#and dear old boy robert jordan

[zynita]

My Decade in Books

I was tagged by the lovely @brightbeautifulthings and her blog is filled with exactly that, so please jump over and give her a follow.

The 2010's were good years - they weren't perfect by any means and they involved a lot of growing up/learning what it means to be an adult, but I think that I came out of them a much better person and better prepared for what the world has in store for me. Looking back, I read a lot of amazing books! When I went back to make my choices for this post I was surprised to find that I read 333 books from 2012 through 2019! 2012 was the year that I created my Goodreads account and since then I have used it to track my reading progress over the years, so looking back at 2010 and 2011 may be a bit hazy, but there are a couple of special reading moments near and dear to my heart that I can share. So let's get into this~

The Rules: Respond to the prompt “My Decade in Books” however you want and then tag some people! I decided to share a book and/or series which defined the year along with some of my memories/reasons as to for doing so. You can do that or make up a response that is entirely your own, there is no wrong way to go about it.

2010: Yep, like many I got caught up in the Twilight craze and while I still find sparkly vampires a bit odd/silly, this series did motivate me to start reading again on a regular basis. Prior to that, I had been in a car accident in the late fall/early winter of 2006 and then my daughter was born April 2007. Unfortunately, my mental health was not the greatest as I was dealing with post-partum depression in combination with my pre-existing depression and possible/slight post-concussive changes. In 2010 I was given a boxed set of the series as a birthday gift and reading it ultimately helped spark my interest in books again - this was one of the first steps to breaking out of my apathetic depression. I will always be thankful for Twilight because it showed me that I was still capable of feeling real living breathing changing emotions.

2011: This year was marked by the completion of my Associate's Degree in Accounting/Business Administration that spring and acceptance to continue studying accounting at the local state university. My daughter was 4 years old and about to start preschool. We were able to get a place of our own moving in with my wife (then girlfriend) into a cute 2-bedroom apartment - we became a family. One of the best memories I have from our time living there was how at night I would read the story of the boy wizard who lived in a closet under the stairs to our daughter. This series would go on to define so much of our lives as it became her favorite for a number of years - the first major book series she read entirely on her own, eventually going on to do so in Spanish as well. We became a small flock of Ravenclaws and she has bloomed into quite the reader herself. I will always have a soft spot in my heart and memory for this series because of the story it tells and for the part it played in our story.

2012: I previously read King's Dark Tower in the mid 2000's and the story deeply resonated with me. When I found out that King was planning to release a new Dark Tower book, The Wind Through the Keyhole, I knew that I had to reread the series. The series' story feels dark and gritty, the tale of a knight from a world that has moved on fulfilling his quest to reach the Tower, revered as the center of all worlds. There is a certain tragic nostalgic romance to the story of an old knight in a dying world haunted by his past questing with what initially seems to be an unlikely group, only to eventually come together as something more - as ka-tet. This is a series that I know I will return to in the future.

2013: If you go through my Tumblr history, specifically on my book blog, you will come across my reviews and a large portion of my reviews written in 2013 dealt with my read through of Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series - 22 books and 1 novella (Guilty Pleasures through Affliction). I first picked up Guilty Pleasures during a book sale in ~2011 and I recall reading it and a couple of the subsequent books (maybe 3 of them at most). At first, I was drawn in by Anita herself but when I came back to the books in 2013 and read the entire series I found myself intrigued by the many characters around Anita and her relationships with them. The series started as one thing and developed into something different - changing focus from a supernatural police procedural to being more character driven. This doesn't mean that Anita doesn't still go out and hunt the bad guys, but it is no longer the absolute main focus of the story and I am okay with that. Anita and her relationship struggles helped me to understand/come to terms with the concept that love isn't the same across all relationships, that people love differently and that is okay. It helped me to become comfortable in the knowledge that I can love others and it doesn't compromise/lessen the love that I have for my wife. For that reason alone, I will always have a strong admiration/fondness for Anita Blake. I plan on reading the two most recent releases (Crimson Death and Serpentine) some time this year!~

2014: This year was a very very difficult year for me and my wife and I spiraled into a deep depression. Due to my mental health difficulties I failed to complete my bachelor's degree program and had to leave school. I ultimately wound up doing nothing more than sleeping, playing video games, and attempting to read when I could. I remember that I was scrolling through Tumblr and I saw a post praising The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - I was immediately enamoured with the cover, the starkness of the black/white/red, a circus, magic, and intrigue, I had to read it. My first read through took me 4 days because I never wanted it to end. This book helped me break a major reading slump through its beautiful lyrical prose of opponents turned lovers forged and bound within the fire locked behind the blackened gates of the traveling Les Cirques des Reves. I have read this book a total of 4 times and each time has only further deepened my love and appreciation for it - this book is my ultimate comfort read (though it may now have strong competition from her sophomore novel, The Starless Sea).

2015: At the behest of my love and my pseudo brother (I basically adopted him as the younger brother I never had) I picked up/started reading Robert Jordan's epic fantasy saga Wheel of Time which was ultimately completed by Brandon Sanderson following the death of Jordan. The series made up a great deal of my 2015 reading though I did make time for other books as well. What I particularly loved about the series was a combination of the richness of the world and the complexity of the characters. We witness these characters as they mature and grow into themselves ultimately becoming worthy of the title of ta'veren placed upon them by the Wheel. With the Amazon TV show on the horizon, I will likely pick up the series again and with subsequent readthroughs comes the opportunity to pick up on little things/foreshadowing that may have been missed before.

2016: This was another year where I didn't read a lot of books (only 38), but the majority of the ones I read were ones that I really enjoyed and Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate Series was a notable favorite. While I was working on my bachelor's degree I had the opportunity to take an upper division English course focused on Victorian Era literature and what started as a spark of interest became a warm comforting fire. Parasol Protectorate combined two genres which I had enjoyed on their own (historical fiction and paranormal/fantasy[?]) into something which felt entirely unique. I fell in love with the characters and thoroughly enjoyed the series - so much so that I have returned to Carriger's Victorian Era with my current read through of her Finishing School Series, an upcoming re-read of Parasol Protectorate, and a first time read through of the sequel series The Custard Protocol.

2017: So much of 2017 is honestly a blur... I was hired in July 2015 as a medical transcriptionist but over the following years would continue to gain increased responsibilities (with associated pay increases) allowing for some pretty notable things to occur leading up to my girlfriend and I getting married!~ We had been dating/living together in addition to having been friends for so much time before that it just made sense for us to get married and I can't picture my life without her in it. My favorite read that year was E.K. Johnston's That Inevitable Victorian Thing for so many reasons. The novel plays with history as we know it and speculates on what would have occurred had colonialism never taken root and instead a utopia was formed under the British Empire - an empire without racism, homophobia, and classism built upon mutual respect and harmony. This book is full of diversity/representation/LGBTQIA+/etc. while exploring identity, orientation, and relationships in a respectful/open-minded manner. I have already slated this book for a re-read as soon as I finish my current read through of Carriger's works.

2018: This book is probably one of the most important books I have ever read. I can't remember how exactly I came across it but I knew that I had to read it as soon as I read the synopsis. I then shared it with my daughter (who was then 11 years old) and we decided to buddy read it. This book...this is the book that I wish I had had the opportunity to read when I was that same age attempting to learn about and understand my own sexuality. This book has also allowed my wife and me to have a continuing, open dialogue with our daughter (now turning 13 in April). I actually Tweeted this basic sentiment to Ms. Blake upon finishing the book and she actually replied to me!~

Since then my daughter has read the book multiple times and we bought her a hardback copy for Christmas. Maybe one day we can attend a signing and thank Ms. Blake for Ivy's story personally.

2019: My favorite of read of 2019 was Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity. ((I know, I could have easily posted and gushed about Erin Morgenstern's The Starless Sea which I absolutely love but given that I had previously mentioned The Night Circus I felt it prudent to discuss something else.)) When I was book blogging in 2013-2014 I remember seeing a lot of posts talking about it and its unique approach to storytelling. I remember picking up the ebook but I was so caught up in reading other things at the time that it sat on my TBR shelf. Fast forward to last year and I finally decided to take the time and read it. Color me 100% floored and angry at myself for waiting so long to read it! I fell absolutely in love with Verity/Julie, with the story that she wove, with the friendship between her and Maddie. The synopsis describes the book as "harrowing" and "beautifully written," descriptors that I wholeheartedly agree with. My wife knew how much I enjoyed it and I received a copy of the hardback edition which will eventually grace my bookshelf (sort of kind of need to buy one first).

So that is My Decade in Books! I am very bad about tagging people in things, but if you saw the post and feel so inclined to make one of your own please do and tag me in it to check out. If you stuck through this post to the end, I greatly appreciate it and wish you well in the new reading decade.

*Zyn/Melanie*

#mine #zynita #brightbeautifulthings #my decade in books #books #booklr #bookish #novels #reading

[brokehorrorfan]

DVD Review: Shark Bait

Shark Bait collects six schlocky shark movies - Swamp Shark (2011), Ghost Shark (2013), Zombie Shark (2015), Ozark Sharks (2016), Mississippi River Sharks (2017), and Santa Jaws (2018) - along with a bonus alligator flick - Alligator Alley (2013) - for good measure. The fin-tastic DVD set is available now from Mill Creek Entertainment in celebration of Shark Week.

Although Mill Creek presents the features in no discernible order, I opted to view them in chronological order to see if there were any patterns or growth over the seven years spanned. They're all cheesy, but it's interesting to see which of the movies embrace their inherent absurdity, which makes them easier to swallow. Case in point: Sharknado became a cultural phenomenon because it went all-in on the concept.

In viewing all seven of the movies over a short span of time, the formula is apparent. A cast with a couple of celebrities past their prime and a bunch of wooden, inexperienced actors play one-dimensional characters that spout unnatural dialogue (usually with an obligatory Jaws reference) in between animal attacks accomplished with laughable CGI.

Another fascinating fact is that a mere two directors are responsible for all seven movies. Griff Furst (Lake Placid 3) was in the director's chair for Swamp Shark, Ghost Shark, and Alligator Alley, while Misty Talley helmed the other four. I imagine making these movies is good fun, although it likely becomes tedious after a few. But their work was clearly successful enough to warrant repeat hirings, so more power to them.

