well as first hand witnesses of both the testing and the war as well as expert witness from the scientist who read and compiled the files before trial. What was done to these men and women constitute as war crimes and their victims deserve compensation and closure for what was done to them.”

She stepped back from the podium and nodded.

The defence stood and made their way to the podium in turn, “Your honors, and members of the court, while it is true that some unfortunate incidents happened during testing and development of the steel eye project, there is ample evidence to prove that none of these men or women were coerced against their will into participation. All subjects were volunteer and duly informed before proceedings began. Furthermore, scientific ethics had not advanced far enough at the time to cover weather or not what they were doing was an ethical violation. The Defence is not asking for complete vindication for the accused, but the sum of what happens is surely less than war crimes.”

They took their seat.

Adam wasn’t a lawyer, but he knew which opening statement he liked more. Now maybe he was biased, but certainly he felt that one presented greater amounts of evidence than the other. Of course it was up to the prosecution to show evidence that would convince the judges, beyond a reasonable doubt, that these men and women were guilty.

He listened to some more speaking, half falling asleep and assuming maybe this would be as bad as he thought it would when one of the prosecution stepped back up to the podium.

“The prosecution presents time stamped dated and logged evidence to the court for consideration. The first testing log we wish to present is from the eighteenth of October 4016 and overseen by Dr. Tato Nkosi written as log number 23.”

Experimental Log #023:

So far we have not experimented with a human subject, All the sample tests and simulations indicate that there should be no interference with normal function nor create any feedback loops that could induce seizures. This is the first human testing that we will be doing. We have noticed that the animal testing resulted in significant irritation and irrational behavour from the subjects, We however suspect this was because they were unawares of the reason for the implantations.

The subject is unconscious for the process of implantation to prevent movement.

-recording break-

The subject reacted violently to the implant, removing it in a highly violent manner while screaming and trying to injure any nearby scientists. We expected some level of resistance, but this indicates far more sensitivity than expected. Further testing will be required.

“The council for the prosecution wishes to present the audio/visual log.” A light flickers on as a video clip begins reeling.

Audiovisual Log Transcript:

The subject wakes suddenly, seeming to be woken by extreme pain. Screaming almost instantly and scrabbling at implant on their hand and wrist. Subject seems to be attempting to remove the implant. One of the scientists attempts to calm the subject only to be beaten by the subject who continues screaming. The scientist retreats from the subject just as the subject finally removes the test implant by ripping it from the subjects skin, tearing with it the subjects local nervous system along with large sections of the subjects musculature and ligaments. Seeming relieved at the lack of contact with the implant, the subject sinks to its knees. The subject is losing significant amount of blood, though we suspect the subject is unaware of this as large sections of the nervous system is still attached to the implant. The subject appears to be in shock as it observes its ruined lower arm and hand. The subject has resumed screaming and is now trying to get the scientists attention to fix its ruined lower arm and hand. The subject is sedated and arm treated. The recording ends here.

Adam throws a hand up over his face feeling bile rise into his mouth at the image seared into his brain. Muscle and ligament dangling uselessly against a steel eye prototype. He felt a bit lightheaded but takes a deep breath in and out to calm his breathing. All around the room there are gasps of shock and disgust. A few people stand to leave the room unable to witness any more.”

The council steps forward, “This was the first log in a recorded series of proceeding logs with similar effects. We know in experimentation that accidents happen all the time, and we might have considered forgiveness if the experimentation had stopped here. Clearly implementation on human test subjects was not ready, as evidenced by the animal’s discomfort. Perhaps if they had stopped here, some measure of understanding might have been allowed. But they continued past this point with full knowledge that this sort of catastrophic event could happen. This test subject will never regain full use of his hand. Instead of stopping the experiment like hey should, the scientists determined that the use of painkillers was in order to make the subject operational. For this the prosecution calls expert witness Dr. Alexander Gladstone to the witness stand.”

On the bench to his side, a man stands slicking back his salt and pepper hair as he moves to sit in the witness stand and is sworn in.

“Dr. Gladstone, tell us a little of your credentials.”

“Of course, I received my PHD in Biomechanical interface and Engineering as well as an additional PHD in Mechanised robotics. I have worked as the head scientist for the UNSC testing division for nearly five years now after my predecessor quit. I helped to re-engineer this project under Iron eye as a step forward from the Steel eye project in a more controlled and ethical environment. I am also the scientists who reviewed these logs and compiled them for analysis today.”

“Thank you Dr. Now, may I ask why these scientists would have chosen to implement a drug dosage?”

“To understand why they had to do this, you must also understand the steel eye project itself. Steel eye was designed to enhance the strength, speed and durability of the wearer. We already have exo suits designed for use in factory and industrial settings, however the main issue we run into in a combat setting is that the machine responds too slow. The nodes detect electrical impulses from the muscles and then have to fire following that meaning the subject has already begun moving almost seconds in advance of the machine. Steel eye was created to integrate the machine directly into the body to intercept nerve impulses before the muscles even fire, thus making the wearer faster, and the augment making them stronger. To do this you have to make a direct interface with the nervous system. They first implemented small microfivers which would wrap themselves around the nerves in question to detect electrical signals. These were designed to cluster primarily along the spine but have additional nodes in the major muscle groups. However, direct stimulation of a nerve or nerve cluster sends signals to the brai nthat are interpreted as…. Unbelievable agony, which is likely the agitation that they were seeing in the animal test subjects. However, with a high enough drug dosage, you can mitigate these effects, or distract the brain enough to keep the wearer functional for some time.”

He sat back in his seat.

“And in iron eye, how did you get around this problem?”

“Subdermal implants that do not require direct contact with the nerve endings themselves.”

“And does Iron eye cause any significant damage to the wearer?”

“No sir, the only danger is an infection of the implants, but that is with almost any implanted medical devise.”

“The subjects have no pain.”

“A general soreness that goes away within two to three days.”

“So in my understanding it is clear that there were alternatives to their original course of action. They could have pulled back and tried to implement a way to mitigate the pain rather than mask it with drug dosages?”

“Certainly.”

“But that isn’t what they did.”

“No.”

“The prosecution presents Transcript 27 to the court for viewing.”

Experimental log #27:

We have begun testing various drugs to suppress the pain, this test is with acetaminophen, commonly referred to as Codeine.

As per usual the subject was implanted while unconscious and atop this it was given a high dose of codeine prior to it awaking.

-recording break-

It appears that while the subject was capable of withstanding the pain from the implant for a longer period of time than our previous subjects However the subject clearly seemed to suffer increasing mental instability as the sensations returned, culminating in the subject violently trying to destroy the implant. Learning from prior experiments and in an attempt to reduce harm to the scientists, the subject was left alone while it was in this state and no attempt was made to aid the subject.

Adam turned his head away unable to stomach what was coming next. His hands were sweating terribly. He felt cold and weak. He had seen horrible things in war and in his time, but watching this… .watching steel eye. It was just too much.

His mouth had gone dry, and his skin was hot as if he had a fever.

The dog nosed his hand but he barely acknowledged her.

Audio-visual log transcript:

The transcript begins once the Codeine begins to wear off.

The subject begins by itching at the area around the implant, the reaction is far less violent than the prior subjects. After several minutes of ever more irritated scratching and aggressive tugging at the implant and plaintive noises the subject began to violently bash the implant against the wall. Growing ever more violent with the abuse of the implant. This continues till the test implant is mangled and ruined with the subject pulling the mangled chunks of metal off their skin, this however seems not to alleviate the subjects pain and irritation. This is likely due to the destruction of the implant not removing the interfacing needles The subject continued to scratch and pull at its skin, the plaintive noises slowly becoming screams of pain. This action continued without interruption from the scientists till the subject had torn most of the skin of its arm and taken chunks out of its musculature, the subject finally passed out from pain or blood loss after several minutes of self mutilation.

The room spun around him, and he took a few long, deep breaths hoping that it would stop.

He wast sure he could survive another few hours of this.

He wasn’t sure at all

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tcm · 4 years

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Edward G. Robinson, the Art Collector By Raquel Stecher

“I was hooked on art—an addict. The only thing real in the world seemed to be catalogs from dealers, galleries and museums.” - Edward G. Robinson

Edward G. Robinson, the cigar chomping star of such crime dramas as LITTLE CAESAR (’31), BULLETS OR BALLOTS (’36), KID GALAHAD (’37) and KEY LARGO (’48), was a gangster on screen but a refined art collector off screen. What began as a childhood fascination eventually blossomed into a full blown obsession. Robinson often joked that, “you don’t collect paintings, they collect you.” Over the years, Robinson collected over 70 works of art, mostly impressionist and post-impressionist paintings. Art was a lifelong passion of his, one he couldn’t just keep to himself but would share with anyone who would listen.

As a child, Robinson would cut pictures of paintings from magazines and add them to his scrapbooks. According to Robinson biographer Alan L. Gansberg, “he would find his way to museums and art galleries, look around, then head back to the Astor Library to discover, in books, what he had seen and why it was renowned.” Robinson’s love extended beyond just collecting, and he developed a pure love of curation. He wasn’t interested in status. And art dealers soon discovered that he couldn’t be swayed by suggestion or opinion. Robinson’s method of selecting his next acquisition was from pure instinct. If the piece spoke to him, he bought it. If it came with an intriguing backstory, even better.

In his autobiography All My Yesterdays, Robinson shares with readers his many art collecting adventures. He started off by purchasing reproductions which he would lovingly frame and hang on the wall or give to friends. His first real purchase was an oil painting entitled “Cow in the Meadow” which he bought for $2 at auction. Since he earned more money working in theatre and in Hollywood, Robinson caught the art buying bug. He’d visit public galleries and private collections in New York City, London and Paris. Robinson became known among art dealers, who would let him take home a painting for a month before purchasing.

Robinson celebrated big milestones in his life with new art. In his memoir he wrote, “to mark suitably the birth of my son, I bought a good-sized Degas of two dancers and a lovely Pissarro — oh, such a lovely Pissarro — for $2,500 and a Monet painting of some willows for another $2,500.” Robinson fell in love with the work of Georges Rouault, Pablo Picasso, Titian, Francisco Goya, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gaugin and others. He thought Rembrandt was overrated.

Notable pieces in Robinson’s collection included:

“Daughters of Revolution” by Grant Wood

“The Black Marble Clock” by Paul Cezanne

“Portrait of Père Tanguy” by Vincent van Gogh

“Young Girl with a Hat” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

“The Artist’s Mother” by Edouard Vuillard

“L’Italienne” by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot

“Figure of a Woman (Before the Theater)” by Berthe Morisot

“Jane Avril Dancing”” by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

“View of Le Crotoy, from Upstream” by Georges Seurat

“The Vase of Flowers” by Georges Rouault

Over the years, Robinson worked directly with artists. In 1939, he commissioned a painting of himself, his wife Gladys and his son Eddie by Edouard Vuillard. After filming CONFESSIONS OF A NAZI SPY (’39), he took Gladys on a trip to Mexico where he met with Diego Rivera and bought several pieces. It was there that he met Frida Kahlo, who was not yet known in the states, and purchased four of her paintings for $200 each. According to artsy.net, “Robinson’s purchases were Kahlo’s first major sales, her first to an American, and gave her some financial independence.”

It wasn’t enough for Robinson to keep these pieces to himself. He felt that others should enjoy them too. When he bought a house in Beverly Hills, he petitioned the City Council for permission to build an adjoining gallery on the property. Once complete, he filled it with his prized possessions and opened the gallery to the public by hosting guided tours. Whenever a tour guide failed to show up, Robinson, his wife and even his butler would fill in. Robinson also exhibited his pieces elsewhere including collaborating with friend and fellow art collector Vincent Price on a museum show. In 1953, he loaned out 40 of his paintings for an exhibition at MoMA. The proceeds went to the museum’s New York City School Fund.

Robinson’s collection would diminish drastically when he had to sell 60 paintings as part of a divorce settlement. An auction was planned until Stavros Niarchos, a wealthy Greek shipping magnate, stepped in and bought the whole kit and caboodle privately for $3.5 million. It pained Robinson to lose so many of his darlings all at once. He eventually bought 14 of those pieces back from Niarchos and from other private collectors who purchased them after the original sale. Robinson was able to buy back some of his favorites from Cezanne, Renoir, Seurat, van Gogh and Gaugin. When Robinson remarried in 1958, he and his new bride Jane Robinson (nee Bodenheimer), a fashion designer who went by the name Jane Arden professionally, set out to build the collection back up again. A couple of years after Robinson passed away, Jane published a coffee table book called Edward G. Robinson’s World of Art as a way to pay tribute to Robinson’s lifelong passion.

#Edward G. Robinson #art #impressionism #post impressionism #vincent van gogh #picasso #TCM #Turner Classic Movies #Hollywood #Raquel Stecher

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worthbrunomars · 3 years

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Bruno Mars Net Worth 2021, Biography, Career, Height, and Assets !