Swamp Shark is an example of a pre-Sharknado creature feature that takes itself far too seriously. An animal smuggler accidentally releases a rare shark with a virtually impenetrable exoskeleton into a Louisiana river. Despite the swampland being infested with the added threat of alligators, the opportunity for shark vs. gator action is sadly missed. While the shark is predominately created with crummy CGI, a couple of shots admirably utilize a good, old-fashioned rubber head.

Kristy Swanson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) toplines the film as the person tasked with stopping the flesh-hungry shark before it wreaks havoc at the annual Gator Fest. The cast also includes Robert Davi (The Goonies), D.B. Sweeney (Spawn), and Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs. After years of independent and made-for-television work, Swamp Shark cinematographer Lorenzo Senatore recently shot the new Hellboy.

Ghost Shark is a strong contender for the most entertaining movie in the set. It starts with a practical, fake great white in the prologue until it's killed, after which point it becomes the titular, translucent Ghost Shark. It can materialize in any water, and its appearances become increasingly more outrageous, from the ocean and a swimming pool to water pipes and a slip and slide. I won't give away the most ludicrous highlight, but it's a rare unforgettable moment in a Syfy movie.

Levity is key, which is why the last act becomes more tiresome when it focuses on the why and the how, although I appreciate that its mythology is taken seriously despite the silly premise. Mackenzie Rosman (7th Heaven) stars as a girl with a personal vendetta against the specter. Richard Moll (House) brings surprising nuance to the role of the alcoholic lighthouse keeper with a dark past. Thomas Francis Murphy (The Walking Dead) plays the small town’s sheriff.

Zombie Shark (also known as Shark Island) finds a shark - named Bruce, of course - escaping from the scientific facility in which it was the subject of experimentation. It proceeds to find food on the shore of a nearby, secluded island. The shark spreads its undead virus to other sharks and, eventually, to humans. There's no shortage of voracious fish action, including a first victim that caught me off guard; a rarity in these oft-predictable films.

Cassie Steele (Degrassi: The Next Generation) stars as one of four friends on the quaint island for a getaway, and Jason London (Dazed and Confused) co-stars as the facility's head of security hunting down the shark. Although not a "name" actor, Roger J. Timber provides solid comedic relief as an islander who serves as host to the guests.

Ozark Sharks follows a family's long-weekend trip to an Arkansas cabin that holds a special place in the grandmother's heart, only to find that bull sharks have invaded the nearby lake. This happens while the town is gearing up for a big firework festival. Much like Zombie Shark, the first kill is a welcome surprise, but the film culminates with an unnecessarily melodramatic finale.

Allisyn Ashley Arm (A.P. Bio) stars as the angst-ridden lead who becomes the final girl of sorts. Thomas Francis Murphy is back, this time playing the soothsaying owner of the local bait shop. He owns an arsenal of homemade weaponry that adds a dash of fun to the bland proceedings, including a giant air canon, an oar turned into a high-voltage cattle prod, a double-bladed katana, and a crossbow that shoots dear antlers.

Santa Jaws not only has the best title, but it may very well be the strongest effort in the set. Although it lacks the star power of the other movies, it offers a radical deviation from the creature feature formula; it's a coming-of-age movie. When a dorky teen boy receives a magic pen that turns its drawings into a reality, he uses it on his comic book, Santa Jaws. Soon there's a killer shark with glowing, red eyes, a candy cane horn, and a Santa hat on its dorsal fin targeting his family amidst their Christmas gathering.

The result is something like Jaws meets Krampus by way of Ruby Sparks, if it were produced by the Hallmark Channel. Shark excitement takes a backseat in this one, and there’s a whole lot of unintentional camp present, but the youth-driven approach to the material is a breath of fresh air. With no hackneyed military or science roles, the characters feel more natural and developed.

Though not quite as far a deviation as Santa Jaws, Mississippi River Sharks spices things up a clever meta element. Jason London plays a fictionalized version of himself, the star of the Shark Bite franchise. He's the celebrity guest at a podunk town's fishing competition, and his inflated ego leads him to believe that he's the most qualified person to save the day when sharks start attacking. Unlike his blase role in Zombie Shark, London lights up the screen in this supporting role.

The real hero is Cassie Steele's Tara, but it's Dean J. West (The Hunt) who shines when London is absent. In the comedic role of Tara's friend, Wyatt, he's an overzealous Shark Bite fanboy who relishes the opportunity to live out his favorite movie... even if he doesn't know what he's doing. A brief cameo from Jeremy London (Mallrats) - Jason's twin brother - furthers the meta aspect.

Alligator Alley is included as a bonus film. Thomas Francis Murphy plays another pivotal role, this time as a bayou redneck who brews chemically-enhanced moonshine. He dumps a string of bad batches into the river, mutating the local alligator population to the point where they can shoot spikes from their tails. He has a long-standing family feud with another local Cajun family, with two star-crossed lovers - one played by Jordan Hinson (Eureka) - caught in the middle, but they must band together to stop the gators.

The first half of the film is a bit dull, as you're essentially waiting for all of these annoying characters to get eaten, but the pacing picks up when concept that can only be described as weregators is introduced. The left-field plot point is so preposterous that it makes the film vastly more interesting. And maybe it's because I had just watched six shark movies and water is hard to animate, but the CGI isn't half bad considering the time and budget.

Shark Bait crams all seven films onto two discs. Compression is apparent in every movie (particularly with murky underwater footage, for whatever reason), and of course there are no special features, but it still beats watching them with Syfy's incessant commercial interruptions. Each one clocks in at under 90 minutes, so even the poorly-paced movies - of which there are several - are over before you know it.

Although far from high art, the best films in the collection - Santa Jaws, Ghost Shark, and Mississippi River Sharks - subvert expectations by mixing up the trite formula, and they don't shy away from levity. If you're lamenting the lack of a new Sharknado film this year - the franchise concluded with its sixth installment last year - fill the shark-sized gap in your heart with the Shark Bait collection.

Shark Bait is available now on DVD via Mill Creek Entertainment.

#shark week #sharknado #syfy #jaws #santa jaws #swamp shark #ghost shark #zombie shark #ozark sharks #mississippi river sharks #jason london #article #review #mill creek entertainment #gift #dvd

[lgbtqiahistoricalromance]

LGBTQIA+ Historical Romance Novels with Ghosts, Ghouls, and Gothic themes-October 2018

(Warning: Some books may have triggers such as abuse, questionable family morality, dub-con, and mentions of suicide attempts.)

James Eyre by Jade Astor

- A gender twisting adaptation of the classic Gothic romance Jane Eyre!

In Victorian England, 21-year-old James Eyre, frightened by his feeling for another man, decides to leave the boys’ school where he has spent ten years, first as a student and then as a teacher. He manages to secure a position as a private tutor for Axel Vance, the ward of a wealthy man who owns an estate in Yorkshire.

From the night of his arrival, James begins to sense that things are not as they should be at Thistleton Manor, the home of the enigmatic Edmond Manchester. Late at night, wild screams seem to echo through the house, and during the daytime objects disappear from James’s room and are replaced with sinister-looking voodoo dolls. Though his instincts tell him to flee, James stays on because he enjoys his duties and the company of his pupil—and even more so because he has begun to develop an attraction for his employer, Mr. Manchester.

To his surprise, Mr. Manchester seems to return his feelings. However, a jealous former lover and a phantomlike presence in the house seem determined to tear them apart. If he is to have any hope of a happy future with the man he loves, James must solve the mystery of Thistleton Manor and save Edmond’s life as well.

Resurrected Heart by Jade Astor

- Knowing that the kind of relationship his heart longs for is forbidden by the laws of Victorian England, college student Gray Langley fights his loneliness by throwing himself into his studies and his artwork. One gloomy afternoon, he is out sketching a graveyard when he meets Dr. Arthur Striker, a man who seems to share Gray’s scandalous desires. Though Gray is encouraged when Arthur seems to return his feelings, he is unnerved by the scientific experiments Arthur seems to be conducting in his home. Even more frightening is the strange and violent madman who appears and tries to kill him whenever he and Arthur get close. And why does his attacker look exactly like Arthur?

The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal by KJ Charles (I’ve read this one several times. Several short stories in one, with lots of creepy details, arguably the least romantic MC of all time, and wonderful erotic elements w/light D/s. Also, Charles joined forces with Jordan L Hawk to create a crossover with Hawk’s Whyborne & Griffin series. The short story is called Remnant, and it’s free on the authors’ sites.)

- A story too secret, too terrifying—and too shockingly intimate—for Victorian eyes. A note to the Editor Dear Henry, I have been Simon Feximal’s companion, assistant and chronicler for twenty years now, and during that time my Casebooks of Feximal the Ghost-Hunter have spread the reputation of this most accomplished of ghost-hunters far and wide. You have asked me often for the tale of our first meeting, and how my association with Feximal came about. I have always declined, because it is a story too private to be truthfully recounted, and a memory too precious to be falsified. But none knows better than I that stories must be told. So here is it, Henry, a full and accurate account of how I met Simon Feximal, which I shall leave with my solicitor to pass to you after my death. I dare say it may not be quite what you expect. Robert Caldwell September 1914

An Unnatural Vice by KJ Charles (Few authors do the Enemies to Lovers trope as well as Charles does.)

- In the sordid streets of Victorian London, unwanted desire flares between two bitter enemies. Crusading journalist Nathaniel Roy is determined to expose spiritualists who exploit the grief of bereaved and vulnerable people. First on his list is the so-called Seer of London, Justin Lazarus. Nathaniel expects him to be a cheap, heartless fraud. He doesn’t expect to meet a man with a sinful smile and the eyes of a fallen angel—or that a shameless swindler will spark his desires for the first time in years.Justin feels no remorse for the lies he spins during his séances. His gullible clients simply bore him. Hostile, disbelieving, utterly irresistible Nathaniel is a fascinating challenge. And as their battle of wills and wits heats up, Justin finds he can’t stop thinking about the man who’s determined to ruin him.But Justin and Nathaniel are linked by more than their fast-growing obsession with one another. They are both caught up in an aristocratic family’s secrets, and Justin holds information that could be lethal. As killers, fanatics, and fog close in, Nathaniel is the only man Justin can trust—and, perhaps, the only man he could love.

Merrick & William (sequel) by Claire Cray (Merrick was a pleasant surprise, and William is on my TBR.)

- New York, 1799: the future looks bright for the charming young book dealer William Lacy, until a raucous night of drinking lands him in shackles. He narrowly avoids the brutal prison system thanks to his mother, who negotiates with the judge to secure him a five year apprenticeship in lieu of a prison sentence. And so William finds himself in a carriage bound for the remote woods upstate, where he'll spend the next years of his life learning a new trade under some old master. When he first sees Merrick, William thinks he's been dropped into a medieval horror story. Tall and gruff, dressed in a hooded robe that completely conceals his features, and riding a black mare, Merrick might as well be the Grim Reaper. But appearances are deceiving. An uncannily skilled apothecary and healer, Merrick proves to be a generous host and a gentle teacher, and William soon finds himself surprisingly comfortable in his new surroundings. Yet troubling mysteries abound: Why does Merrick never show his face or hands? Why do his movements seem so young and sure beneath his robes? What lies within the cave behind the stone cottage? Something unnatural is afoot. But most alarming by far is William's own reaction to his new master. For Merrick's strange charms are bewitching enough by day; but by night, in the darkness of the room and the bed they share, William finds himself entirely overwhelmed by desires he never imagined...

The Captain’s Ghostly Gamble (Seasonal novella from the Captivating Captains series. It’s actually modern day, but the ghosts dominate the story, so you hardly notice.) by Catherine Curzon and Eleanor Harkstead

- When a ghostly dandy and his roguish companion try their hand at matchmaking, things definitely go bump in the night.

For centuries, foppish Captain Cornelius Sheridan and brooding John Rookwood have haunted the mansion they duelled and died for. Now these phantom foes must join forces to save both their home and their feuding descendents.But when Captain Sheridan sacrifices his afterlife for the sake of true love, will Rookwood risk everything to keep his companion by his side, or is it too late to say "I love you"?

The Medium by Bonnie Dee (This is one of her best, in my opinion, and I’ve read most of her material.)

- To win a heart, he must risk his soul… Cast out of his family for being a freak, psychic Justin Crump helps others find peace by using his ability. When he’s called upon to release a distressed soul from a haunted house, a child’s angry spirit draws him into a dark mystery. Equally intriguing is the skeptical homeowner, Albert, a man who has buried his sexuality deeper than the grave. Albert Henderson humors his mother’s wishes by inviting the medium for a visit. While he doubts Justin’s gifts, he can’t deny one truth: the man stirs desire in him that Albert has spent a lifetime denying. Slowly, the walls of his proper life crumble. And when Justin proposes some emotion-free experimentation, neither imagines it might lead to love…and danger. After learning the terrifying truth about the deceased child’s persecutor, the two men pursue a perpetrator of great evil. When they coax a confession from their quarry, the vengeful spirit unleashes power nearly beyond control. To free the earthbound ghost from the past that holds it shackled, Justin must risk his own soul. And Albert must find the courage to break free of the chains of doubt that will deny him and Justin the future of which they once only dreamed. 

(Part of Victorian Holiday Hearts Boxed Set) by Summer Devon and Bonnie Dee

- Delaney and the Autumn Masque: Delaney, a member of the Andrews theater clan, performs magic tricks at a fancy dress ball where he's struck by the dramatic figure of the Grim Reaper. He follows Death to a quiet room for a glorious, lustful encounter. With his identity hidden, impoverished gentleman Bartholomew Bancroft dares to indulge in an impulsive liaison, but can he find love with the magician when the masks come off?

The Psychic and the Sleuth by Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon

- Psychic and skeptic—how could their love affair go wrong? Inspector Robert Court’s relentless insistence the wrong man hanged for the murder of Court’s cousin has him on his superintendent’s bad side. Court is assigned lowly vice cases such as exposing a confidence man posing as a medium to fleece the wealthy. Down on his luck, Oliver Marsh learned he had an aptitude for conducting séances. He assuages his guilt by bringing comfort to the grieving and offering occasional insights coming from true psychic flashes. Marsh has tried to deny these flashes, but when he’s bowled over by a vivid memory of murder coming from the other side, he can no longer pretend he doesn’t possess a gift. Marsh reveals details about that night which only Court’s cousin would know, and the detective vows to track down the truth—by staying as close to the fake psychic as humanly possible. But close leads to closer and soon the pair is involved in not only a torrid affair but a hunt for a killer—before he strikes again.

The Bird by Eli Easton (Novella from the Dreamspinner Press anthology Bones. Excellent read, as long as you keep in mind it’s written from the perspective of an Englishman in 19th century Jamaica.)

- Third son Colin Hastings has subverted his desires for his entire life, intent now on bringing his family’s plantation back to its former state of solvency, and marrying his friend Elizabeth. But, when he helps save the life of one of the plantation workers, he’s gifted his passion back, and must come to terms with his love for his lifelong friend, Richard. What happens when nightmares are not what they seem, and horror is not as bad one fears?

A Brush with Darkness by Erestes

- Florence, 1875 After making a grisly discovery one night, I needed proof that there was still goodness in the world. I never dreamt it would come to me during my next commission—with a subject whose very name means light... Yuri was glorious in his otherworldly beauty, surrounded by a bright halo of iridescence, but I detected a fierce darkness lurking underneath the surface. Sketching all night, I could hardly wait to capture his likeness in a painting. For Yuri has stimulated not only my creative urges, but my sexual ones as well. His very presence infuses me with joy and passion, but what will happen if my patron should discover our trysts? Dependent on his good graces, I can't afford to lose his support. But I fear the time will soon come when I must choose between restoring my family's fortunes and obeying the temptation of the muse before me... Previously published as Chiaroscuro, newly revised by author.

The Gilda Stories: 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition by Jewelle Gomez (This is not exactly romance per se, but does include a lesbian protagonist, and follows her world through all that comes with being a vampire, including romantic interests.)

- This remarkable novel begins in 1850s Louisiana, where Gilda escapes slavery and learns about freedom while working in a brothel. After being initiated into eternal life as one who "shares the blood" by two women there, Gilda spends the next two hundred years searching for a place to call home. An instant lesbian classic when it was first published in 1991, The Gilda Stories has endured as an auspiciously prescient book in its explorations of blackness, radical ecology, re-definitions of family, and yes, the erotic potential of the vampire story.

Unchained by Ainsley Gray Review

- If he takes their life, they can never truly leave. That's the mantra Noah Wilmington has lived by for years. He picks up whores and deviants from the local taverns, enjoys their company for an evening...and then hides their bodies in the woods. Edward Yorke has approached the same man in the same public house time and again, never deterred by the cool dismissal he receives. There's something about Noah that calls to him. A shared pain, a shared sadness... But Noah doesn't trust himself. It's too risky to permit someone too close, and Edward is the one person in the world whose life Noah wants to spare. So, every time Edward has asked to buy him a drink, Noah declines. Then one night, out of sheer loneliness, that "no" becomes a "yes." When Edward's night with him sheds light on some of Noah's dark secrets, Noah cannot simply let him walk out the door. But if he doesn't want Edward dead, and he cannot let him leave, only one option really remains... 

Briarley by Astor Glenn Gray (This novel was so unique and it’s just a charming May/December romance.)

- An m/m World War II-era retelling of Beauty and the Beast. During a chance summer shower, an English country parson takes refuge in a country house. The house seems deserted, yet the table is laid with a sumptuous banquet such as the parson has not seen since before war rationing. Unnerved by the uncanny house, he flees, but stops to pluck a single perfect rose from the garden for his daughter - only for the master of the house to appear, breathing fire with rage. Literally. At first, the parson can't stand this dragon-man. But slowly, he begins to feel the injustice of the curse that holds the dragon captive. What can break this vengeful curse?

Lover’s Knot by Donald Hardy

- Jonathan Williams has inherited Trevaglan Farm from a distant relative. With his best friend, Alayne, in tow, Jonathan returns to the estate to take possession, meet the current staff, and generally learn what it’s like to live as the landed gentry now. He’d only been there once before, fourteen years earlier. But that was a different time, he’s a different person now, determined to put that experience out of his mind and his heart….The locals agree that Jonathan is indeed different from the lost young man he was that long ago summer, when he arrived at the farm for a stay after his mother died. Back then the hot summer days were filled with sunshine, the nearby ocean, and a new friend, Nat. Jonathan and the farmhand had quickly grown close, Jonathan needing comfort in the wake of his grief, and Nat basking in the peace and love he didn’t have at home. But that was also a summer of rumors and strange happenings in the surrounding countryside, romantic triangles and wronged lovers. Tempers would flare like a summer lightning storm, and ebb just as quickly. By the summer’s end, one young man was dead, and another haunted for life. Now Jonathan is determined to start anew. Until he starts seeing the ghost of his former friend everywhere he looks. Until mementos of that summer idyll reappear. Until Alayne’s life is in danger. Until the town’s resident witch tells Jonathan that ghosts are real. And this one is tied to Jonathan unto death…

Man & Monster (Book two of The Savage Land) by Michael Jensen

- A monster stalks the ancient forests... It’s 1799, and Cole Seavey is a trapper running from a guilty past, seeking refuge on the vast American frontier. Lost in a raging storm, he finds himself face to face with a terrifying, otherworldly creature that seems to have emerged from a nightmare. Cole is saved from certain death by a handsome Delaware Indian named Pakim. Together they learn that the monster is the fearsome Wendigo from native legends: a creature with a heart of ice, drawn to the evil of men. Soon the Wendigo is terrorizing the frontier — settler and Indian alike — and Cole and Pakim join together to defeat the mysterious monster. In the process, Cole finds himself falling for the strapping brave and the promise of a new life together. Unfortunately, the legends say that the Wendigo can only be killed by another creature with a heart of ice. But how can Cole hope to defeat the monster if it means denying the love he's finally allowed himself to feel?

Stoker & Bash by Selina Kray (Book two coming soon!)