Bruno Mars Net Worth and job profits:

Bruno Mars Net Worth is surely an United states performer-songwriter and file company having a value of $175 zillion. Bruno Mars has appreciated a substantial musical occupation with a large number of attacks.{Buzrush.com} He also routinely functionality around the music of other creative designers, offering fantastic vocals. He is extremely productive in monetary conditions as well, because he has offered over 130 thousands of albums globally. Consequently him one of the greater-promoting makers at any time. Mars possibility to recognition extremely speedily right after his occupation was launched in 2010, now he is accepted as one of the most significant tunes artists worldwide.

Before Day to day life:

Bruno Mars Net Worth true title is Peter Gene Hernandez, and that he arrived into this world on October 8th of 1985 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Each his father and mother had been basically associated with tracks, and they also happy even though executing in a display with each other. Bruno Mars was open to songs from the young age, and he obtained reputation like a young youngster being an Elvis impersonator. His entire loved ones enjoyed a team jointly, and then he carried out such as a music band affiliate two evenings every week at age group 6. {Buzrush.com} He also experienced a young cameo in "Retreat in Vegas" and was featured on "The Arsenio Hall Show" in a early age.

When Bruno Mars Net Worth was 12, his moms and dads divorced. His daddy experienced not been a wealthy guy, and the person had considered Bruno in addition to his sibling to possess aside from all of those other home. They typically existed in impoverished difficulties on bank account of his father's lowered earnings. During this time period of time, Mars carried on to perform are residing Elvis impersonations, and then also, he manufactured an look inside the music group together with his friends from high school graduation. Mars' sibling at some point appreciated his demo reel to have a company in L . A .. After the maker depicted his fascination with the youthful ability, Bruno Mars moved to La right after graduating high school graduation graduating to pay attention to an profession in tracks.

Profession:

Following relocating to Los Angeles, Bruno Mars Net Worth used the stage headline "Bruno Mars." "Bruno" was his many years as a child nickname, and therefore he integrated "Mars" to go away from getting stereotyped like a Latin developer. Although a number of document brands, such as Motown, presented fascination about Mars, his profession easily stalled. So that you can generate frontward, Mars begun to focus more details on songwriting and generating. {Buzrush.com} vHe experienced accomplishment creating songs for organization Brandon Creed, who applied one among Mars' songs to get a Latin class. During this time period period of time, Mars also created songs for artists like Adam Levine and composed monitors for organizations just like the Sugababes.

2009 and 2010 had been crucial a long period for Bruno Mars, and then he shattered via soon after supplying on "Almost practically nothing with you" by B.o.B. and "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy. Both these tunes found best rated locations inside the graphs, putting Bruno Mars about the chart initially. He later released his first EP on the heels of this success, entitled "It's Better If You Don't Understand." Down the road throughout 2010, Mars started off work with his very first visual appeal album, "Doo-Wops And Hooligans." The guide individual, "Precisely how you will be," achieved the highest place on charts all over the world. One more person from your album, "Grenade," also came to to highest rated place around the US Billboard Well-liked 100. Once the discharge of this successful very first record, Bruno Mars started out collaborating with many other wonderful-account music artists, like Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg.

"Unorthodox Jukebox" was an additional productive recording by Bruno Mars if it was released in 2012. It gradually proceeded to supply greater than 6 million duplicates and featured men and women like "Once I Was Your Man or woman." From 2013 to 2014, Bruno Mars toured worldwide and grossed $156.4 zillion during this procedure. In 2014, he headlined the particular Plate halftime illustrate, a component he would consume once more in the foreseeable future. After 2014, Bruno Mars was exhibited on yet another very successful monitor, "Uptown Funk."

Following a small slow downs, Mars' adhering to album, "24K Ponder," was introduced in 2016. This album was effectively-acquired by professionals and showcased keeps track of like "That's Those Things I Like" and "Finesse."{Buzrush.com} Mars toured once again from 2017 to 2018. This time around, his trip shattered all past records, grossing more than $300 thousands of. In 2020, it completely was declared that Mars was concentrating on a new recording plus a feature motion picture with Walt disney world entire world.

Musical Style:

Bruno Mars leans heavily on classic elements, and functions in addition to his music group, The Hooligans. Elvis Presley was really a key impact on Mars - specifically in relation to his persona and community perception, as he spent a very long time impersonating the recognized rock and roll and roll superstar. Also, he expended time impersonating Michael Jackson like a young performer, and in addition this story also appreciated a tremendous influence on Mars - specifically when it comes to his vocal type. Despite the fact that Bruno Mars is likely to shift a lot more toward RAndB, he "refuses to pick a lane," with his great albums are often a combination of distinctive types and musical varieties.

Legal aspects:

Immediately after Bruno Mars possessed launched his very first report, he was arrested in Vegas for ownership of cocaine. He in the future pleaded remorseful and had not been incurred. In swap, Mars pledged to prevent concerns for the season, shell out an outstanding, and complete 200 period of neighborhood services. He in the future discussed he regretted the automobile accident. Bruno Mars has additionally been the topic of various copyright laws legal guidelines legitimate instances, with numerous older bands and brands proclaiming he or she is borrowing also very seriously from collectible tracks. "Uptown Funk" is specially well known in relationship with this, and many grievances from Mars are already produced.

Profits:

In 2013 alone, bruno Mars earned $38 million before taxes and expenses. Billboard predicted that during 2013, Mars became the 12th-top-paid out out songs performer worldwide. In 2014, he improved using this using a $60 thousand pre-income taxes revenue. Involving June 2016 and June 2017, Mars raked in $40 zillion. Between June 2017 and June 2018, he obtained $100 thousands of. In 2018, {Buzrush.com} Forbes documented that Bruno Mars was the highest-paid out out music performer of 2017. 12 months soon after, he received $50 mil, earning the 54th spot on Forbes set of 100 top rated-compensated celebs.

More Info-

https://www.buzrush.com/bruno-mars-net-worth/

https://digitalvisi.com/bruno-mars-net-worth/

https://sites.google.com/view/celebrity-bruno-mars-net-worth/home

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zerogate · 4 years

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The late David Bowie was asked if his inspiration included dreams and he stated it happened frequently: "There's a thing that, just as you go to sleep, if you keep your elbows elevated you will never go below the dream stage. I've used that quite a lot and it keeps me dreaming much longer than if I just relaxed. I keep a tape recorder by the bed, and if anything comes, I just say it into the tape recorder."

Arlo Guthrie, an American folk singer and songwriter, once said that music was like a stream going by. "Songwriting's kinda like catching fish - you just sit there and pull them out as they go by - though I think Bob Dylan's upstream from me somewhere."

"The best songs that are written write themselves," said Michael Jackson. "You don't ask for them; they just drop into your lap... I don't force it. I let nature take its course. I don't sit at the piano and think, 'I'm going to write the greatest song of all time.' It doesn't happen. It has to be given to you. I believe it's already up there before you are born, and then it drops right into your lap."

[...]

Some of the stories about dream music are so bizarre they just couldn't be made up. Consider the story of "Mystery Woman" written by U2's Bono. As Bono tells the story he is about to play a major concert in Wembley Stadium and was not able to sleep the night before. He stayed up most of the night watching the movie Blue Velvet on repeat and became aware of Roy Orbison's song "In Dreams" every time it came up in the movie. Orbison, himself, claimed that when he came up with the song "In Dreams" in 1962, he got the lyrics to the song in a dream. Eventually, Bono fell asleep and woke up with a song in his head. At first, he believed it was another Orbison song but then realized that it was new. He played the new Orbison-sounding song about a "mystery woman" to his band during the concert sound check. When they heard how it happened they told him he had "a bit of voodoo in him." When the concert was over, Bono sat down backstage to finish the song. Suddenly, his bodyguard knocks on the door and says Roy Orbison and his wife were at the concert and would like to meet him. No one knew Orbison would be attending! During the meeting, Orbison synchronistically said he would like to work with U2, and then asked, "you wouldn´t happen have a song for me?" Bono then told him of the Orbison-like song that appeared in his head that morning. Orbison sang the song and it was released after his death. The album, Mystery Girl became a worldwide hit reaching #5 on the US Billboard 200, and #2 on the UK Albums Chart.

[...]

Noel Gallagher of the UK rock band Oasis sold the third best-selling record in the country. Gallagher stated he used lucid dreaming to create songs. "I write a song before I go to bed," Noel told Alternative Press in December 1995. "I won't have any lyrics, just a melody. If I can remember it first thing in the morning, then I know it's good. I've done it with 'Don't Look Back in Anger' and nearly every song on Definitely Maybe. When I woke up, I remembered the songs chord-for-chord - I knew the vowels and syllables I was gonna use."

[...]

The claims for dream music go back for centuries. Mozart claimed to hear his best music when he slept but couldn't remember it when he woke up. The composer Revel stated that the most wonderful music came to him in his dreams. Anton Bruckner spoke of perhaps his most famous piece “Symphony No 7, 1st movement." “This theme wasn't mine at all. One day the (deceased) conductor Kitzler and old friend of mine from Linz appeared to me in a dream and dictated the thing to me. I wrote it down straight away. 'Pay attention,' added Kitzler, ‘this will bring you success.'"

[...]

Probably the most famous song that came in a dream was the song "Yesterday" by Paul McCartney. It has the most cover versions of any song ever written (2200) and, according to record label BMI, was performed over seven million times in the 20th century. McCartney described a song being his head when he woke up one morning. There was a piano in the room and he quickly recorded the melody and lyrics. McCartney stated:

I woke up with a lovely tune in my head. I thought, 'That's great, I wonder what that is?' There was an upright piano next to me, to the right of the bed by the window. I got out of bed, sat at the piano, found G, found F sharp minor 7th -- and that leads you through then to B to E minor, and finally back to E. It all leads forward logically. I liked the melody a lot, but because I'd dreamed it, I couldn't believe I'd written it. I thought, 'No, I've never written anything like this before.' But I had the tune, which was the most magic thing!

Once he had the song McCartney was still unsure so he checked around to see if he had just rewritten something he heard but had forgotten.

For about a month I went around to people in the music business and asked them whether they had ever heard it before. Eventually, it became like handing something into the police. I thought if no-one claimed it after a few weeks then I could have it.

[...]

Marcus Eoin from the band Boards of Canada wrote the song "Gyroscope" which came in a dream. He stated, "Yeah for me it would be the track 'Gyroscope'. I dreamed the sound of it, and although I've recreated dreamt songs before, I managed to do that one so quickly that the end-result was 99% like my dream. It spooks me to listen to it now."

[...]

Carole King was a prolific singer-songwriter with over 25 solo albums in 50 years. Her highlight album was the 1971 masterpiece Tapestry, which topped the charts for six weeks and remained on the charts for six years. It outsold The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album and included the iconic 1972 Grammy song of the year "You've Got a Friend." Speaking of that song King said, "That song was as close to pure inspiration as I've ever experienced. The song wrote itself. It was written by something outside of myself through me. It happens from time to time in part. That song is one of the examples of that process where it was almost completely written by inspiration and very little if any perspiration."

[...]

On May 6, 1965, in Clearwater, Florida, while on their first U.S. tour, according to a St. Petersburg Times article, about 200 young fans got in an altercation with a line of police officers at the show, and The Stones made it through just four songs as chaos ensued. That night, Keith Richards woke up in his hotel room with the guitar riff and lyrics, "Can't get no satisfaction" in his head. He recorded it on a portable tape deck, went back to sleep, and brought it to the studio that week. The tape contained his guitar riff followed by the sounds of him snoring. Richards stated, "We receive our songs like inspiration, like at a séance. People say they write songs, but in a way, you are more the medium. I feel that all the songs are floating around, and it is just a matter of being like an antenna, of whatever you pick up. So many uncanny things have happened to us. A whole new song appears from nowhere in five minutes, the whole structure and you haven't worked at all."

[...]

Beethoven - "I must accustom myself to think out at once the whole, as soon as it shows itself, with all the voices, in my head." He used sketchbooks to write down his ideas when they flew into his head so as to not forget them. "Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy." "Music is the one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind, but which mankind cannot comprehend." "Music is the mediator between the life of the senses and the life of the spirit." "Tones sound, and roar and storm about me until I have set them down in notes."