- At Scotland Yard, DI Timothy Stoker is no better than a ghost. A master of arcane documents and niggling details who, unlike his celebrity-chasing colleagues, prefers hard work to headlines. But an invisible man is needed to unmask the city’s newest amateur detective, Hieronymus Bash. A bon vivant long on flash and style but short on personal history, Bash just may be a Cheapside rogue in Savile Row finery. When the four fangs of the Demon Cats of Scavo—trophies that protect the hunters who killed the two vicious beasts—disappear one by one, Stoker's forced to team with the very man he was sent to investigate to maintain his cover. He finds himself thrust into a world of wailing mediums, spiritualist societies, man-eating lions, and a consulting detective with more ambition than sense. Will this case be the end of his career, or the start of an unexpected liaison? Or will the mysterious forces at play be the death of them both? And just who is Hieronymus Bash?

Gothic Romance by LV Lloyd (Gothic light, but includes a trans side character.)

- When Jonathan Winters accepts a post as tutor to the only son of Lord D’Anvers, he looks forward to sharing his love of learning with his young pupil.  Not even arriving at Castle Blackstone in the middle of a thunderstorm can dampen his enthusiasm, nor the fact that the wing above his head is forbidden. Absorbed with Evelyn’s education, Jonathan is completely unprepared to find himself the object of Lord D’Anvers’ attentions. Until D’Anvers kisses him...

Threadbare by Clare London (Beautifully written, but NOT HEA!)

- When Edward inherits the family textile mill from his deceased parents, he knows where his duty lies. As a young Victorian gentleman, he devotes himself to the family business and doing right by his customers and employees. What concern is it that he surrenders his own artistic ambitions and romantic passions? But a hideous accident at the mill one day brings him into close contact with Mori, one of his most productive workers, a beautiful yet seemingly delicate and vulnerable young man. Edward takes Mori under his protection, bringing him back to his house. At last, Edward has found a friend and companion. His fascination for Mori grows swiftly into love, and he’s drawn out of his quiet introspection into a world of delight and passion. Yet Mori has a private task that both baffles and concerns Edward: the completion of a stunningly beautiful, abstract tapestry. Edward doesn’t understand its significance, Mori’s devotion to it, or Mori’s strange behaviour when Edward tries to part the man from his mission. Mori loves him in return, he’s sure – but can that ever be enough? As Edward is tangled more deeply and irretrievably into the web of Mori’s love and mystery, what bittersweet price might he have to pay?

Precious Possession by Clare London (Ambiguous ending!)

- Lucas Fides has inherited his Victorian family’s auction house, good looks and a keen, passionate mind. But he has far less control over his body’s desires than his business, hiding an illicit and unspoken love for his boyhood friend and dependent, Valentine. As a result, Lucas suffers recurring, deeply erotic dreams, where a mystery lover demands and guides his sexual responses. When the auction house runs into financial difficulty, Valentine introduces a new client to Lucas. Gideon Arnaud is a mysterious and charismatic man who seems to scorn society’s restrictions. He offers Lucas a spectacular collection of jewels for auction and also his intense, seductive attention. He appears to know more about Lucas than any stranger should. Affronted by Gideon’s bold pursuit, Lucas puts up a spirited defence, despite being increasingly exhausted by his dreams. His heart is already committed to Valentine, even if he thinks it’s his secret alone. When Valentine announces his engagement to Lucas’s sister, Lucas’s pain and frustration are almost intolerable. Torn between his need for Valentine’s comfort and the determination to avoid Gideon Arnaud’s disturbing presence, Lucas becomes more vulnerable by the day, until his loneliness forces his desire out of his dreams and into the light of day. The consequences will change his life forever.

The Blue Ribbon by Katherine Marlowe (I love everything she’s written, but this is one my faves.)

- Theo Aylmer's perfectly satisfactory life as a chemistry professor at Cambridge is upended when he receives word of his father's illness. Forced to return to Cornwall, he is robbed for everything he's worth by a dashing young highwayman. When he finally reaches his father's stagecoach inn, he finds it dilapidated and the village around it groaning beneath the thumb of the hateful Earl of Glynn. All Theo wants to do is return to his life and work in Cambridge, but as he tries to recoup the funds necessary to travel, he finds himself plagued by brandy-smugglers and rumours of ghosts. And at the center of all Theo's problems is a certain handsome highwayman who has charmed his way into Theo's bed and heart. When the highwayman turns up shot, Theo can't turn him away, even though doing so risks bringing the wrath of the customs men, the law, and the Earl of Glynn upon them both.

The Possession of Lawrence Eugene Davis by EE Ottoman

- At the beginning of the Great Depression Lawrence Eugene Davis returns to his family's ranch to set his father's affairs in order. But the house stirs memories of his unhappy childhood and his miserable time in the trenches. Memories are not the only thing woken, however, and Lawrence finds himself hunted and eventually overcome by the sinister presence. Salvation comes at the eleventh hour in the form of a stranger who claims he can rid Lawrence of the demon threatening to possess him—but in exchange he wants Lawrence for himself.

To Serve the Count by Cassandra Pierce

- In 1815 Austria, Rupert is cast out of his village after he is caught kissing another man and seeks refuge in the mysterious Castle Blutstark. He soon realizes that this is no ordinary castle, and his new master, Count Kaspar, is far from an ordinary employer. In fact, he isn't even alive in the conventional sense, and he wastes no time informing Rupert of his unusual new duties. Everything Rupert has ever learned in life tells him to run for his life, but then again nothing has ever prepared him to deal with the undeniable allure of his enigmatic new employer.

The Master of Seacliff by Max Pierce (I barely finished this one, because I didn’t like what seemed to be an abusive relationship and a vapid MC, but it follows in the tradition of Holt and Varga, with overall great reviews.)

- Seacliff is a mansion enshrouded in near-eternal fog, dark mystery and suspicion - perhaps a reflection of the house's master. An imposing Blackbeard of a man, Duncan Stewart is both feared and admired by his business associates as well as the people he calls friends. And his home, in which young tutor and aspiring artist Andrew Wyndham now resides, holds terrible secrets - secrets that could destroy everyone within its walls.

Guardian Angel by Hayden Thorne

- When nineteen-year-old Dominic Coville’s parents die in an accident, leaving him not only alone but on the brink of poverty, he desperately searches for work and is thrilled when the post of secretary is awarded to him despite his obvious inexperience and ignorance. Mr. Wynyard Knight of Mandrake Abbey, however, gladly welcomes Dominic and earns the young man’s immediate sympathy for his fragile health as well as gratitude for the promising new life now awaiting Dominic. Inside rock and timber, hungry shadows seek... But unusual things soon happen and appear to focus solely on him, and Dominic begins to wonder about the true history of Mr. Knight, the strange young man haunting the third floor, and Mandrake Abbey. With the persistent and increasingly violent attempts at communication by an angry ghost shadowing his hours, Dominic struggles to unravel the mysteries of his new home. And even with the help of a handsome young gentleman who’s an aspiring supernaturalist as well as his clairvoyant sister, danger closes in far too quickly. Then it’s only a matter of time before carefully constructed façades fall away, and the sickly, decaying underbelly of Mandrake Abbey’s centuries-old collection of stone and timber will reveal itself. Set in an alternate England sometime before the mid-19th century, Guardian Angel weaves a tangled and dark tapestry of old magic, romance, and madness, a celebration of classic gothic fiction and its macabre sensibilities.

Cast From The Earth by Leandra Vane (poly romance)

- An epidemic that turns men into monsters has seized the nation. At first the disease only spreads in cities but soon cannibals are roaming the prairie, threatening the quiet little towns of the late 19th Century heartland. At an isolated poor farm in rural America, Sara Warren has survived a tumultuous life of loss and an accident that leaves her with one leg – but she is hopeless of any other future until a woman named Cordelia arrives at the farm and changes Sara's life forever. Along with Dan, a man who can't hear and Grace, a young woman who is more concerned with her sewing needles than people, they face the oncoming apocalypse with their wits and their bare hands. When it seems like all is lost, a man from Sara's past named Jack returns to her life and they all realize the only way to survive is together. A story of romance, violence, sex, and the wild prairie that proves broken bodies still feel pleasure and broken souls can find love – even at the end of the world.

Gaywyck by Victor Varga (Book one of trilogy)

- The first gothic romance featuring gay MCs.

Robert Whyte replaces the traditional damsel in distress in the household of Donough Gaylord. He’s young, beautiful, an introvert not wishing to follow in his father footsteps--he longs to be an artist. Family friend helps him to become the librarian of Gaywyck, a house teaming with strange characters, and artists of various sorts. The house is in New England, but due to the original Gaylord owners, was built in the style of an antebellum mansion.

Donough Gaylord lives a grand lifestyle, is rich beyond imagining, but tortured by memories of dead twin and secrets that have dominated his life since boyhood. He spoils those of his household constantly, especially young Robert, who is like a breath of fresh air.

Without giving anything crucial away, I will just say that the events that cause Donough such pain are far from ordinary, and familial love is tested to the breaking point. If you don’t mind your romances a bit twisted, and with a million references to literature, drama, music, and painting, you will love this novel.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Deanna Wadsworth (Thoroughly enjoyed this one. It’s erotic, but also has a the enemies to lovers is really well done, and there is a twist ending.)

- Ichabod Crane, town schoolmaster and self-proclaimed supernatural expert, wants to better his situation by marrying the wealthy Katrina Van Tassel. But, there is a rival for her attentions. Local hero, Brom Bones. Brom lives to torment and tease Ichabod, leaving the schoolmaster wondering if he is more interested in besting his rival than winning Katrina’s hand. Especially when each time Ichabod goes into the backroom of his favorite tavern – a place men can be men –his imagination conjures Brom's face on every lover. Late one night, Ichabod is chased by the legendary Headless Horseman. Terrified the ghost wants his head, he tries to outrun the specter. To his horror, he is taken captive by the evil spirit. Ichabod awakens, naked and tied to a bed, only to discover the Headless Horseman is none other than his rival Brom Bones! Brom confesses that Ichabod has been haunting his own fantasies and he vows to make Ichabod Crane his in every way. Ichabod wants to believe the pleasure Brom offers comes from his heart, but he is afraid it is another one of Brom’s tricks. Though surely an enemy's touch has never felt like this...