-- Grant Cameron, Tuned-In: The Paranormal World of Music

#quotes

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kimxblht-17 · 4 years

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ＲＥＡＳＯＮＳＴＯＧＯＴＯＨＡＷＡＩＩ

I love travelling, especially to places that are rich culture and heritage. I haven’t been to Hawaii, nevertheless I will visit this place soon. Hawaii is the number one list on my travel list. I am really obsessed with the beach. We all know that Hawaii is the Aloha state, it comprises a chain of 132 islands. We usually think of the eight main islands when we think of Hawaii. This is not surprising as the other 124 islands only total about 3 square miles in land area. Hawaii is the home of the world's most active volcano, the crater of Kilauea on Volcano. Sandy beaches, towering volcanoes, and plush valleys lure thousands of tourists annually to the current tropical paradise. Hawaii is the foremost ethnically and racially diverse state of any state within the union, a mix that features Caucasians, Americans of Japanese descent, and Polynesians, among others. Native Hawaiians have stayed to many of their customs and traditions despite the influx of non-natives over the years. Hawaii includes beautiful beaches, swimming with sea turtles, adventurous hikes then way more all await us on their amazing islands. Aloha!

These are some lists of the tourist spots that you need to visit:

1. The Ala Moana Beach Park is directly one in every of the foremost popular beaches on Oahu’s South Shore, and one in every of the smallest amount noticeable crowded, aloof from the shoulder to shoulder crunch found at a number of the spots directly along Waikiki Beach, Ala Moana remains bustling with activity but there's way more beach to space it out. The waters here are perfectly tranquil because of an offshore reef buffeting the waves. Visitors will find lots of sun and sand to enjoy, additionally to workout facilities, a snack shop, and an expansive open park that features the scenic Magic Island. The similarly named Ala Moana Mall is simply across the road from this location, and is out and away the most effective shopping opportunity within the state. If you're searching for a relaxed, family friendly beach, look no further than Ala Moana Beach, it is few 15minute walk west from the areas centrally packed hotels, and could be a welcome site for people who have spent the bulk of their vacation up to it point only in crowded Waikiki Beach. Second is that the Art After Dark it's the museum’s evening art party held the last Friday of every month, January through October. Event themes change monthly, inspired by current exhibitions, programming, and aim to celebrate the local creative community while cultivating a replacement generation of art enthusiasts.

2. The Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery it's the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in several regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represent the pure land or pure environment of a Buddha. The Honolulu is a city of life and energy. Whether you're coming to Waikiki with a gaggle, or simply want to satisfy new people while you are in the activities below will offer you lots of opportunities to grab a drink and mingle. Sail toward the sunset with a delicious cocktail in hand, or take an open-bar booze cruise down the shoreline of Waikiki.

3. The Crouching Lion Hike is a short but difficult hike. The crouching lion trail could be a 4mile loop with an elevation gain of two,000 feet. The elevation gains and losses are near the start and also the end of the trail. the center of the trail is where the harmful knife-like ridges are. to urge there, travel 25 miles on the drive from downtown Honolulu, they recommend wearing shoes rather than sandals, but the trek is worthwhile and offers some stunning views.

4. Helicopter Tour can get your adrenaline pumping with doors off helicopter tour. You'll experience stunning views of the beaches and landscape from above.

5. Koko Head Trail has plenty of stairs but, extremely beautiful and rewarding landscape. If Obama can lie with per annum, so can you!

6. Makapu Point Light, hike to the current cute lighthouse perched on rocks. This moderately easy hike pays off with breathtaking views of the indigo ocean and Oahu's eastern, or Windward Coast. you'll be able to even see the island of Molokai within the distance. Two other smaller islands, Manana is that the larger of the 2, also called Rabbit Island and Kaohikaipu also are visible just offshore.

These are some Hotels that you can experience unforgettable and memorable.

1. Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo has a boasting stunning ocean side location with magnificent views of Hilo Bay and Mauna Kea, Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo occupies a historic site amidst a lush, tropical landscape. Their setting also offers guests access to Hilo Airport, just 2 miles away. Tee off on our 9-hole golf course, or soak up the sunshine in our beautiful outdoor swimming pool. Energize in the complimentary fitness center, or rent some water sports equipment and take to the wave, their inviting guest rooms offer WiFi, a generously sized work desk, microwave, refrigerator, and in-room safe. Upgrade to an ocean-view suite with a separate living area and a balcony offering ocean views. Savor breakfast, lunch and dinner in their restaurant, which has indoor and outdoor seating. Admire sweeping vistas of Hilo Bay from the large deck of our Lobby Lounge.

2. Nobu Hotel Los Cabos has mesmerizing views of sparkling sapphire waters, stretching as far as the eye can see. The hotel offers 200 guest rooms and suites, ample meeting and event spaces, a luxurious spa, retail shopping, infinity pools, private cabanas, and a variety of bars and dining, including a Nobu restaurant on the beach.

Every country has a tradition and culture in Hawaii the “honi ihu”, or the touching of noses, is a traditional method of greeting each other, whether it’s a person and woman, two men or two women. It allows both people to exchange breath, which is that the supremely important vital in Hawaiian understanding, and also share scents and convey a closeness in relationship. These are some Dos and Don'ts when you go to Hawaii. Don’t ever say “back within the states” when you’re concerning the US mainland. this suggests that Hawaii isn't a state. And it also demonstrates an absence of information of basic American history and geography. Fortunately, this doesn’t happen the maximum amount as before. this is often because more information about Hawaii being disseminated on the news, television and entertainment venues. But it still happens enough to stay within the craw of the many local residents of Hawaii. It’s definitely one in every of the don’ts within the do’s and don’ts in Hawaii. Pidgin Don’t attempt to speak Hawaiian pidgin or more accurately mentioned as Hawaiian creole which remains commonly spoken by many residents of the HI. The locals would most likely think you’re trying to form fun of them or being insulting. And it's almost never visiting be taken positively. First of all, that’s not how you'd normally speak. Second, you’re probably not visiting be able to pull it off well. Third, it’s just visiting be perceived as disingenuous and phony. Hawaiians Don’t seek advice from all residents of Hawaii as Hawaiians. Out of respect, this term is reserved just for people of Hawaiian ancestry. But you'll be able to visit anyone who calls Hawaii their home as Hawaii residents, local people or locals, irrespective of ancestry or race. Car Horns Don’t honk you’re horn while driving, unless it’s an emergency. In Hawaii, honking your horn while driving is taken into account to be an act of rudeness. It could even be especially dangerous if you’re honking a “moke” example of that is a big, burly Polynesian guy. Saying Mahalo Don’t forget to wave many thanks or even show the “shaka” sign which essentially means “right on” when other drivers allow you to pass first. It’s common practice in Hawaii to wave as an expression of gratitude, when others allow you to pass first or before of them while driving. It’s also how to point out demonstrate your courtesy and civility, no matter where you're. Shoes Don’t forget to require your shoes off before entering someone’s home. Many locals have the custom of removing their shoes before entering their homes. So ask first, just to form sure. Lava Rocks Don’t take rocks from heiaus, volcanoes or places sacred to Hawaiians. It’s not uncommon for those that have taken such rock to experience back luck until they return them where they originally found them. So save yourself the hassles and bad luck by leaving them where they're. I highly recommend Hawaii if you are planning to travel and vacation it is a perfect place to relax with your love ones, along with unwind and disconnect from your daily routine. Their beaches are extremely prepossessing, the gorgeous scenery, aloha, spirit, stunning beaches, and exciting activities are just a few of the reason Hawaii is continually rated as a top vacation destination.

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weirdness-on-the-roof · 5 years

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critical role episode 48 campaign 2 notes and funny lines post break edit:this has detailed notes on all the stuff that happened later in the episode including physical descriptions near the end. enjoy ya nerds

don’t steal the books from a high powered mage; don’t kill the dude; beau turning into cad; look at beau planning for the future

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is marisha flirting with matt via matt playing yasha and beau flirting with yasha?

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‘tea the international language’ but no earl grey

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wensworth the goblin

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coming from Cad ‘im a fine tea maker’ is kinda a threat tbh

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elf that isn’t white/European??? yay! also really old elves are cool

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beau and cad tag teaming a political chat with a mage this can’t end poorly

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Nott: :beau ruins every situation shes in and is very abrasive

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send the freaking cat!!! why not?? caleb my dude

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god i miss allura and gilmore currently

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fucking fuck don’t lie to the mage beau plz stop this is painful ‘you’re not wrong’ sure blame the ancient sea god

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‘on the verge of returning’ yea no duh you let him out 2/3 of the way so fjord could get a spell

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‘we found a thing’ so smooth and eloquent beau ‘it was presented to us as the happy fun time ball’

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‘butter fingers with magical items’

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beau getting a geography lesson from a very old powerful elven mage

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‘magical geometric orb that has the ability to bend time and space and fate’ which is kept in a hot pink magic bag that happened to ‘fall into [their] lap’

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‘if youre down im down is what im saying... i have a few slots open in my loyalty bank if you’re willing to pay rent’ says the 20 some human who punches things to the centuries old wizard ‘

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liam stress eating

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cad’s hope in the group is heartwarming

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tower metaphors and a conversation!!!

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caleb reading shitty romance novel and nott eating a fish outside a mage’s tower in the morning sunlight in a major city

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caleb takes the rear

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first name drop and a while

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holy shit 200 years of magic using

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cad explaining materialistic nature of the rest of the party to elf dude is hilarious

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teleportation circles?????? in return for access to the sphere!! oh shit thats good

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or candy

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crap. no one has insight checked this dude and they gave him the happy fun ball and made a deal kinda.

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‘how do we prove our loyalty?’ ‘by not fucking me over’ sounds like a good plan

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is this guy just caleb’s patron now on the low idk this is how my head works and he said learn

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“you have a geometric shape that makes babies?” “yea they talked about that”

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fjord just kills the dude

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‘i got banishment on hold just in case’ *cackling laughter*

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i agree with elf dude, him not knowing anything about the dodecha is more concerning than him knowing about it

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ALL THE CITIES FROM CR1 MENTIONED FOR THE FIRST TIME!!! I STILL MISS ALLURA AND GILMORE

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good to know the pink bag protects from divination on this plane but just this one

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jester and the traveler figurine

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cad included the Traveler in the ‘chaotic forces’ i still think the traveler is some kinda arch fey evil things idk its real late here and this is incoherent

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‘well, thats been my morning tea‘

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caleb getting additional tour

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good aesthetic for the room tbh

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letting weird people in for morning tea is entertainment is a mood and something i strive to be able to do without getting murdered one day

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so yasha and caleb both have gotten the ‘stay with friends’ chat from a powerful being which is nice. but also the ‘use who you need to’ going to caleb is vaguely concerning

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personalized biscuits [bourbon, cinnamon, lobster, fish and three unknowns]

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‘caleb, what happened in there?’

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cad not believing caleb’s bullshit and opening doors for caleb warms my heart

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‘if this isn’t the death of us, and if not hes a good ally. somethings gonna be the death of us so [yolo]’

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‘you can’t bullshit everyone in this world’

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cad talking about beau telling the truth: ‘you’re not very good at it but you tried

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jester looking out for nott and her home town

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caleb and beau being cute while also giving each other shit is the most sibling like thing

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omg going back to allfield that was so long ago for fucks sake BRYCE my person thank god

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jester had a boy band phase its cannon and i think the girls had a sleepover in jester’s old room. also marion never leaves the hotel. THE RUBY NECKLACE MY HEART AND THE HONEY AWWWWW

‘the army of men and women and inbetween that will do as i want them to’ god i adore her being protective of jester

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also the fact matt makes such a good mom why is he like this

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travel time!!!! ‘roll for initiative’-tal

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how does matt keep these notes so organized and remember all the npc names

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the ranger/beast master in Laura is coming out with nugget

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caleb is a devout cat person and jester is the definition of a dog person

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nott refining oil on a magical moving cart, while jester reads a romance novel and trains a dog,

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Dyren- Beau’s roommate at colbot souls; ‘taught beau lots of really cool things’ got sent to a warfront. shaved head, dark clothes, buff b/c ‘been workin out’, ‘do you love her?’ they had ‘good times’, then literal booty call, and dropping locations, Dyren was in Bladegarden. ‘fierce eyebrows, pointed nose’

OH MY GOD THEY WERE ROOMMATES

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Vandren info drop to Fjord ‘he was making amends’

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Dyren responded and was hurt in Bladegarden but is safe. Beau looked immediately worried and happy about jester’s imput [’sounded way into you’]

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empire kids chat and caleb admitting insecurities about powerful people and being scared about the consequences of his actions and the group’s actions. caleb is scared about being forced to leave for safety and being ‘flayed alive’. my thoughts are he would leave if he became a threat to the others by being there or vise versa. trent would extort that b/c hes a dick

“caleb, unfortunately, you don’t get to choose who cares for you” you’re fucking correct Beau

“the problem with friends is that you have to care for them”

walks away “wow cool caleb! see- jester thinks you’re cool because shes your fucking friend!”

me too Tal “everything i like about those two characters in one conversation”

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5 years since Caleb left Trent and crew ie had a nervous breakdown

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gustav left town after being freed and trostenwald now has a WV accent that is too familiar

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100 extra soldiers in allfield. bryce is still up and kicking and wonderful. stuff ‘got this far east [quickly]’. the attacks came from underground apparently so fuck. the fields were burned, building destroyed a bit then they [Xhorhasians] left

“good thing is they’ve already been attacked so lightning doesn’t strike twice” oof thanks bryce

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beau just dead ass asking for illegal writing statements

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fjord having a thank u jesus bryce moment

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jester giving cad a pretty present is ‘so exciting’ and precious

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Cad not knowing cookbooks were a thing!!! and not being utterly literate enough to understand it

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wtf happened to liam’s voice in the ‘main export is oysters’ thing

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FELDERWEN!!!!!

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a dozen squads of 50 ppl each patrolling felderwen area so rippppp

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Nott knows where the halfing’s house is.... interesting... and is heavily drinking

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BLUE FLASH

elven woman in fine clothes of green and black ----lady vest durogna the arch mage of antiquity serboros assembly

a male figure in deep blue robes, older pale elf, fine clothes, the flash came from him----- martinette luden’th de____ arch mage of domestic protection

CALEB KNOWS THEM BOTH FROM THE ACADEMY AHHHHHH

he just lays flat and hides in the cart internally: ‘nopenopenopenope’

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several burned buildings, a warehouse, an inn, apothecary and several houses

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ohhhh shit the halfling was the owner of the apothecary and nott was looking for the shit she had been sending back this whole adventure....... im sad now that was confirmed

havent found a body of yeza

luke is yeza’s son at old edith’s house

halflings only produce halflings according to something i read at some point but forget where sooooooooo

shattered vials and materials and house stuff

CHILDREN'S TOYS

locked basement which nott knows of?? Nott is anxious and impatient when the door doesn’t open. jester fails, yasha rages and at a 19 and doesn’t break the door. ‘it wasn’t [trapped]’ but dispel magic worked to open it.

a 15′x15′ room, tossed ‘not like you remember’ to nott, a 2x3 iron chest. a single chair in the center of the room. definitely a struggle with heavy impacts and blade scratched on wall

nott was the torturer from the goblin tribe

chair was placed in the spot after the struggle

this was where he [yeza] kept chemicals according to nott

poisoned iron locked box (dull black glass) inside a retractable silver tripod to hold something atop it, 3 empty vials 1 full one with a liquid/gas fog like dull colored thing, a pile of destroyed notes [two pieces of still legible paper which have props]

dunamous field, causes ppl slow to be slower or faster, ‘captured crin operatives’ dunaments and dunamacy, origon gliffs, exist outside established schools of magic, theory in deeply rooted in arcana taken for granted, rooted in _____ town, 12-16 months to refine, word has found me that trent’s kiddos have knacks for this things, dreams are thrilling

well shittttt

crin on battle fields, ‘breaking fields of fate, fuck the raven queen

SHIIIIIT

a piece of dunemous

dodecha goes in tripod according to beau

chair facing chest

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cricks did this apparently

a little under 100 crowns guard killed, 4 civilians burned

soldiers just ‘slowed down’

left via tunnels and collapsed them behind them

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nott dont be a bitch and don’t get mad at caleb and call them ‘his people’

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cad picks up caleb and ‘youre not at fault here, youre the solution here. don’t let her anger... its not about you’

my HEART

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the chest is too big for the haver sack but fits in lorenzo’s bag of holding

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people have entered and exited since the attack and left the chair and stuff

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lots ‘o chairs

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nott needs to see ledith and uke (?) and not flip the fuck out

‘humble hobble’

nott looked like halfling plump face, braids, tan skin

edith- human older, grey hair, beady eyes, ever present smile like face

LUKE IS HER SON!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CANNON

*edit- rewatching this and seeing ever one’s faces “wheres my son?!” particularly laura/liam/travis just hurt. liam just looked up after a second and travis did his face he does and laura just stiffened and eyes and hand to face. caleb/liam who knows just hugs himself the rest of the convo. marisha is note taking and fuck the video off now

about 5 yrs old, blue eyes, tan/light brown skin, halfling

gave him the doll of the king

IM GONNA CRY NOW BYE

‘HES PROABLY DEAD NOW TOO LIKE I THOUGHT YOU WER’

yenza locks him away when ‘the mean lady comes by’

mean lady has pointy ears and comes often, luke was kept in room, luke was pushed out of the house and told to go somewhere safe so he ran to edith’s house and ‘everything was on fire’

‘im not strong enough to come back yet but know that [im stll thinking of you and i send things] and i hope dad sends them to you.“ fuck my heart

“in my heart i think he is” “well don’t die”

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the elves are gong to the ruins of yenza’s house

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marisha looked so betrayed

tal ‘i was waiting for the riegel shoe to drop’

WOW

HEY CALEB- WOOOW

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we’ll pick up hiiiere

fuck you sam and matt and everything abou this my heart is just FUCKKK

ummm so enjoy the frantic poorly taken notes <3

#critical role spoilers #spoilers #lore drop #ohh shit #fuck you sam #not okay in the slightest why are you like this #i dont have words at this point

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180abroad · 5 years

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Days 141-143: Resting Up (Markets, Museums, and More Pizza)

With Jessica still recuperating from her cold and my writing still woefully behind, we decided to spend our last few days in Inverness (and the UK) taking it easy.

Which isn't to say that we didn't do anything. Just not very much at a time.

Feeling the need for some fresh air, Jessica and I walked some more around the old town and peeked into the Victorian Market. Much like the covered market in Oxford--and any number of other similar establishments we’ve seen in Europe and the States--the Victorian Market houses an eclectic collection of restaurants, bakeries, jewelers, and souvenir shops.

We found a particularly fun-looking bakery, but it was Monday and the shop was closed for "Baking ♡."

And I finally found my new shoes! Right after we left the market, I felt a sudden urge to duck into a nearby shoe store. It was tiny, and I didn't see anything I was interested in. But when I ducked into the even smaller room of clearance shoes, there they were. The exact pair I'd been looking for in Edinburgh on the day of the World Cup final--a single pair in exactly my size. It was destiny. I wore them out of the store and left my trusty old kicks for the shopkeeper to dispose of. In retrospect, I feel a bit sad to have abandoned them so quickly, without a second thought or even a farewell photo. But that's the cost of traveling light, I suppose.

We wandered around the town, peeking into shops and admiring the views of the city. We walked along both banks of the River Ness, then went up to see the town from Castle Hill.

You can't tour the inside of the castle since it's a working courthouse. You can climb up one of the towers, but it's quite expensive and the view from the base is good enough on its own.

In front of the castle is a statue of Flora MacDonald, a woman who helped Prince Charlie escape after the Battle of Culloden to Skye, from which he was able to arrange passage to France. Flora's statue gazes east toward Skye, a hand raised to shield her eyes from the afternoon sun. Flora was eventually arrested and brought to London--where she was praised for her courage and set free. She married and moved to North Carolina--until the American Revolution broke out and she had to flee with her family back to Scotland.

The next day, we visited the free Inverness Museum. In a compact but engaging venue, it covers the full history of the Highlands from the geological forces that formed its landscape to the various cultures that have inhabited it throughout history.

The first exhibit showed off examples of the various stones that make up the geography of the Highlands, and the layers of Earth that have been built up over the ages. Scotland's climate has evolved significantly over the past three-thousand years. The land became marshier and less fertile, forcing the ancient pre-Celtic inhabitants to develop more competitive, warlike societies.

Next, we saw some examples of the various stone carvings these societies made, from simple carved balls to distinctively stylized animals and the classic Celtic crosses.

We learned about the real Macbeth, who lived in the 11th century and whose castle stood on the same hill where the current Inverness Castle stands today. At the time, Scotland was a theoretically unified kingdom within the larger Viking empire of Cnut the Great. But in practice, Scotland was made up of several smaller provinces that were largely independent and occasionally went to war against each other--not unlike a lot of kingdoms in the High Middle Ages.

Macbeth was the lord of Moray, a province in the northern Highlands centered around Inverness. His nemesis Duncan was a young noble from the Lowlands and the nominal High King of Scotland. For some reason, Duncan invaded Moray in 1040 and was killed. Macbeth became the new king of Scotland and ruled for seventeen years, until Duncan's son Malcolm killed Macbeth in turn. Malcolm reclaimed the throne and cemented a dynasty that would rule a mostly unified Scotland for the next 200 years.

(The far northern Highlands and the isles were still nominally under Viking rule and in practice ruled by the Lords of the Isles.)

There was also an interesting collection of Jacobite memorabilia and icons of the Bonnie Prince. Other collections included musical instruments, decorative pistols, and taxidermied animals.

As we wandered around the museum, we noticed colorful plastic dinosaurs hiding in some of the display cases. We eventually learned from another visitor that they were part of a scavenger hunt to help encourage younger kids to pay attention.

Upstairs from the museum was a small gallery for temporary art exhibits. The current installation was about a man who had traveled around the world with a donkey. We didn't stay long.

That evening, we decided to get fish and chips from a shop that was the highest-rated in town on Google. It was a pretty long walk, and when we got there we realized it was takeout only. It was clearly a local joint, and I felt quite conspicuous among the blue-collar workers coming in on their way home from work.

After a half-hour walk home, our fish and chips were still good, if a little cold. We also didn't get any ketchup or tartar sauce. Or cutlery. Jessica actually ducked into a supermarket to look see if they had any sort of fresh food counter with complimentary forks and knives while I waited outside with our greasy takeout boxes. They didn't have any.

Our last day in Inverness was also my 30th birthday. I spent most of the day in bed working on the blog, but Jessica made sure we went out for a nice dinner at a local pizza place that our host had recommended.

Serendipitously, the owner was a Polish woman. Jessica suspected it at once because of the distinctive napkins--parchment-thin and folded up into a tight mass that makes it almost impossible to grab one without soiling or disturbing the rest.

We'd be flying out to Krakow the next morning, and it seemed like as good of an omen as any.

After spending two and a half months in Britain and Ireland, it was finally time to head back into the continent. We were a bit nervous to leave the convenience of the English-speaking world for the former Eastern Bloc. But we were also excited to see what Eastern Europe had in store for us. And Jessica was more than excited for me to see Krakow--a city she already knew and loved.

To celebrate this milestone, we enjoyed our last two miniature bottles of fine single-malt Scotch whisky.

Next Post: Going East

Last Post: Isle of Skye (For One)

#180abroad #inverness #scotland #highlands #history #museum #rest days are nice too #pizza

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Can 2021 Rebuild Movie Theaters’ Theatrical Window?

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Last year the theatrical window was broken, thoroughly and repeatedly, as if a rock managed to shatter every big screen in America. In the aftermath, and as movie theater owners waded through the debris, numerous reports made the same gloomy prognosis: audiences’ relationship with movies had changed.

Perhaps. Yet it’s also fair to wonder if this change is temporary. We may now live in a world where superhero and Pixar movies can premiere on streaming, but the new year provides a new movie release calendar, and with it renewed commitments to bring audiences back to cinemas.

There are exceptions, of course. WarnerMedia made 17 of them when they announced that, like Wonder Woman 1984, Warner Brothers’ entire 2021 film slate would simultaneously premiere in theaters and on HBO Max in the U.S. The rollout of the decision was sloppy, however, with none of the filmmakers involved being warned, much less consulted. Similarly, there are concerns that profit participation and residuals, especially for below the line players, has been thrown to the wind. And to date, Warners’ fire sale approach remains isolated.

Other studios have reason to be cautious. At a glance, WB putting WW84 on HBO Max seems like a victory for WarnerMedia. While official new subscription numbers have not been released as of press time—as is typical with the Oz-like management of streaming data—we’ve nonetheless had several glimpses at the man behind the curtain. For starters, WarnerMedia announced this month that activated HBO Max subscriptions rose in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year to 17.2 million activations, doubling the reported 8.6 million activations back in October.

However, it is unclear how many of those new 17.2 million subscriptions came from new paying subscribers to the service, as opposed to customers with HBO cable subscriptions activating already existing accounts they previously had left dormant. Indeed, every one of HBO’s traditional 34+ million subscribers has an account to HBO Max.

For better clarity, Antenna, a streaming service measurement and analytics firm, reported that HBO Max gained more sign-ups in the first three days of Wonder Woman 1984’s release than any other three-day period for a streamer in 2020. And market research firm Apptopia claims an estimated 544,000 users signed up for HBO Max on mobile devices in that timeframe alone, which excludes Smart TVs, gaming consoles, and computers. When the end goal is to drive up subscriptions and market awareness for the new streaming service, WW84 appears to be a massive success through this limited information.

However, taking even that narrow 544,000 number into account, and assuming the number multiplied by 10 times over the next month with new subscribers and other devices (which would make up about a third of the new 17.2 million activations), this might still amount to just $82 million in new revenue from WW84‘s release alone. When coupled with WW84’s current $153.3 million worldwide gross (of which the studio will get about half), it still could have only earned a little over a quarter of the original Wonder Woman’s global run in 2017.