Affinity by Sarah Waters (f/f)

- An upper-class woman recovering from a suicide attempt, Margaret Prior has begun visiting the women’s ward of Millbank prison, Victorian London’s grimmest jail, as part of her rehabilitative charity work. Amongst Millbank���s murderers and common thieves, Margaret finds herself increasingly fascinated by one apparently innocent inmate, the enigmatic spiritualist Selina Dawes. Selina was imprisoned after a séance she was conducting went horribly awry, leaving an elderly matron dead and a young woman deeply disturbed. Although initially skeptical of Selina’s gifts, Margaret is soon drawn into a twilight world of ghosts and shadows, unruly spirits and unseemly passions, until she is at last driven to concoct a desperate plot to secure Selina’s freedom, and her own.

A Light Amongst Shadows by Kelley York and Rowan Altwood (Dark is the Night series book one)

- James Spencer is hardly the typical troubled youth who ends up at Whisperwood School for Boys. Instead of hating the strict schedules and tight oversight by staff, James blossoms, quickly making friends, indulging in his love of writing, and contemplating the merits of sneaking love poems to the elusive and aloof William Esher. The rumours about William’s sexuality and opium reliance are prime gossip material amongst the third years…rumours that only further pique James' curiosity to uncover what William is really like beneath all that emotional armor. And, when the normally collected William stumbles in one night, shaken and ranting of ghosts, James is the only one who believes him. James himself has heard the nails dragging down his bedroom door and the sobs echoing in the halls at night. He knows others have, too, even if no one will admit it. The staff refuses to entertain such ridiculous tales, and punishment awaits anyone who brings it up. Their fervent denial and the disappearance of students only furthers James’ determination to find out what secrets Whisperwood is hiding...especially if it prevents William and himself from becoming the next victims.​​content warning: violence, sexual/physical abuse, some sexual themes

Recommended series w/Mediums and Things That Go Bump in the Night beneath the cut...

Hexworld series by Jordan L Hawk (I cannot express how much I love this series, and another novel is on the way!! A different couple in each novel, but they all work together or are related.)

- Dominic Kopecky dreamed of becoming a member of New York’s Metropolitan Witch Police—a dream dashed when he failed the test for magical aptitude. Now he spends his days drawing the hexes the MWP relies on for their investigations. But when a murder by patent hex brings crow familiar Rook to his desk, Dominic can’t resist the chance to experience magic. And as the heat grows between Dominic and Rook, so does the danger. Because the case has been declared closed—and someone is willing to kill to keep it that way. The 13th Hex is the prequel short story to the all-new Hexworld series. If you like shifters, magic, and romance, you’ll love Jordan L. Hawk’s world of witch policemen and the familiars they bond with.

Spirits series by Jordan L Hawk (Such detail. This series is amazing, and features a Native American MC and trans supporting character that is so well done.)

- After losing the family fortune to a fraudulent psychic, inventor Henry Strauss is determined to bring the otherworld under control through the application of science. All he needs is a genuine haunting to prove his Electro-Séance will work. A letter from wealthy industrialist Dominic Gladfield seems the answer to his prayers. Gladfield’s proposition: a contest pitting science against spiritualism, with a hefty prize for the winner. The contest takes Henry to Reyhome Castle, the site of a series of brutal murders decades earlier. There he meets his rival for the prize, the dangerously appealing Vincent Night. Vincent is handsome, charming…and determined to get Henry into bed. Henry can’t afford to fall for a spirit medium, let alone the competition. But nothing in the haunted mansion is quite as it seems, and soon winning the contest is the least of Henry’s concerns. For the evil stalking the halls of Reyhome Castle wants to claim not just Henry and Vincent’s lives, but their very souls.

Whyborne & Griffin series by Jordan L Hawk (I’ve read this series three times, and Griffin is one of my favorite characters in any series.)

- A reclusive scholar. A private detective. And a book of spells that could destroy the world. Love is dangerous. Ever since the tragic death of the friend he adored, Percival Endicott Whyborne has ruthlessly suppressed any desire for another man. Instead, he spends his days studying dead languages at the museum where he works. So when handsome ex-Pinkerton Griffin Flaherty approaches him to translate a mysterious book, Whyborne wants to finish the job and get rid of the detective as quickly as possible. Griffin left the Pinkertons after the death of his partner. Now in business for himself, he must investigate the murder of a wealthy young man. His only clue: an encrypted book that once belonged to the victim. As the investigation draws them closer, Griffin’s rakish charm threatens to shatter Whyborne’s iron control. But when they uncover evidence of a powerful cult determined to rule the world, Whyborne must choose: to remain safely alone, or to risk everything for the man he loves.

#gothic romance #historical romance #two men in love #m/m romance #f/f romance #poly romance #lgbt romance #kj charles #jordan l hawk #bonnie dee #summer devon #katherine marlowe #ee ottoman

[stainedglassgardens]

Favourite films watched in 2018

I arranged them into broad categories -- other than that they’re in no particular order.

Indie

River of Grass, Meek’s Cutoff and Night Moves (Kelly Reichardt, 1994, 2010 and 2013)

Tangerine and The Florida Project (Sean Baker, 2015 and 2017)

We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lynne Ramsay, 2011)

Winter’s Bone (Debra Granik, 2010)

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (David Zellner, 2014)

Ginger & Rosa (Sally Potter, 2012)

Cracks (Jordan Scott, 2009)

I Am Not a Witch (Rungano Nyoni, 2017)

Turn the River (Chris Eigeman, 2007)

Hello I Must Be Going (Todd Louiso, 2012)

Shuttle Life (Tan Seng Kiat, 2017)

On Body and Soul (Testről és lélekről, Ildikó Enyedi, 2017)

Vagabond (Sans toit ni loi, Agnès Varda, 1984)

Easy Living (Adam Keleman, 2017)

Mother of George (Andrew Dosunmu, 2013)

Khadak (Peter Brosens and Jessica Hope Woodworth, 2006)

Shirkers (Sandi Tan, 2018)

Comedy

Lipstick Under My Burkha (Alankrita Shrivastava, 2016)

Addicted to Fresno (Jamie Babbit, 2015)

The Spy Who Dumped Me (Susanna Fogel, 2018)

Edge of Seventeen (David Moreton, 1998)

Secretary (Steven Shainberg, 2002)

Experimental

Scorpio Rising (Kenneth Anger, 1963)

Always Shine (Sophia Takal, 2016)

The Midnight Swim (Sarah Adina Smith, 2014)

La Jetée (Chris Marker, 1962)

Daisies (Sedmikrásky, Věra Chytilová, 1966)

Classics

Reflections in a Golden Eye (John Huston, 1967)

Dead Ringer (Paul Henreid, 1964)

Horror

Creep and Creep 2 (Patrick Brice, 2014 and 2017)

The Poughkeepsie Tapes and As Above, So Below (John Erick Dowdle, 2007 and 2014)

Raw (Grave, Julia Ducournau, 2016)

Cargo (Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke, 2017)

Hard Candy (David Slade, 2005)

Snowtown (Justin Kurzel, 2011)

Banshee Chapter (Blair Erickson, 2013)

Mandy (Panos Cosmatos, 2018)

Science fiction

Primer and  Upstream Color (Shane Carruth, 2004 and 2013)

Resolution and The Endless (Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, 2012 and 2017)

Midnight Special (Jeff Nichols, 2016)

Arrival (Denis Villeneuve, 2016)

Into the Forest (Patricia Rozema, 2015)

Ex Machina (Alex Garland, 2014)

Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, 2013)

Liquid Sky (Slava Tsukerman, 1982)

Bird Box (Susanne Bier, 2018)

Action

Hell or High Water (David Mackenzie, 2016)

M.F.A. (Natalia Leite, 2017)

Revenge (Coralie Fargeat, 2017)

Brick (Rian Johnson, 2005)

Full list of 306 films watched in 2018 under the cut!

January

The Devil’s Candy (Sean Byrne, 2015)

A United Kingdom (Amma Asante, 2016)

Creep (Patrick Brice, 2014)

The Witch (Robert Eggers, 2015)

The Blues Brothers (John Landis, 1980)

The Lost Boys (Joel Schumacher, 1987)

Midnight Special (Jeff Nichols, 2016)

Arrival (Denis Villeneuve, 2016)

We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lynne Ramsay, 2011)

Life (Daniel Espinosa, 2017)

Logan (James Mangold, 2017)

Creep 2 (Patrick Brice, 2017)

The Discovery (Charlie McDowell, 2017)

Otherlife (Ben C. Lucas, 2017)

The Dressmaker (Jocelyn Moorhouse, 2015)

Bokeh (Geoffrey Orthwein and Andrew Sullivan , 2017)

February

Get Out (Jordan Peele, 2017)

The Handmaiden (아가씨, Agassi, Park Chan-wook, 2016)

Brick (Rian Johnson, 2005)

Looper (Rian Johnson, 2012)

Winter’s Bone (Debra Granik, 2010)

Thelma (Joachim Trier, 2017)

The Guest (Adam Wingard, 2014)

Beach Rats (Eliza Hittman, 2017)

Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in, Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

Cameraperson (Kirsten Johnson, 2016)

Sweet Bean (あん, An, Naomi Kawase, 2015)

The Hallow (Corin Hardy, 2015)

Cloverfield (Matt Reeves, 2008)

10 Cloverfield Lane (Dan Trachtenberg, 2016)

The Cloverfield Paradox (Julius Onah, 2018)

Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, 2016)

28 Days Later (Danny Boyle, 2002)

Take Shelter (Jeff Nichols, 2011)

Ginger Snaps (John Fawcett, 2000)

River of Grass (Kelly Reichardt, 1994)

Old Joy (Kelly Reichardt, 2006)

Reflections in a Golden Eye (John Huston, 1967)

March

Raw (Grave, Julia Ducournau, 2016)

Palo Alto (Gia Coppola, 2013)

By the Sea (Angelina Jolie, 2015)

Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig, 2017)

Jupiter Ascending (The Wachowskis, 2015)

Irreplaceable You (Stephanie Laing, 2018)

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (David Zellner, 2014)

Annihilation (Alex Garland, 2018)

Ravenous (Les Affamés, Robin Aubert, 2017)

The Bad Batch (Ana Lily Amirpour, 2016)

Notes on Blindness (Peter Middleton and James Spinney, 2016)

Breathe (Respire, Mélanie Laurent, 2014)

Night Moves (Kelly Reichardt, 2013)

Carol (Todd Haynes, 2015)

Lovesong (So Yong Kim, 2016)

Upstream Color (Shane Carruth, 2013)