Without actual numbers this remains obviously (and frustratingly) speculative, but the exercise highlights how difficult it is for a major blockbuster to generate streaming viewership worthy of a $200 million budget (not to mention marketing and additional costs). WarnerMedia essentially sacrificed the film as a loss leader to buoy a service that, as of last October, less than a third of regular HBO subscribers had even bothered activating. Hence why the actual benefits are only seen if subscribers keep paying monthly subscriptions after the first month… and grow in number beyond the WW84 release when WB’s less high profile 2021 film slate unspools.

This is not to discredit HBO Max, which is a wonderful resource for cinephiles. Rather it’s to illustrate that the filmmaking industry, at least as we know it, has as vested an interest as exhibitors in seeing the theatrical window rebuilt in some fashion, even if it never quite looks the same.

Consider that while the Walt Disney Company, with its much healthier streaming service, has put movies like Soul and now Raya and the Last Dragon on Disney+ (with a luxurious surcharge in the latter’s case), Black Widow and the rest of their Marvel Studios slate is scheduled for three theatrical Disney releases in 2021. Meanwhile Universal Pictures, which broke the theatrical window first by putting Trolls World Tour on premium video on demand, is still committed to getting massive blockbusters like F9 and Jurassic World: Dominion in cinemas.

As 2021 brings new hope for mass COVID-19 vaccination, it also hints of a potential lifeline to cinemas. The blockbusters that underwrite the current studio system need them, and the filmmakers who dreamed of having their visions on the big screen will continue to demand them—as will those whose livelihoods depend on theatrical residuals. This holds as true for Steven Spielberg’s prestigious musical remake, West Side Story, as it does for David Lowry’s enigmatic retelling of Arthurian legend, The Green Knight.

And it holds true for Patty Jenkins too. In December, WB trumpeted on the heels of WW84’s debut that Wonder Woman 3 with Jenkins in the director’s chair was in the works. The studio also unsurprisingly confirmed the movie would have a theatrical release. This was a foregone conclusion though, especially given Jenkins’ past statements.

“I know that I’d love to do the third one if the circumstances were right and there was still a theatrical model possible,” Jenkins recently told The New York Times. “I don’t know that I would if there wasn’t.”

Comments—and commitments—like these ensure there will be some kind of a theatrical model. This year and beyond.

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chicagoindiecritics · 4 years

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New from Every Movie Has a Lesson by Don Shanahan: EDITORIAL: Lessons on the New Future of Movie Theaters

Image: pxfuel.com

During this last month or so of our collective national and international quarantine, I’ve been holding the topic of re-opening movie theaters from my usual “What We Learned This Week” columns on the Feelin’ Film podcast for a “Soapbox Special.” There have been so many articles, so many perspectives, and so many rapidly evolving updates and changes that I couldn’t distill them down into one little lesson or column entry.

With several regions of America starting to re-open (including my own state of Illinois and city of Chicago), it was time to get on the stump and arm the cannons. I put some of what follows into spoken word recently on an episode of Mike Crowley’s “You’’ll Probably Agree” podcast, but the issue has grown since then. Click into the multitude of links in the lessons for the deeper referenced stories. They are well worth their reads and your attention. The theme of this all can be summarized as cautiously optimistic.

LESSON #1: WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO GO BACK TO THEATERS — I’ll open this rant back in late May with polling from Variety. It featured a survey of consumer comfort. Here are some bulleted results in numerical order:

91% requested hand sanitizer stations

90% say the most important factor is a cure for COVID-19.

86% supported limited screenings for cleaning time

75% support employees temperature checks

70% would rather watch a first-run feature at home

61% would feel better about mandatory face coverings

60% support audience temperature checks

47% were comfortable buying concessions

46% were comfortable using public restrooms at theaters

There’s more there in that article, but those were the highlights. Beyond even that poll, you’ve got more and more segments of the population who won’t feel comfortable with any public event, let alone a movie, without a vaccine in place. Putting any number of these initiatives in place would be costly, especially for theater chain companies reeling on the edge of bankruptcy.

LESSON #2: WHAT DOES THAT FUTURE LOOK LIKE — Any of those changes from Lesson #1 would make for a very different setting than the “normal” way we’ve been going to the movies for the last century. Many editorials and articles (Seattle Times in May, Vulture in May, and Quartz in June) have tried to talk that out exhaustively with every guess in the clouds. For example, many of us have embraced reserved seating as a way to select our spots, skip crowds, and guarantee seats even if we walk in last minute to avoid 20 minutes of senseless trailers (I know that’s not just me, *wink*). The activity timeline changes upward if we are to stand in a line for temperature checks and even downward if there are no concession lines or needs anymore, which is a tremendous business hit to the theater chains that have been bolstering their kitchen capabilities and choices beyond candy and popcorn for the better part of the last two decades. The other word in there everyone wants to avoid is “crowds.” Can that be accomplished with roped off sections, skipped seats, or an all-reserved seating model (which some older theaters don’t fully have)? In the meantime, you’ve got companies fumbling financial footballs and poking public outcry bears (bravo Michael Phillips) over requiring or not requiring masks (and reversing courses) and other measures before they even open. Do you really trust them to get all of this right on the first try here in July?

LESSON #3: THE OPTION OF AUTOMATION — Piggybacking off of Lesson #2, one potential solution could be artificial intelligence, as crazy at that sounds. According to Variety in May, some theaters in Korea were considering “contact-free” technology. Theater chain CJ-CGV replaced its human staff with AI robots and automated kiosks for scanning and handling ticket transactions. Concession stands were replaced with app-powered and LED-controlled pick-up/delivery boxes. Leave it to tech-savvy Asia to be the tip of that spear. Could the likes of AMC or Regal pull stuff like that off, again, while teetering on financial failure? How do data-danger-minded consumers feel about that?

LESSON #4: COMPANY SURVIVAL IS PERILOUS — The first three lessons constitute a forecast and some great ideas, but who or what can afford those measures? After months of virtually complete closure, save for some door-front concession hawking, large theater chains, especially AMC (which includes the Carmike brand), are in the financial toilet. Bailouts and loans are hard to come by and “junk” status is hitting stock reports. You even have Amazon interested in gobbling up AMC, which would be quite interesting. It may require a rescue such as that. This peril is international as well with CineEurope reporting a possible $20–31 billion loss for the year. Even reopening isn’t an instant cure. The majority of profits for these companies are dependent on concessions because of the high ticket receipt percentages going back to the studios, a gouge that has been increasing over the years at the high blockbuster level (Thanks, Disney). If the food areas are closed due to viral fears and health code regulations, that destroys earnings. 50% capacities of social-distanced seating doesn’t help theaters either. Even 50% might be optimistic. There are theaters opening at barely 25% capacity.

LESSON #5: “TOO BIG TO FAIL” IS LOOKING FAILURE STRAIGHT IN THE FACE — And with that we reach the studios’ level of wallet hit with an inactive theater distribution market. Even with their demanded big bites of the pie, half-filled (or less) theaters do not help them either. This is especially the case at the blockbuster level. No matter the anticipation demand or potential staying power of a really big hit flick with less competition, it is exponentially harder to recoup $200 million-budgeted tentpoles and their $100+ million marketing campaigns if sizable fractions of the screens holding butts are gone or entire chains are shuttered. That’s why the really big stuff like Tenet, Mulan, Fast 9, No Time to Die, and more are not automatically landing on streaming services or VOD outlets. Even at a Trolls: World Tour-equivalent $20 price tag per rental (and its modest success), those giants cannot recoup those huge red balances versus getting a ticket for every head instead of every household. A little thing like The Lovebirds or Irresistible can land in the green with VOD, but not Wonder Woman or Black Widow. A business with a blockbuster class level of movies that once looked too big to fail making its worldwide billions is now failing because they have no place to go and no one able to come to their shows.

LESSON #6: STUDIOS DID SOME THIS TO THEMSELVES — Believe it or not, the studios have slowly damaged their own theatrical success/potential for years with the incremental shortening of the windows between big-screen premieres and home media release dates. Folks my age remember the months of interminable wait back in the VHS and cable TV eras before streaming services were even a glimmer in someone’s eye. For example, Forrest Gump hit theaters over the July 4th weekend of 1994. It didn’t land on VHS until late April 1995 after a long theatrical run and a winter Oscar bump. After that, it wouldn’t hit paid cable for another bunch of months and then years before basic cable made it “free.” By comparison, Joker opened on the first weekend of October last year, hit store shelves the first weekend of January 2020, and no one cares if it comes to HBO or Showtime because Netflix, Hulu, or VOD is cheaper and better. What used to be six months at the minimum (or even an entire year if you were a Disney release) has shrunk to merely 90 days on average. Sure, both Forrest Gump and Joker raked for their times, but it’s an indictment on patience versus money-grabbing. People that are willing to wait can now weather a pretty comfortable amount of time compared to the past for their 4K players and big-screen TVs in their dens. In our current COVID-19 state, we’ve all got nothing but time on our hands to do just that. Why risk health if personal patience versus some “fear of missing out” can pay one $20–30 digital download/disc price to watch a movie repeatedly instead of hauling the entire family plus concessions once, especially for something they don’t deem “big screen worthy?” The studios trying to keep the buzz constant with shorter waits will now see leverage backfire in favor of the consumer. For a current case of that, just look at Disney/Pixar’s Onward and the mere weeks it took to cave from the VOD rental level to dismissively dishing it to everyone in Disney+. With studios building their own streaming shingles, you’re going to see more of that or see more wins for Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon.

LESSON #7: THE PRICE POINT OF DIGITAL — Let’s go further with the digital wants of consumers versus the new risks and hassles of theaters. Circling back to that opening Variety polling again, remember that 70% would rather watch a first-run feature at home. And that was back in May. Imagine now knocking on the door of Independence Day, no matter how much antsy-pant anticipation and hope is out there. That same Variety polling screened respondents on online pricing with some keen results. It asked how much a “reasonable” price would be to stream top-quality productions in their home. Here are those results in numerical rank:

47%- $10

20%- $20

19%- only if it was free

6%- $30

3%- $40

1%- $50, $60, or $80%

That’s 67% holding firm at $20 or under and studios need to do their own projections of math. Regardless, welcome to a more than a little bit of the #firstworldproblems portion of this entire “Soapbox Special.” Movies are wants, not needs, period. They are lovely fulfillment, but non-essential. For every one of those 6% hardcore FilmBros and cinephiles with the disposable income to drop $40 or more to see their precious Christopher Nolan film, over 95% aren’t budging or can’t afford it. Check your privilege.

LESSON #8: ADAPT OR DIE — One way or another, change is needed at the highest level that trickles down to every screen in America. A popular industry that has weathered the advent of television, cable, and now streaming opponents and competition in its century of existence should be able to survive this. Or can they? With the Paramount Accords lapsed, is it time for studios to buy or build their own sustainable theaters to show off their own wares and keep all the profits they used to share with the chains? If studios instead mine the digital landscape successfully, do we really need multiplexes anymore? That is a question posed recently in The New Yorker by Richard Brody in a good read. They’ll need smaller budgeted films to do that, scaling so many things down. Go back to the roots. You can make a dozen solid indies or five or more star-driven mid-budget programmers like the industry used to do in the 1990s with the cost of a single MCU film. Reverting back to that level of business would require some baths and haircuts, but it would rescue the industry. It’s time to embrace those needs. In another angle, columnist Nick Clement on Back to Movies says the film industry is “f — ked.” In many respects, I highly agree with him and his fantastic stump piece speaking on unemployment and the public state of some of those aforementioned #firstworldproblems. Time and patience are the biggest needs.

LESSON #9: “ABSENCE AWAY MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER” — I’ve used this lesson before in “What We Learned This Week” and it’s time to end with it again. Shed away all the polling and conjecture. We all know the love for movies is there or we wouldn’t be talking about it. Look at the success of early openings and the lined-around-the-block comeback of drive-in movie theaters. It will be a topsy-turvy year, without question, even with a full return. We’ve had a zero-budget film named Unsubscribe streaking at an empty box office only to be dethroned by revival screenings of Jurassic Park putting it back to #1 in the nation, George Foreman-style, 27 years after it last ruled the multiplexes. If the year ended today, Bad Boys For Life would get the “biggest movie of 2020” championship belt in the record books. Just like Field of Dreams says, “people will come.” They just need to wait. Everyone, for that matter, from the greedy studio execs and sidelined movie stars to the lowly theater ushers and concession stand workers, needs to wait. This has sucked and it will keep on sucking, but the best answer is to wait and get through this better and healthier, personally and financially, than rushing and screwing it all up. The movies will be there. We want all the people to be there too.

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fayewonglibrary · 4 years

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A light that never goes out (2012)

by Divia Harilela

As the saying goes, behind every great man is a great woman. In fashion, however, it's the high-powered stylist that makes or breaks the woman. Lady Gaga claims she would be a fashion mess without best pal and style guru Nicola Formichetti, and Rachel Zoe transformed Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie from spoilt brats into style stars.

While the West has seen its fair share of celebrity stylists, no one in Asia comes close to Hong Kong's Titi Kwan. While his name may not ring many bells, people will definitely recognise his most famous client, pop diva Faye Wong. For more than 15 years, the pair have collaborated on show-stopping and edgy looks that have earned Wong the moniker of 'Madonna of the East'.

Kwan, Wong's official 'image director', has stayed in the background, preferring to let his work - and muse - do the talking. He keeps to himself, shuttling between Hong Kong and his second home in Paris, rarely granting interviews and avoiding public appearances.

Last October, during Paris Fashion Week, Kwan broke his silence at the unveiling of a fashion line which he was launching after a three-year hiatus. In true Kwan style, the presentation was at a quiet gallery near Rue Saint Honore and attended by a few select invitees.

It's early afternoon, but Kwan has just woken up from a nap and is dressed in an old T-shirt, pink jeans and a banged up leather jacket. He is nervous and speaks slowly. He starts to loosen up when we broach the subject of his new line and latest project, a fashion boutique that will open this month in Chai Wan.

'It will be based on the concept of my apartment,' he says. 'When friends come to visit me in Paris, they love going through my wardrobe. I've collected so many things over the years and don't know what to do with them, so why not open a store? I'll sell pencils, rubbers, silk blankets - whatever I want that's part of my lifestyle. I will also bring in some designer friends and special pieces.

'I'm opening it in Chai Wan because I like the area; most of the studios and industry people are there. For me Chai Wan is Hong Kong. I don't know Central that well. When I hear Central, all I think about is the bank.'

Perhaps industrial Chai Wan reminds Kwan of his upbringing: he grew up in a public housing estate in Kwun Tong with nine family members in a 200 sq ft flat. As a young boy, he would watch and copy his father, a tailor who worked at home.

'I don't know if he was an influence exactly, but the fabric inspired me,' Kwan says. 'I am a curious person, so I observed him and tried many things myself. I made clothes from fabric that was left over and discovered the bias cut this way.'

Kwan also has a rebellious streak. During his teens, he frequently got into trouble for dying his hair red or stapling together his school uniform. While these may seem like typical adolescent pranks, his mother got fed up and shipped him off to Paris at 15 to stay with his older sister.

'I was uncomfortable with my surroundings in Hong Kong. I was lost and felt uncomfortable. Really, I just wanted to be different,' says Kwan, 43.

'It was a shock when I moved to Paris. But then I went to the Centre Pompidou and admired the punks in the streets. It was during the boom of the new wave, and I loved the fashion, the safety pins, everything. Everyone was accepted. Finally, I didn't feel that different.'

Kwan's exposure to fashion continued in high school, where he observed the chic style of young French girls in high heels and miniskirts. At 18, he enrolled in Paris' famed fashion school Studio Bercot. To pay his tuition, he took a part-time job as a waiter in the evenings and studied during the day.

'Studio Bercot opened my mind. That being said, I didn't have time to do the work and was always rushed, although my teacher always complimented my work. I believe compliments kill your creative spirit, which is why I hate them,' he says.

'Eventually, I quit because I was so busy with other styling work. I knew I had to learn in the field, and I needed the money. Styling was new at the time, and people were hungry for stylists. I was really lucky since I was one of the first Chinese faces.'

Fate intervened when he met Wong during a trip home after an eight-year absence. It was the mid-1990s, and Kwan was looking for an artist to feature in a new fashion magazine, so he made an appointment with Wong's management team. While locals were wearing late '80s bling, Wong and Kwan bonded over young and edgy names such as Dries Van Noten, Helmut Lang and Martin Margiela, who were just starting out.

'The first outfit was a Versace dress mixed with flip flops - plastic ones that were very Chinese looking,' Kwan says. 'It was a shock to most people, but she was happy with it. The vibe between us was right. She was such a nice person and the opposite of what I expected. She wasn't an ice queen; she was a warm person.'

Since then, Kwan has worked almost exclusively for Wong. It wasn't until the singer decided to take a four-year break from show business in 2004 that Kwan was free to revisit his first passion - design.

'I always wanted to be a designer, but I took a different path,' he says. 'A few years ago, Faye decided to take a rest, which was perfect for me. I took this time to clean my mind. I saw so many collections that when I designed clothes, I lost my own personality. It was easy to be influenced by others, and I knew what was sellable and what was strong. I wanted to try something new and different, so I stopped looking at fashion for three years,' he says.

He launched his first collection in 2008, which caught the attention of French fashion icon and retailer Maria Luisa. Although it was shortlisted at the prestigious Hyeres Fashion Festival, he didn't feel confident and put designing on the back burner until late last year. This time, he has a much bigger support network for sales and distribution.

Under the name Alibellus, the 70- to 80-piece collection is divided into three lines: luxury casual, which is a collection of separates; dresses featuring handmade pieces; and limited edition, one-of-a-kind styles made from vintage fabrics from Kwan's personal collection. The line will be stocked at retailers around Asia including Liger and Shine in Hong Kong.

'I like classic pieces, but I twist them. I keep telling myself I must get bored of myself before people get bored of me. I need to keep reinventing things. Faye is perfect for me in this way,' says Kwan.

'My customers are women I know. They want something functional and have a different point of view on how to dress. They want something simple, but they want to stand out. I put a lot of effort into the proportions, so the look is slimming. I don't like things that are tight.'

The starting point for the collection was a photograph Kwan took of the sky while on a flight. The silhouettes are clean yet soft as seen on the jumpsuit with frayed edges and long draped white dress that pays homage to Madeleine Vionnet, one of his favourite designers. A white dress made from lace resembles clouds, and a zip-up dress is covered in fabric petals.

Highlights from the collection include dresses made from layers of plastic, muslin with exposed seams, gold brocade and lame.

Of course, Wong has already been photographed in several of the pieces, almost guaranteeing the line's success before it lands in stores on February 1.

'I now have three branches to grow which gives me lots of choice. Meanwhile, I have professionals to make decisions on where the brand is going. I don't need to think about that side of things. I don't want to make big money, I just want to make things right in fashion, things that I like. People may love it for the fact that I am well known, or they may hate it for the same reason,' he says, smiling. 'We'll see.'

Three Titi Kwan created for Faye Wong's 2011 world tour.

1. This structured white mini dress was made for the winter section of the show's four seasons theme. The headpiece is by Paris-based designer Erik Halley. Kwan also crafted the chandelier microphone stand, which contains more than 10,000 crystals

2. Cut from a single piece of fabric, this shoulderless gown was inspired by the Chinese idiom that 'a goddess' robe is seamless'

3. Kwan used almost 100 metres of chiffon for this multilayered masterpiece, which moved and 'flew' on stage with dramatic effect

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SOURCE: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

#2012

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hbv7224-blog · 5 years

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Journal #3: Koreshan Historic State Park

I. The Art Hall

When first entering the park, the tour guide led us into a building that was considered the art hall. This building was the center to where the Koreshan’s held their religious ceremonies led by their founder, held college classes that pertained to the workings of the camp, and played music and showed art for the residents. The art hall displays the histories of the Koreshan’s, with their founder Dr. Cyrus R Teed, and his revelations.

Teed was adamant that G-d had told him the inner workings of our world. The universe was entrapped in the Earth, and that human beings would be immortal if they practiced celibacy. Women and men were held at the same standard, and their G-d was neither man nor woman. With this revelation, Teed decided to spread this message with creating a society of 10 million; only 200 joined. Teed gathered higher-class individuals, or individuals who were from rich beginnings and backgrounds, to join the commune (cult). These individuals agreed to give up all their worldly possessions, and live on a commune. On this commune, they developed a college that was considered “pioneer university,” and held public concerts with orchestrations. Those who donated land could also be a part of the commune, but not have to be celibate.

A representation of how the universe was entrapped inside the Earth.

How the commune would have finally looked if 10 million people had originally joined. The center would be in Estero, Florida, where the commune was located.

Teed’s “proof” that the universe was trapped inside the Earth. It was flawed, because it could be easily manipulated to help prove his theory/revelation.

A photo of the leader of the Koreshan’s, Dr. Cyrus R. teed. After his death in 1908, the population of the commune declined rapidly; by 1956 only 5 members remained as identifying as a Koreshan.

II. General Store

Walking outside from the art hall and onto the main portion of the commune is the general store. This store was special, because it was the first sign that the Koreshan’s were sustainable. This store was the only store between Fort Myers and Naples at one point in time. All the food from the store was grown on the Koreshan land (that stretched 300 acres). They sold local fruits, bread baked on property, molasses, and even gin. The original general store was burned down in 1938, but a new one was created shortly after with wings that held workers.

The Koreshan’s realized that while they wanted to abstain from the use of money, they needed certain resources that they could not produce themselves. Anything that they could not make on their own, they would purchase from the income of their many business ventures. They had a concrete plant, made pots and flower erns, made own electricity and sold to neighbors( used until 1946 when FPL was developed), had lumber mills, publishing house, gas station, camp ground. They had lot of business because of their need for musical instruments in their public concerts and parts for generator they built themselves.

A window of the general store; tourists can read descriptions of what was being sold at this store.

A plaque placed outside of the general store for when it was rebuilt. It is now condemned due to water damage, so there are no pictures of the inside. :(

III. Bamboo Landing

This area was the docking area of the commune. They imported bamboo, which is actually a grass. After a while, the Koreshan’s realized that many individuals were using the canal and money could be generated. The Koreshan’s began to tax individuals, almost like a pay toll on a main highway, while they pass through their portion of the canal. The local residents did not take to this idea very well, and the tax was taken down.

Bamboo trees that resided on the Koreshan commune. This was next to the docking area for fishing boats, and for travel.

IV. Founder’s House

In the founder’s house the founder, Cyprus Teed, and his wife Victoria reside in the upstairs portion of the facility. After Cyprus’s death, the commune did not take to Victoria’s instruction (they never liked her) and she only lasted four months as the Koreshan leader. She eventually fled and married a dentist, forgetting about her past. Before Victoria left, they had a grand sitting/tea room, where they would house guests and show that they still maintained an extravagant culture. Along with the beautiful furnishings, we were able to see historic pictures of the members who resided in the commune. One by the left-hand side of the front door showed children who were introduced to Koreshan society; these children were not born into the society. Since this society believed in abstinence, no children were born and the population died because of this. All the children that resided in the commune were separated from their parents, in order to eradicate parental roles and make the commune more of a community. None of the children that were pictured below stayed in the commune until death.

A recreation of the sitting room Cyrus and Victoria had in their home.

V. Planetary court

The planetary court was made up of 8 women who oversaw the operations of the Koreshan society. These women dealt with money, led trade deals, and sought for the welfare of the community. The home that these women resided in could have fit 20 indidviduals at a given time, only 8 women and a man who helped the women lived in the home. Outside of the home, a gutter was attached to collect rainwater for washing dishes/clothes; this is another example of how this society practiced sustainability.

An outside picture of the home for the planetary court. Rooms wrap around the entirety of the building.

The women who make up the planetary court and the one man that helped with external endeavors for the women.

An example of a room a women would have when residing in the planetary court. The house was built with wood paneling, sculptured wood that was used in large sailing ships, and much more privacy than the men tended to have.

VI. Bakery/ Members cottages

The Bakery was used for the general store, and produced more bread than a navy ship would produce for its men (over 500 loaves of bread). They owned 2-3 huge scale ovens to bake their bread, and the individuals who worked the ovens did not ususally stay in beautiful corners.

The cottages where the individuals who did not remain abstinent, and men, would reside in a hut looking cottage that was in no way the level of luxury the women seemed to have in the planetary court. They were considered shotgun buildings, because just like the barrel of a shotgun you can look to forward and see straight to the back of the room.

An example of a member’s cottage. Usually 13+ individuals would reside in this cottage.

A further explanation of the cottage.

VII. Industrial area

Proof that the Koreshan’s could be considered sustainable was in their industrialized area. They had developed a laundry mechanism, that both men and women would operate, that would run on a motor and be helped with physical labor. They also developed a whole building to construction, even having drills that you would run from the gears that lay above your head.

A few steps away, a building holding a generator was held. The Koreshan’s learned how to generate electricity and become self-sufficient without the need for other members of external communities. Though there are no surviving members, volunteers will help get the generator running to this day.

A drill that was used for construction, and was started up by the gears held above the drill.

The original generator that the Koreshan’s used to generate electricity for their commune. They would run wires underneath the ground in order to not clutter the physical surroundings of the compound.

An old picture of the original generator.