April

ARQ (Tony Elliott, 2016)

Primer (Shane Carruth, 2004)

Meek’s Cutoff (Kelly Reichardt, 2010)

Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt, 2016)

The Lady from Shanghai (Orson Welles, 1947)

Waking Life (Richard Linklater, 2001)

Roman Holiday (William Wyler, 1953)

American Honey (Andrea Arnold, 2016)

Maurice (James Ivory, 1987)

The Silent House (La Casa Muda, Gustavo Hernández, 2010)

Viral (Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, 2016)

Buster’s Mal Heart (Sarah Adina Smith, 2016)

Waitress (Adrienne Shelly, 2007)

Grey Gardens (Albert and David Maysle, 1975)

Ginger & Rosa (Sally Potter, 2012)

Cracks (Jordan Scott, 2009)

Into the Forest (Patricia Rozema, 2015)

A New Leaf (Elaine May, 1971)

Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)

The Beguiled (Sofia Coppola, 2017)

Scarface (Brian De Palma, 1983)

The Violent Years (William Morgan, 1956)

The Ritual (David Bruckner, 2017)

Casting JonBenet (Kitty Green, 2017)

Slums of Beverly Hills (Tamara Jenkins, 1998)

We’ve Forgotten More Than We Ever Knew (Thomas Woodrow, 2017)

Love and Other Cults (Kemonomichi, Eiji Uchida, 2017)

You Were Never Really Here (Lynne Ramsay, 2017)

Shirley: Visions of Reality (Gustav Deutsch, 2013)

Catfight (Onur Tuckel, 2017)

Pyewacket (Adam MacDonald, 2017)

May

Lick the Star (Sofia Coppola, 1998)

Scorpio Rising (Kenneth Anger, 1963)

Novitiate (Maggie Betts, 2017)

The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)

The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki (Hymyilevä mies, Juho Kuosmanen, 2016)

Dead Reckoning (John Cromwell, 1947)

Human Flow (Ai Weiwei, 2017)

Mystery Train (Jim Jarmusch, 1989)

Dawson City: Frozen Time (Bill Morrison, 2016)

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2017)

I Am Not a Witch (Rungano Nyoni, 2017)

Cléo from 5 to 7 (Cléo de 5 à 7, Agnès Varda, 1962)

Orbiter 9 (Órbita 9, Hatem Khraiche, 2017)

M.F.A. (Natalia Leite, 2017)

Lipstick Under My Burkha (Alankrita Shrivastava, 2016)

Kedi (Ceyda Torun, 2016)

Deidra and Laney Rob a Train (Sydney Freeland, 2017)

The Most Dangerous Game (Irving Pichel and Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1932)

Girl Asleep (Rosemary Myers, 2015)

Always Shine (Sophia Takal, 2016)

The Monster (Bryan Bertino, 2016)

Desert Hearts (Donna Deitch, 1985)

Addicted to Fresno (Jamie Babbit, 2015)

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (Fritz Lang, 1956)

The Fits (Anna Rose Holmer, 2015)

Hell or High Water (David Mackenzie, 2016)

The Midnight Swim (Sarah Adina Smith, 2014)

The Quiet Hour (Stéphanie Joalland, 2014)

Synchronicity (Jacob Gentry, 2015)

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Mike Nichols, 1966)

Pod (Mickey Keating, 2015)

Turn the River (Chris Eigeman, 2007)

Tangerine (Sean Baker, 2015)

Frequencies (Darren Paul Fisher, 2013)

Spring (Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, 2014)

Time Lapse (Bradley D. King, 2014)

Meet Me There (Lex Lybrand, 2014)

Ex Machina (Alex Garland, 2014)

The Florida Project (Sean Baker, 2017)

Berberian Sound Studio (Peter Strickland, 2012)

Laggies (Lynn Shelton, 2014)

Starlet (Sean Baker, 2012)

Dead Ringer (Paul Henreid, 1964)

The Doom Generation (Gregg Araki, 1995)

The Riot Club (Lone Scherfig, 2014)

Berlin Syndrome (Cate Shortland, 2017)

Dude (Olivia Milch, 2018)

Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy, 2014)

June

Hello I Must Be Going (Todd Louiso, 2012)

Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (David Mirkin, 1997)

Mystery Road (Ivan Sen, 2013)

The Double (Richard Ayoade, 2013)

Dear White People (Justin Simien, 2014)

The Selfish Giant (Clio Barnard, 2013)

Don’t Breathe (Fede Álvarez, 2016)

Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present (Matthew Akers, 2012)

Hot Bot (Michael Polish, 2016)

Beneath the Harvest Sky (Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, 2013)

Tim’s Vermeer (Teller, 2013)

The Firefly (La Luciérnaga, Ana Maria Hermida, 2015)

Twinsters (Samantha Futerman and Ryan Miyamoto, 2015)

Resolution (Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, 2012)

Enemy (Denis Villeneuve, 2013)

Mother of George (Andrew Dosunmu, 2013)

We Are What We Are (Jim Mickle, 2013)

The Battery (Jeremy Gardner, 2012)

Crystal Fairy & The Magical Cactus (Sebastián Silva , 2013)

Boy (Taika Waititi,2010)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Steven Chbosky, 2012)

White Bird in a Blizzard (Gregg Araki, 2014)

The American (Anton Corbijn, 2010)

Ocean’s Eight (Gary Ross, 2018)

Compliance (Craig Zobel, 2012)

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (Lorene Scafaria, 2012)

Weekend (Andrew Haigh, 2011)

Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, 2013)

July

Martha Marcy May Marlene (Sean Durkin, 2011)

Safety Not Guaranteed (Colin Trevorrow, 2012)

Hard Candy (David Slade, 2005)

Duck Butter (Miguel Arteta, 2018)

The Artist (Michel Hazanavicius, 2011)

Another Earth (Mike Cahill, 2011)

Melancholia (Lars von Trier, 2011)

Woodshock (Kate and Laura Mulleavy, 2017)

Hanna (Joe Wright, 2011)

Snowtown (Justin Kurzel, 2011)

Aloft (Claudia Llosa, 2014)

A Fantastic Woman (Una mujer fantástica, Sebastián Lelio, 2017)

The Feels (Jenée LaMarque, 2017)

The Endless (Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, 2017)

Shuttle Life (Tan Seng Kiat, 2017)

I Origins (Mike Cahill, 2014)

The Taking of Deborah Logan (Adam Robitel, 2014)

Chasing Ice (Jeff Orlowski, 2012)

Manchester By the Sea (Kenneth Lonergan, 2016)

The Bar (El Bar, Álex de la Iglesia, 2017)

Mr. Roosevelt (Noël Wells, 2017)

Woman Walks Ahead (Susanna White, 2017)

The Manual (William Magness, 2017)

The Conjuring (James Wan, 2013)

Oculus (Mike Flanagan, 2013)

The Eye (Pang brothers, 2002)

August

The Overnight (Peter Brice, 2015)

Axolotl Overkill (Helene Hegemann, 2017)

Little Sister (Zach Clark, 2016)

Witchfinder General (Michael Reeves, 1968)

Secretary (Steven Shainberg, 2002)

The Quiet Earth (Geoff Murphy, 1985)

The Hunger (Tony Scott, 1983)

They (Anahita Ghazvinizadeh, 2017)

Revenge (Coralie Fargeat, 2017)

Cargo (Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke, 2017)

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Amy Heckerling, 1982)

Radius (Caroline Labrèche and Steeve Léonard, 2017)

17 Girls (17 Filles, Delphine Coulin and Muriel Coulin, 2011)

The Deuce of Spades (Faith Granger, 2011)

The Bank Job (Roger Donaldson, 2008)

La Jetée (Chris Marker, 1962)

Train to Busan  (부산행, Busanhaeng, Yeon Sang-ho, 2016)

As Above, So Below (John Erick Dowdle, 2014)

Liquid Sky (Slava Tsukerman, 1982)

Wild Zero (Tetsuro Takeuchi, 1999)

Multiple Maniacs (John Waters, 1970)

The Lifeguard (Liz W. Garcia, 2013)

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, Jacques Demy, 1964)

The Beales of Grey Gardens (Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Ian Markiewicz, 2006)

The Edge of Seventeen (Kelly Fremon Craig, 2016)

Salesman (Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin, 1969)

Easy Living (Adam Keleman, 2017)

Going Back (Adam Keleman, 2010)

A Series of Acts (Adam Keleman, 2006)

Long Days (Adam Keleman, 2012)

Okja (Bong Joon-ho, 2017)

Before I Fall (Ry Russo-Young, 2017)

The Poughkeepsie Tapes (John Erick Dowdle, 2007)

Three Colours: Blue (Krzysztof Kieślowski, 1993)

Three Colours: White (Krzysztof Kieślowski, 1994)

Three Colours: Red (Krzysztof Kieślowski, 1994)

Island of Lost Souls (Erle C. Kenton, 1932)

Khadak (Peter Brosens and Jessica Hope Woodworth, 2006)

The Lure (Córki dancingu, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, 2015)

Vagabond (Sans toit ni loi, Agnès Varda, 1984)

Little Evil (Eli Craig, 2017)

September

The Harder They Come (Perry Henzell, 1972)

Isle of Flowers (Ilha das Flores, Jorge Furtado, 1989)

Beat Girl (Edmond T. Gréville, 1960)

On Body and Soul (Testr��l és lélekről, Ildikó Enyedi, 2017)

Village of the Damned (Wolf RIlla, 1960)

Tampopo (タンポポ, Tanpopo, Juzo Itami, 1985)

Mustang (Deniz Gamze Ergüven, 2015)

Outside In (Lynn Shelton, 2017)

Voyeur (Myles Kane, 2017)

The Land of Steady Habits (Nicole Holofcener, 2018)

Clouds of Sils Maria (Olivier Assayas, 2014)

Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong (Emily Ting, 2015)

Tig (Kristina Goolsby and Ashley York, 2015)

Shortwave (Ryan Phillips, 2016)

The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond (Jodie Markell, 2008)

Sexy Beast (Jonathan Glazer, 2000)

October

The Most Assassinated Woman in the World (La Femme la plus assassinée du monde, Franck Ribière, 2018)

I Think We’re Alone Now (Reed Morano, 2018)