#universitycolloquium

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themoneybuff-blog · 5 years

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How much I spent during two weeks of travel

I like to travel. Over the past decade, I've probably made an average of two international trips per year. But you know what? Never once in that time have I tried to track how much I spend while exploring the world. Sure, I log my numbers in Quicken (as I do for everything), but I've never analyzed the cost of an individual trip. This month, I flew to Europe to hang out with my cousin Duane again. He and I enjoy traveling together. Because I was curious, I decided to be diligent about tracking my expenses for this trip. Note, however, that I didn't try to do anything different. I didn't adjust my normal behavior simply because I knew I'd be reporting to GRS readers. I did what I always do. I spent in ways that felt normal to me. I don't need a fancy hotel, for instance. Neither does Duane. We're happy with cheap, simple lodging. And because most of the time we don't book rooms in advance, we don't hunt for the best deal. When we decide to stop for the night, we look for a place to stay. When we find something reasonable ($50 per person per night is our target) and available, we book it. We don't continue to search. We'd rather use our time to explore our surroundings. On the other hand, we're both willing to splurge on food from time to time. Our rooms aren't important to us, but what we eat is. Similarly, we'll pay to see special sites, but mostly we're happy visiting free museums and/or walking around a city. We don't pay much for tours, etc. So, how much did I spend for two weeks in Europe? Let's find out!

Chateau Chenonceau in France's Loire Valley Booking Flights This trip was sort of spontaneous. Remember, Duane has throat cancer. We expected our trip in December to be the last adventure we had together. But his health has held steady and his doctor is making hopeful statements that he might be around for Christmas! so we decided to make another trip. Generally, I try to book flights several months in advance. I feel like I find cheaper options that way. This time, though, I didn't book my flight until April 19th, less than a month before our trip. Also, I'm fussy about flights. It's not that I need to sit in business class I'm perfectly happy in coach but I don't like layovers. I'm willing to pay extra for a direct flight. Unfortunately, when I searched for flights from Portland to Paris, I couldn't find any direct flights. I could, however, find a non-stop to London. I like London. It's a pleasant city. What if, I thought, I flew to London a few days early and used that time to get some work done? Then I could take the Chunnel train across to Paris to meet Duane when he arrives. So, I booked a flight to London. It cost me $996.63 and each leg took roughly 10.5 hours. (I don't know how much Duane paid for his plane ticket. I think it was around $600, but he had to fly from Portland to Las Vegas to Los Angeles to Paris and it took him almost 24 hours. Yuck. I'm happy to pay a premium to avoid crap like that.) I made a small mistake when booking my ticket. In the past, I've always traveled economy. That's what I thought I was doing this time. Nope. Apparently, there's a new(-ish) airfare class called basic economy. This is a massive screw you from the airlines to their customers. It's a little bit cheaper, but you're not allowed to make any changes to your ticket once you've booked. No option to upgrade. Plus, you board dead last. And you can't choose your seat. And if you check a bag as I did for my return flight it costs a ton. Edinburgh I flew into London with no real plan for the first few days. Brandon (the Mad Fientist) had invited me to visit him and his wife in Edinburgh, Scotland, but I felt like I oughtn't do it. I felt like I should stay in London and work. When I landed, though, I changed my mind. Is it still okay if I come up to see you? I asked. Sure! Brandon said. So, I hopped on Trainline (an awesome app that Duane and I used to buy train tickets during our December trip) and booked a ticket from London to Edinburgh. Cost: $101.92. While waiting for my train at Kings Cross station (and watching the tourist throngs at Platform 9-1/2), I withdrew 200 for spending money, which is about $252.31. I used this cash to buy things like coffee and snacks and souvenirs. I brought home 141.15, which means I spent 58.85 (or about $74.24) cash while in the U.K. I had a great time hanging out with Brandon and Jill. They showed me everyday life in Edinburgh, one of my favorite cities. They put me up in their spare room, took me to pubs, and we wandered together through the streets and the parks. While there, I spent: $45.76 at Brewdog for beer and snacks. (Did you know that low-alcohol beer like 0.5% to 2.0% is a thing in the U.K.? I wish it was a thing here in the U.S. I'd buy it.)$17.74 at Whiski Bar for an hour of music and Scotch.$9.91 at Cairngorm Coffee, where Brandon and I spent a morning working.$33.78 at Mother India restaurant, where the three of us had a fine meal of Indian tapas. In all, I spent a total of $283.35 during my three nights in Scotland.

Picnic in the Meadows with the Mad Fientist and friends Paris When it came time to meet Duane in Paris, I was faced with a choice. Originally, I had intended to take the train from London to Paris. But when I looked at times and prices to get from Edinburgh to Gare du Nord, I didn't like what I saw. The trip would take about 12.5 hours and the total cost would be over $350. Yikes! You should book a flight on EasyJet, Brandon suggested. I've never used EasyJet, but I looked into it. For $199.45, I could fly from Edinburgh to Charles de Gaulle airport (CDG) in Paris in less than two hours. I booked a ticket. Then, using Chase Ultimate Rewards points, I booked one night at the Hotel ibis, which is attached to CDG terminal 3. My cost: 7718 Chase points. In Paris, I paid 17.99 for a one-day train pass, which gave me unlimited access to all Metro and RER routes. (The metro lines are the subway and local trains. The RER routes are the commuter trains that run deeper into the suburbs, going places like Versailles and the airport.) I also withdrew 200 in cash (about $222.50) to use for incidental expenses, such as snacks and souvenirs. While I waited for Duane's flight to arrive, I visited Notre Dame to see what it looked like after the fire. (I was startled to note that when the wind was right, you could smell the ashes!) I bought an extra travel shirt. And I met my friend Amy for champagne and charcuterie. (Amy lives in Houston but happened to be in Paris for work.)

Amy, J.D., and random amused French woman At around 18:00, I returned to the airport to pick up our rental car. I was worried this might not go smoothly, but I was wrong. Estelle, the young woman at the Avis counter, was amazing. It didn't take long for her to get met set up with a Peugot 208. Plus, she was kind enough to phone ahead to our hotel to let them know we'd be a little late. I booked the car with British Airways points. My cost: 16,600 Avios a bargain! As I was finishing at the rental car, Duane cleared immigration. Perfect timing! We hopped in our little car, braved Paris traffic and made our way to the garden spot of Giverny. In Giverny, we checked into our B&B (booked with 8154 Chase points), then hurried to the only restaurant in town that was still open. Duane spent 51.00 on our dinner of duck breast and red wine. During two nights in and around Paris, I spent $199.45, 17.99, 8154 Chase points, and 16,600 Avios (BA points). Duane spent 51.00. Normandy The next morning, Duane and I started our driving tour of northwest France. I'd been worried that all French drivers would be like the ones in Paris. They weren't. On the country roads, people were much more mellow. Thank goodness. (I drive like an old man. I hate speeding and tailgating.) First, we toured Rouen, the town where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. We saw our first cathedral of the trip, visited the (free) Museum of Fine Arts, and browsed the weekly market. Duane and I both enjoy markets. We're happy to pass time looking at fruits and vegetables and meat and fish. For real. Plus, this gave us a chance to buy cheap food for the road. I picked up a paper sack filled with twenty baby chorizo sausages, for instance, and it cost only 5. (I think there were more than 20 sausages in the bag too. That thing lasted me almost the entire trip, and I was eating several sausages per day.) In the afternoon, we drove to Honfleur with no plans about where to stay. The first hotel we visited was perfect: cheap and efficient. I paid 100.00 to book a room. Duane spent 54.00 on our dinner at a local pub. On our second day, we meandered along the coast. We stopped to taste calvados (an apple brandy made in Normandy), nibbled goat cheese in Deauville, and stopped to visit the Grand Hotel in Cabourg, the site of Proust's famous memory-inducing madeleine.

Buying goat cheese and bacon in Deauville In the late afternoon, we reached Bayeux. Our first hotel choice was booked, but the second had two cheap rooms available. We paid 49.00 each. For dinner, we chose an expensive restaurant (I can't remember why) that cost Duane 94.00. After dinner, we wandered around town. It was a magical evening in mid-spring. We happened to hit the city during its festival of lights, and when we stopped by the cathedral, an American choir was performing a concert. We stopped in to listen. In the morning, we visited the Bayeux Tapestry, a 70-meter long work of art that's nearly 1000 years old. In dozens of scenes, it depicts the Norman conquest of England. People think I'm joking when I say this, but I'm not: This tapestry is like a very early comic book. (And, in fact, the drawings used to plan tapestries like this are referred to as cartoons. No joke.) This visit cost me 19.00.

Seriously, the Bayeux Tapestry is like a primitive comic book While in Bayeux, we visited Omaha Beach and the nearby American Military Cemetery. After that, we drove backroads to reach Mont-Saint-Michel, one of the most famous tourist sites in all of France (and formerly one of the top three destinations for Christian pilgrims). This island used to be isolated from the mainland by ocean tides. Now there's a causeway that leads to it, but even that sometimes floods over (as it did during our stay). I used 14,538 Chase points to book a room on the island, and I'm glad we did. During the day, the place is packed. After 18:00, the crowd disperses and things become peaceful. It's fun to wander the ramparts with nobody to disturb you. Here, Duane paid 89.00 for dinner. During our time in Normandy, I spent a total of 168.00 and 14,538 Chase points. Duane spent 286.00.

Mont-Saint-Michel at high tide Brittany The next morning, after a quick tour of the Mont-Saint-Michel abbey, Duane and I packed up to drive to Brittany. (The island actually sits on the border between the two regions.) As we entered Brittany, we got our first taste of fuel prices in France. To put 38 liters (about 10 gallons) in the Peugot 208, I paid 60.00. Holy cats! That's nearly $7 per gallon, or about twice what we pay here in the States. In the early afternoon, we stopped for a couple of hours in the walled city of Dinan, which is built on a hillside overlooking the river Rance.

Looking from the ramparts of Dinan to the valley below By early evening, we'd reached Carnac on the Atlantic coast. Carnac is famous for its standing stones, a collection of 3000+ domens and menhirs in the region. I love sites like this (and Avebury and Stonehenge in England), so was pleased to visit. (If you've ever read any Asterix comics, you're familiar with the stones of Carnac.) The first hotel we visited had a cheap room available (66.00), so we booked it. Our dinner next door wasan adventure. Brittany, as you may know, is the source of the crepe. It's also the source of the galette (a savory crepe). Crepes and galettes everywhere in this region. Because we like to try local food when we travel, Duane and I decided to eat galettes for our evening meal. You should get the andouille, the restaurant owner told us, smiling. So we did. Well. It turns out that American andouille is not the same as French andouille. French andouille is simply sliced pig intestine that has (ostensibly) been cleaned very, very well. This tastes like ass, Duane said as he ate his galette. He couldn't finish. I did finish, but was a little mortified when I looked up the ingredients later. Our host seemed to take pity on us for being such good sports. When I ordered a glass of calvados after the meal, he gave me a huge pour. I paid 46.00 for our dinner of pig-gut pancakes. During our 24 hours in Brittany, I spent a total of 172.00. Duane spent nothing. The Loire Valley After a quick breakfast of coffee and crepes (12.00 paid by Duane), we made our way to Angers, former capital of the Anjou region. (Angers is the source of both anjou pears and Cointreau liqueur.) Here, we visited our first chateau. Did you know that a chateau is a castle? I didn't not until this trip. Anyhow, the Chateau d'Angers is home to the amazing Apocalypse Tapestry, a 600-year-old visual retelling of the apocalypse story from the Bible's Book of Revelation. Like the Bayeux Tapestry, it reminds me of a massive comic book made from cloth. It cost us 12.00 each to see the chateau and its art. (Duane paid this.)

The Apocalypse Tapestry at Chateau d'Angers In the evening, we experienced our big splurge of the trip. Based on a GRS reader recommendation, I had booked a night for us at the Royal Abbey of Our Lady of Fontevraud, a former monastery founded in 1101. Although many old buildings remain (and guests are free to explore them), the site is no longer an abbey. It's a fancy upscale hotel and a Michelin-star restaurant. Going in, I'd told Duane to ignore the costs for our night at Fontevraud. I'm paying for the hotel and dinner, and it's not part of our trip accounting. Don't try to balance it out, I said. I'm making a deliberate decision to splurge. Our room at the abbey cost us 172.00. Our meal cost 239.00. As I mentioned earlier this week, the food was fine and I'm glad I experienced it. But I wouldn't do it again. In the morning, we traveled country roads to visit another chateau: Chenonceau. We each paid 19.00 to tour the grounds of this beautiful old estate. In the afternoon, we moved to nearby Amboise, where Duane paid 73.00 to book a hotel. We hiked up the hillside, then tasted wine in a cave. We ate dinner at the tiny Restaurant L'Ilot, where the woman waiting tables chided us for not making a reservation then was playfully grouchy the rest of the evening. This meal cost Duane 94.00 because he insisted we order a bottle of wine. The next day, we stopped briefly in Blois to visit the church of St Nicolas. This place is barely mentioned in the guidebooks, but we loved it. During World War II, most of its stained-glass windows were destroyed. They've been replaced by modern windows with modern glass. The results are amazing. When light shines through them, color spreads throughout the church.