The Woman Who Left (Ang Babaeng Humayo, Lav Diaz, 2016)

The Babysitter (Brian Duffield, 2017)

The Frighteners (Peter Jackson, 1996)

Emelie (Michael Thelin, 2015)

21 Grams (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2003)

Apostle (Gareth Evans, 2018)

Phantasm (Don Coscarelli, 1979)

Banshee Chapter (Blair Erickson, 2013)

Joshua (George Ratliff, 2007)

Office (오피스, Hong Won-chan, 2015)

The Nightmare (Rodney Ascher, 2015)

The Spy Who Dumped Me (Susanna Fogel, 2018)

Before I Wake (Mike Flanagan, 2016)

The Most Unknown (Ian Cheney, 2018)

Private Life (Tamara Jenkins, 2018)

Octavio is Dead! (Sook-Yin Lee, 2018)

Leave No Trace (Debra Granik, 2018)

Cube (Vincenzo Natali, 1997)

Galveston (Mélanie Laurent, 2018)

Growing Up Coy (Eric Juhola, 2016)

Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974)

November

Murder My Sweet (Edward Dmytryk, 1944)

Madeline’s Madeline (Josephine Decker, 2018)

Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur, 1947)

Mandy (Panos Cosmatos, 2018)

Crossfire (Edward Dmytryk, 1947)

The Lobster (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2015)

Silent Light (Stellet Licht, Carlos Reygadas, 2007)

Shirkers (Sandi Tan, 2018)

Berlin Express (Jacques Tourneur, 1948)

Red Road (Andrea Arnold, 2006)

Angels Wear White (嘉年华, Vivian Qu, 2017)

Interstellar (Christopher Nolan, 2014)

The Italian Job (F. Gary Gray, 2003)

In the Aisles (In den Gängen, Thomas Stuber, 2018)

Edge of Seventeen (David Moreton, 1998)

Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, 2015)

Columbus (Kogonada, 2017)

I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore (Macon Blair, 2017)

The Full Monty (Peter Cattaneo, 1997)

Daisies (Sedmikrásky, Věra Chytilová, 1966)

Blue My Mind (Lisa Brühlmann, 2017)

December

The Tokyo Night Sky is Always the Densest Shade of Blue (夜空はいつでも最高密度の青色だ, Yozora wa itsudemo saiko mitsudo no aoiro da, Yuya Ishii, 2017)

Michael Lost and Found (Daniel Wilner, 2017)

The Trader (Sovdagari, Tamta Gabrichidze, 2018)

Valley Girl (Martha Coolidge, 1983)

The Kindergarten Teacher (Sara Colangelo, 2018)

Everything Beautiful is Far Away (Pete Ohs and Andrea Sisson, 2017)

McQueen (Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, 2018)

Better Watch Out (Chris Peckover, 2016)

I Feel Pretty (Abby Kohn, 2018)

Eighth Grade (Bo Burnham, 2018)

A Simple Favor (Paul Feig, 2018)

Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (Alexandra Dean, 2017)

Grandma (Paul Weitz, 2015)

Bird Box (Susanne Bier, 2018)

The Man in the Wall (האיש שבקיר‎, Evgeny Ruman, 2015)

Tout ce qui brille (Géraldine Nakache and Hervé Mimran, 2010)

Gas Food Lodging (Allison Anders, 1992)

Love, Cecil (Lisa Immordino Vreeland, 2018)

#watched in 2018 #films #2018 in review

[bandstolookup]

wolfmother

ray brown & whispers

john farnham

hoodoo gurus

sink the ship

stevie wright

john williamson

bliss n eso

endicott

1927

joe dolce

sneaky sound system

ending left

one ok rock

*

* 22-20s[4]

* Alabama Shakes[4]

* Alberta Cross

* saliva

* Trey Anastasio[4]

* Andrew Austin [5]

* Autolux[4]

* Jason Bajada[6]

* Danny Barnes[4]

* Rayland Baxter[4]

* Beady Eye[4]

* The Bees[4]

* Ridley Bent[6]

* saywecanfly

* Bo Keeney

* Boots Electric[4]

* The Bright Light Social Hour[4]

* Brighter Brightest[4]

* The Bronx[4]

* Jim Bryson & The Weakerthans[4]

* John Butler Trio[4]

* Butter The Children[5]

* Candy Coated Killahz[4]

* Carl Broemel[4]

* Don Brownrigg[5]

* Caveman[5]

* Chantal Kreviazuk[4]

* Chet Faker[5]

* Codeine Velvet Club[4]

* Cold War Kids[5]

* Cookie Duster[4]

* Thomas D'Arcy

* ryan matter

* Delphic[4]

* The Dismemberment Plan[5]

* Drive-By Truckers[4]

* Eastern Conference Champions[4]

* Kathleen Edwards[6]

* Everest[4]

* Fitz and the Tantrums[4]

* Jonny Fritz[5]

* Gomez[4]

* Gogol Bordello[5]

* GUS[7]

* Lisa Hannigan[4]

* Hatcham Social[4]

* The Henry Clay People[4]

* Patterson Hood[4]

* Houses[5]

* J. Roddy Walston and the Business[5]

* Jim James[4]

* Sass Jordan[6]

* Jovanotti[4]

* Language Arts[5]

* Daniel Lanois[4]

* Bobby Long[4]

* Ashes of Soma[6]

* BOY[6]

* Braided[6]

* Brendan Benson[4]

* Cowboy Junkies[6]

* Crowded House

* wolf rd

* Dala[6]

* Dawes[4]

* DJ Champion[4]

* Mike Doughty[4]

* Gordon Downie[6]

* Peter Elkas[6]

* Fiction Family[4] Grady[6]

* The Fireman[4]

* David Gray[6]

* Headstones

* Colin James[6]

* Jem[4]

* Carly Rae Jepsen[11]

* Sass Jordan[6]

* Kill the Lights[6]

* Patrick Krief[6]

* Ben Kweller[4]

* Land of Talk[6]

* The Latency[12]

* The Lowest of the Low[6]

* Massari[6]

* Danny Michel[6]

* Mike Ford[6]

* The Miniatures[6]

* Not by Choice[6]

* Lesley Pike[6]

* Jason Plumb[6]

* Prozzak[6]

* The Rankin Family[6]

* Sam Roberts[6]

* Spirit of the West[6]

* Kinnie Starr[6]

* Tegan and Sara[6]

* Simon Wilcox[6]

* The Whigs[4]

* Lucero[4]

* Vusi Mahlasela[5]

* Mariachi El Bronx[4]

* Miike Snow[4]

* Minus the Bear[4]

* Misstress Barbara[4]

* The Most Serene Republic[8]

* Nash[4]

* Sierra Noble[4]

* Neverending White Lights[6]

* Old Self & Kam Speech

* Organ Thieves[9]

* Other Lives[4]

* Ben Ottewell[4]

* Doug Paisley[4]

* Phish[5]

* Pilot Speed (formerly Pilate)[6]

* Joel Plaskett[6]

* Port O'Brien[4]

* Port St. Willow[5]

* Primus[4]

* Pure Bathing Culture[5]

* Radiohead[6]

* Kam Speech

* Rodrigo y Gabriela[4]

* Caitlin Rose[4]

* The River and The Road[10]

* Royal Teeth[5]

* Royal Wood[4]

* Rusko[4]

* San Fermin[5]

* Gordie Sampson[6]

* Primal Scream[5]

* Sea Wolf[4]

* Silversun Pickups[6]

* SOJA[4]

* Theresa Sokyrka[6]

* Stereophonics[5]

* Allen Stone[4]

* Thought Beneath Film[5]

* Two Gallants[4]

* Typhoon[5]

* David Usher[6]

* Butch Walker[5]

* Martha Wainwright[6]

* White Denim[5]

* White Rabbits[4]

* Widespread Panic[4]

* Wildcat! Wildcat![5]

* Jonathan Wilson[5]

* Andrew Wyatt[5]