The light show from the stained glass at St Nicolas Church We next stopped in Chartres to visit its famous cathedral, which is especially known for its stained-glass windows. And while yes, there are many of them (176!) and they're impressive, I liked the ones in Blois better. During our time in the Loire Valley, I spent a total of 430.00, most of it for my splurge at the abbey. Duane spent 281.00. (He filled the car with gas at one point.) Wrapping Things Up After touring the Chartres cathedral, we didn't know what to do. We found ourselves on the southwest side of Paris, but wanting to reach the northeast corner by the following evening. We couldn't make up our minds, so I simply drove east. Eventually, we reached Fontainebleau, which we decided might be fun to visit. But the town was packed and we were tired. Instead, we drove on until we found a budget hotel (aptly named Budget Hotel), where Duane paid 86.00 for a room. For dinner, we each paid cash at a French fast-food chain. The next morning, we returned our rental car. I was sad to say good-bye to the Peugot 208, which had served us well. Before we turned it in, Duane paid 32.00 to top off the fuel tank. For logistics purposes, I'd used 11,182 Chase points to book us separate rooms at the ibis Hotel once again. (It's handy having this place next to the airport train station.) We each paid 17.99 for one-day train tickets, then we rode into Paris. With several hours to kill, we decided to walk the city. But we didn't walk the downtown tourist core. We've both done that before. Instead, we chose the Coule verte Ren-Dumont, an elevated greenway akin to New York's Highline. From there, we made our way along the canal. This 5k stroll made for great people-watching. Here, we said our good-byes. Duane wandered off to spend time on his own. I met up with my pal Matt Kepnes (a.k.a. Nomadic Matt) for a couple of beers. In the morning, I took an early flight back to London (booked with 4500 Avios and $27.50), then boarded my Delta flight back to Portland. On this final day, I spent a total of $47.48, 4500 Avios, and 11,182 Chase points. (At some point, I withdrew another 200.00 in spending money. I returned home with 102.66, which means I spent 97.34 of that or about $108.41.) Duane spent 86.00 and $19.98. The Bottom Line After all of that, how much did I spend on this trip? Let's crunch the numbers. For two weeks (three nights in Scotland and ten in France), I spent: $996.63 for my flights from and to the U.S.$573.65637.98 (about $710.63)19,336 Chase points21,100 Avios (British Airways points) Converting all of my expenses to dollars, my total cost was $2277.91 plus rewards points. That's an average of $175.22 per night. (I spent $1284.28 plus points if you ignore the flight, for an average of $98.79 per night.) If I hadn't splurged 411.00 for the abbey experience (and instead paid 100 for dinner and lodging that night), my costs would have been 311.00 less. During our nine nights together in France, Duane spent a total of 670.99 (about $747.40) plus whatever his flights cost him (about $600, I think). That's $83.04 per night ($149.71 with his flights). Together, not counting flights, we spent the equivalent of $2031.68 and points for this vacation. Because I've never tracked my trip spending before, I have no frame of reference for our costs. I feel like we did a good job of using money wisely spending only on things that brought us value but who knows? I'm sure plenty of people would spend much less on a trip like this. That would probably require advance planning, though, and half the fun for us is making this up as we go. Here's the thing, though. How much have I been spending simply to live here at home? About $5000 per month, right? (And I'm aiming to get that down to $4000 per month.) When you compare the cost of travel to the cost of simply maintaining my lifestyle here in the U.S., it's shockingly affordable. Cheaper than living in Portland, even. That's food for thought. One final note: In Edinburgh, Brandon showed me how to use Apple Pay. Believe it or not, I'd never done this before. Now, though, I'm hooked. Even back here in Portland, I'm using my phone to pay for things, not my actual credit card. I think this is awesome. Duane is less convinced. But that's a subject for a future blog post

Author: J.D. Roth In 2006, J.D. founded Get Rich Slowly to document his quest to get out of debt. Over time, he learned how to save and how to invest. Today, he's managed to reach early retirement! He wants to help you master your money and your life. No scams. No gimmicks. Just smart money advice to help you reach your goals. https://www.getrichslowly.org/travel-spending/

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holmjanson-blog · 5 years

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In an effort to bring you some new voices on Ottsworld, here is a guest post from writer and traveler, Staci Schwarz. I met Staci a few years ago when she and her family left for a family sabbatical. I loved following her travels and subsequent learnings from that experience. However now her kids are off to school, so she’s now an empty nester! I asked her to write about her recent California road trip – her first empty nest travel experience. All opinions and experiences expressed here are hers. –Sherry

As my husband and I sat down to plan our Pacific Coast Highway trip, empty nest syndrome was hitting us hard. It had been nearly 12 years since we had traveled without the kids, but now our daughter was in college and our son was working full time and living on his own. They were less likely to want to spend their time and money traveling with their parents – which was hitting me hard.

Travel is my favorite family activity. From road trips down the Mississippi River to big city explorations in Chicago to a 5 month trip around Turkey, India and SE Asia, we have had some amazing adventures together. I love seeing the world through their eyes, hearing their thoughts about what is happening around them and watching as new experiences widen their worldview. I wasn’t sure how we would do on our first trip without them.

The Pacific Coast Highway and a Campervan

Our objective was to rent a campervan and drive the Pacific Coast Highway – Highway 1 – from San Francisco as far south as we could manage in 9 days and then back up to Napa to visit some friends. We rented out campervan from Lost Campers and the process was quick and easy. We even met a couple in the parking lot who were returning their van and they passed onto us some supplies they hadn’t used including a few cans of beer, much to the delight of my husband.

And then it was time. How would we do on this first adventure as empty nesters? As Mason started up the van, we looked at each other and smiled nervously as we pulled out of the lot and into the California sun.

We didn’t want to be stuck to an agenda or feel rushed so we chose to not set any specific destinations and allowed ourselves to stop wherever we wanted and for however long we wanted. We let the road guide our itinerary as we embraced our new freedom without kids. This turned out to be a magnificent idea as it allowed the perfect combination of relaxation and adventure.

We didn’t realize it at the time, but the pace of the trip and the laidback atmosphere of California would give us the time and space to reconnect, to be present with one another, to dream about future travels. We got plenty of “windshield time” which is our code for that precious time in the car when we can focus on one another without the distractions of phones or other screens. Windshield time can be used for deep conversations, for scheming and dreaming or for singing duets to our favorite road tunes loudly and mostly off-key.

Driving the Pacific Coast Highway 1

San Francisco

On our first afternoon in San Francisco, we visited the Haight. Every picture shows us dog tired, with dark circles under our eyes and weak smiles. We had taken red eye flights and now it was catching up with us because even though we still consider ourselves young, our bodies tend to disagree. Eventually we ended up dragging the blanket from the van into the middle of a sun-drenched park and taking a catnap. It was glorious and remains one of my favorite moments of the trip.

That delicious spontaneity is something that you lose sometimes as you parent. Life for young children is often easier when it is structured and before you know it, it can become so structured that you forget the deep joy of gratefully accepting whatever the moment has to offer. And is there any better place than the Haight to celebrate spontaneity and freedom of sprit? We were raised by hippies and strolling through the Haight felt a little bit like connecting to our roots. It took us right back into the beauty of spontaneity and it thrilled me to no end.

It would have been easy to spend the entire week in San Francisco. There was certainly no lack of things to do. But the goal was to drive Highway 1, so we did a whirlwind tour of Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown and Muir Woods, blowing kisses to the Golden Gate Bridge as we headed out of town and hit the open road.

The Slow Coast

The stretch of Highway 1 between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz is known as the Slow Coast. Slow Coast is a state of mind, a state of being, if you will. It scoffs at the need to rush anywhere and encourages a change of pace, a heightened sense of being present, a little “stop and smell the flowers” frame of mind. With lovely little shops tucked into Airstreams and roadside stands selling every fruit and baked treat your heart could ever desire, it really does make a compelling argument for taking your time. Throw in the best strawberry shortcake I have ever had in my life from Swanton Berry Farm (with an honor system box to pay, no less!) and I was completely sold on their motto of “In Slow We Trust.”

Get the strawberry shortcake!!

Santa Cruz Surf History

We were excited about Santa Cruz and it didn’t disappoint! We spent part of the day at the tiny surf museum learning about the history and evolution of the sport. It was absolutely captivating and it gave some great insight into a tradition that helped to shape the culture of California’s coast. We made a stop on the Boardwalk to have a funnel cake and then sat on the beach for hours with our toes sunk in the sand quietly enjoying one another’s company and listening to the song of the waves.

On the boardwalk

Monterey

Monterey was a dream. If I could go back immediately to any of the places we visited, I would choose Monterey with no hesitation. The historic walking tours absolutely wooed me and the Monterey aquarium sealed the deal. I remember strolling along hand in hand with Mason as we searched for the last remaining whalebone sidewalk when he looked at me and grinned.

“What?” I asked. “Nothing,” he replied.

We were both very pleased with ourselves. We were doing this!

Moss Landing

When we were exploring Muir Woods outside of San Francisco, we met a woman who told us to skip the whale watching tours in Monterey and head to Moss Landing instead. We took her advice and were so glad that we did! Captain Kate met us and about 10 others on the dock and offered us all an essential oil blend of peppermint and lavender to help calm sea sickness and then off we went! Seeing whales has been at the top of my bucket list for years so you can imagine my squeals of delight when we came upon 6 humpback whales and nearly 200 seals feeding together. The seals would dive down first followed by the whales and then the ocean would become perfectly still and calm. A few minutes later the surface would erupt in a riotous flurry of seals and two deep breaths later, the whales would breach. We must have watched this cycle nearly 30 times and it made me wonder-filled every single time.

California Perfection

Over the course of the 9 days we were in California, we boated through what seemed like a billion translucent jellyfish. We searched for moonstones on Moonstone Beach and came away with handfuls of little glowing pebbles. We drank sparkling wine in Napa. We laughed a lot. We drove with the windows down so that we could smell the ocean and the fog in Big Sur. We bought books at the Henry Miller library and we read Dharma Bums together before we fell asleep at night. We may have cried due to the beauty of it all (ok this was mostly just me).

I am an ocean baby. I am completely blissed out when I am near the water. The sound and smell of the ocean runs through my veins. Mason, on the other hand, is a mountain dude. California completely seduced us both. We talk about our road trip almost weekly with a dreamy longing in our voices.

But What About the Kids?

We missed the kids a little, but we re-discovered pieces of ourselves that we had lost as parents. We remembered how much we love to spend time together. How we thrive equally from deep conversations and comfortable silences. We discovered that adventure is a mindset and approaching new places with a sense of wonder is one of our superpowers. We remembered how much we love freedom and spontaneity and going with the flow. We remembered that we are road tripping rock stars and we came home confident that we were going to be able to handle this empty nest thing just fine!

Empty Nesters!

Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Tips:

• It feels so adventurous to rent a campervan and dream of waking up to the sounds of waves on the ocean. However, it is very difficult to find places that will let you sleep in your vehicle and it’s illegal to pull over and camp on the side of the road. Renting a tent and camping supplies may be a better route to go. • Take your time. The point of the 1 isn’t to arrive at any particular destination, but to enjoy the journey. Stop as often as you can at every lookout, in every town and at as many roadside produce stands as your stomach can handle. • Have your heart set on whale watching? Stop in Moss Landing rather than Monterey. The tours are less expensive and Captain Kate absolutely elevated our experience. Her enthusiasm was contagious! We enthusiastically recommend Blue Ocean Whale Watching! • Stop at the Surf Museum in Santa Cruz. It is tiny, but mighty. We loved it. • Put together a travel playlist before you go. This is such an iconic road trip and it demands an iconic soundtrack. • Bring layers. It can get chilly and foggy on the coast even in the summer. We did not plan accordingly and ended up buying sweatshirts to avoid freezing to death. • Fuel up before you hit Big Sur. The long stretch of highway has very few gas stations and gas is astronomically more expensive. We learned this the hard way. • Eat as much avocado as you can. Trust me on this.

Meet the Author

Hello! My name is Staci and I am a writer, traveler, and dancing queen. I live in Iowa with my husband and my puppy. When I am not traveling, I host ecourses that help inspire people to live in harmony with the seasons. Sometimes I host writing retreats and sometimes you’ll find me teaching body positive movement classes. I am a great many things! Stop on by my Insta or website and say hi!

Blameitonmywildheart.com| Instagram

The post Driving the Pacific Coast Highway Without a Plan appeared first on Ottsworld Unique Travel Experiences.

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