the buddah ahood

allegaeon

lucky starr

the butterfly effect

lee kernaghan

the angels

the mavis's

ratcat

the lucifer device

jon english

pete murray

city calm down

the presets

hunters & collectors

redgum

the living end

dear enemy

the potbelleez

taxiride

rolf harris

ted mulry gang

hilltop hoods

the relapse symphony

farewell, my love

secrets

the acacia strain

weir

MODELS

shannon noll

eurogliders

havana brown

christine anu

sam sparro

leonardo's bride

havana next stop

missy higgins

tina arena

merril bainbridge

amy meredith

deadstar

birds of tokyo

buses & trains

mental as anything

ben lee

the androids

justice crew

ferrets

amiel

john butler trio

reece mastin

the seekers

little pattie

little red

wendy matthews

selwyn

rick price

real life

circle

flash n the pan

human nature

kate ceberano

mark "diesel" lizotte

alex lloyd

jo jo zep & the falcons

kate miller heidke

taylor henderson

euphoria

killing heidi

jacob collier

upon this dawning

miss may i

the ghost inside

our last night

nick cave & the bad seeds

faker

zoë badwi

augie march

johnny ashcroft

grinspoon

the triffids

sunnyboys

lenka

peking duk

nathaniel

boom crash opera

bobby & laurie

*

* Alma

* Aviator Lane

* Batrider

* Black Mountain

* Black Nielson

* Boddicker

* C.W. Stoneking

* Co-Pilgrim

* Disaster Plan

* Dishpan Fingers

* Elf Power

* Finishing School

* Fonda 500

* Fotomoto

* Ghosty

* Goldrush

* Homescience

* Ill Bravados

* Jacob S. Harris

* Jape Squad

* Kim Salmon & The Surrealists

* Legends of Motorsport

* Lilys

* Line Drawings

* Margins

* Matt Banham

* Mid State Orange

* New Estate

* New Pants

* No Through Road

* Of Montreal

* Okkervil River

* Oneironaut

* Papermoon

* Pink Mountaintops

* Royal City

* Russian Roulettes

* Sailboats Are White

* Sam Isaac

* Screamfeeder

* Season

* Serena Maneesh

* Shannon McArdle

* Sharko

* Sime Nugent

* Simon Llewelyn Evans

* Sneeze

* the bell jar

* Sonoi

* Souls On Board

* SubAudible Hum

* Thalia Zedek Band

* The Backfeed Slumber

* The Bites

* The Ca$inos

* The Delicates

* The Essex Green

* The Ladybug Transistor

* The Loch Ness Mouse

* The Mendoza Line

* The Minders

* The Parkas

* The Smallgoods

* The Sound Platform

* The Specimens

* The Steinbecks

* The Super Wolfgang

* The Wells Collective

* THE WHATS

* The Zebras

* Tim Steward

* TimeZones

* Trans Am

* Tucker B's

* Warped

* We All Want To

joel turner

delta dawn

peter blakeley

bluejuice

slim newton

you am i

machinations

the plot in you

28 days

ross d wylie

thirsty merc

matt corby

john paul young

hilltop hoods

bernard fanning

pauline pantsdown

sheppard

pseudo echo

don spencer

pendulum

the master's apprentices

adam brand

little river band

chet faker

blackfeather

the veronicas

the monitors

denis gibbons

jimmy barnes

the cockroaches

christie allen

jebediah

timomatic

kids in the kitchen

operator please

wedding parties anything

bullamakanka

invertigo

garnet rogers

royal blood

kula shaker

slade

the creation

eddie phillips

brian auger

pepper

james royal

brian auger &the trinity

the james taylor quartet

james taylor's 4th dimension

brian auger trinity

harry broadbent

tumblewild

the coral

stone foundation

julie driscoll

marc bolan

ian skelly and the serpent power

tom morello

the solarflares

aunt nelly

bond & brown

graham bond organization

the clique

button up

the mike cotton sound

eye alaska

the purple hearts

graham day and the gaolers

the prime movers

graham bond

family values

the prisoners

magic bus

jay darlington

small hours

fed up

talbot/white

cal tjader

follow my lead

trio valore

hank levine

the universal

the fully down

the jam

sixty eight

the capers

gatsbys american dream

godfrey

govinda

[fefefewf]

The dwarf rubbed his mouth to hide his smile

Once outside the Red Keep, the streets were congested, else I might have gotten away clean. Instead they caught me at the River Gate. “I need zapatillas de tacos futbol to be with Tommen. These Kingsguard knights are as useless as nipples on a breastplate.” She rounded on her uncle. Thirteen. To be sure. зимни обувки adidas 2016 Wylla spoke from the heart, as did Lady Leona. Forgive her if you can, my lord. Chickens and children were everywhere underfoot. The huge oak-and-iron doors of the Old Mint had always been closed when Davos had been in Fishfoot Yard before, but today they stood open. Dear Sir: As regards the first query, which relates to the “rights and duties of the slave,” I do not know how extensive a view of this branch of the subject is contemplated. In its simplest aspect, as understood and acted on in Virginia, I should say that the slave is air jordan aj4 entitled to an abundance of good plain food; to coarse but comfortable apparel; to a warm but humble dwelling; to protection when well, and to succor when sick; and, in return, that it is his duty to render to his master all the service he can consistently with perfect health, and to behave submissively and honestly. He means to take me back to Westeros and sell me to my sister. The dwarf rubbed his mouth to hide his smile. You are a hard man, I see, and no doubt skilled with that long sword at your side, but this is my realm. Let me crook a finger and you may find yourself traveling to Meereen chained to an oar in the belly of a galley.” She lifted her jade fan and opened it. “The gods are seldom good, Jon Snow.” Tormund nodded toward the sky. “The clouds roll in. We set the woman Meris free, as you commanded. Before she went, she asked to speak with you. The messenger was a boy of eight or nine, so bundled up in fur he seemed a bear cub. Trant had kept him waiting out on the drawbridge rather than admit him into Maegor’s. “Tell your people what you witnessed. Tell them that you saw the true king, and that they are welcome in his realm, so long as they keep his peace. Small and mean as it was, the longhall was the largest building in the village, so the lords and captains had taken it for themselves, whilst Stannis settled into the stone watchtower by the lakeshore. A pair of guardsmen flanked its door, leaning on tall spears. These leading men have used the cry of “abolitionism” over the mob, much as a huntsman uses the “set on” to his dogs. Whenever they have a purpose to carry, a man to put down, polo raflorene they have only tommy hilfiger backpack to raise this cry, and the monster is wide awake, ready to spring wherever they shall send him.. At this hour the house was less than half full. A few of the patrons favored the Dornishmen with looks bored or hostile or curious. Jon cracked the hardened wax, flattened the roll of parchment, read. A maester’s hand, but the king’s words.. The warrior witch Morna removed her weirwood mask just long enough to kiss his gloved hand and swear to be his man or his woman, whichever he preferred. And on and on and on.. Warriors, spearwives, raiders, they are frightened of those woods, of shadows moving through the trees. They want to put the Wall between them before the night descends.. .’ I went and knocked at grandfather’s door. He opened it, and as soon as he saw me he meant to shut it again, but I seized the door with both hands and cried out to him:. Yet for all the splendor of his garb, he remained an ugly man, big-boned and slope-shouldered, with a fleshiness to him that suggested that in later life he would run to fat. His skin was pink and blotchy, his nose broad, his mouth small, his hair long and dark and dry. If you don’t get on — judge for yourself. You’re an honest man, think things over. “When all my folk are safe behind your Wall, we’ll share a bit o’ meat and mead. Till then …” The wildling pulled off the band from his left arm and tossed it at Jon, then did the same with its twin upon his right. But will it be said. “The abolition enterprise was begun in a wrong spirit, by reckless, yeezy off white boost meddling, impudent fanatics”? Well, supposing that this were true, how came it to be so? If the church of Christ had begun it right, these so-called fanatics would not have begun it wrong. All the trees were bowed and twisted by the weight of ice they carried. Some hardly looked like trees at all. You’re a blessed innocent! Glad to see you, my dear soul!” (We nike ao0053kissed each other.) “How many years I’ve been pining in solitude — ‘From morn till night, from dark till light but I’ve not forgotten old times. They’re not easy to forget. And what are they quarrelling about! We all love one another so, and yet we’re quarrelling. If only they’d be reconciled and make an end of it! That’s what I’d do in their place. “Ser Barristan will have summoned a pair of sedan chairs to carry us back up to the banquet,

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but the climb can still chanel ágynemű be wearisome.” Behind them, the great iron doors closed with a resounding clang. “Tell me of this other Daenerys. Edd was back by the time that he had dressed, pressing a steaming cup into his hands. Jon expected hot mulled wine, and was surprised to find that it was soup, a thin broth that smelled of leeks and carrots but seemed to have galeb spodnjice no leeks or carrots in it. Ser Clayton Suggs was Godry’s strong right hand. Or should it be his withered arm? Asha did not like Ser Clayton. As to King Robert … it was indeed our pleasure to assist His Grace in his need. For so long as Robert lived, all was well. “Shame, shame,” the septas sang. “Chestnuts, hot roast chestnuts,” a peddler cried.

[ihknkm]

I hope, too

Format: Lets you choose the format of the destination image file (JPEG, TIFF, PNG, JPEG 2000, GIF, BMP, or PDF). "They really are just unbelievable," said Clarence LeMaster, a 68 year old retired Air Force airman who has seen the Angels fly their trademark blue and yellow F/A 18 Hornets at least a dozen times. It makes you wonder if we're indeed in a Golden Age of innovation least until we look back 30 years from today and see what the next generations of tech will have wrought.. We accept their guidance and their Mens JORDAN Hoodie expertise. When finished, the $600,000 house will be sold to the YMCA/YWCA at a deal for its Dream Home Lottery fundraiser, which will in turn fund community projects. I hope, too, that you may learn to appreciate me better. I was adidas eqt rose gold born and raised in Augusta County, Virginia; my father was an elder in the Presbyterian church, and was “owner” of about twenty slaves; he was what was generally termed a “good master.” His slaves were generally tolerably well fed and clothed, and not over-worked; they were sometimes permitted to attend church, and called in to family worship; few of them, however, availed themselves of these privileges. Shop online or at your local Chicago Finish Line store today!. folie samsung j6 2018 pt tot telegonil “A sacrifice will prove our faith still burns biciclete rusesti vechi true, Sire,” Clayton Suggs had told the king. Is business that bad?. But in the end haibike e mtb 2020 of the day, if screen brightness levels were to be equalized, and you listen the videos through headphones, it would probably mean that the new iPhone 7 Plus indeed offers a slight improvement in battery life.. Each of these laws, although in its time it was an ameliorating law, designed to take the place of some barbarous abuse, and to be a connecting link by which some higher state of society might be introduced, belongs confessedly to that system which St. At present, the indicators are positive. THROUGH MARCH 26 Final Cut basics. With a deep vault of kicks, it is time for the Swoosh to bank on James popularity while it is at an all time high and retro his older releases. "Larsen B was a turning point in our understanding," says Ala Khazendar, a geophysicist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Well, he used to go and see them and became her friend. He further states that he is lost, and not a runaway. It's a giant that's surprisingly super light on its feet.. Curtiss, of Indiana, to the following effect: “That the enslaving of men, or holding them as property, is an offence, as defined in our Book of Discipline, ch. However, if you notice signs of a dorm wide infestation as a diffuse mildewy smell says to steer clear. The good news: Our coming cold won't rival the intensity or duration of the monthlong cold of January 2014, a bitter and brutal month with four separate blasts of arctic air. The superheroes are needed to save the earth after an experiment with Loki sceptre, which they retrieve from an folie samsung j6 2018 pt tot telegonil evil scientist, goes terribly wrong. If they are excluded from the omnibus and railroad-car in the place where you reside, endeavor to persuade those who have the control of these matters to pursue a more just and reasonable course. Betty Boop was first created as a dog character by Grim Natwick and appeared as the girl friend of another dog named Bimbo. There never was a slave who did not feel it. He lowered his head into the wind and made for the bokacsizma bakancs Great Hall, hastening after the long line of candles and torches. You could have said exactly the same after England had one test. People generally location well known folks shipping numerous sorts along with gear within magazines or maybe probably in the news flash people want to be able to acquire concerning automatically. He heard the girls first, barking as they raced for home. In particular, nonfictional newspaper and television coverage of suicide has been associated with a statistically significant excess of suicides (6). This is particularly the case with the Methodist and Presbyterian bodies, and for that reason we select these two as examples. It was an important experience. The terms refer to whether the foot hits the ground on the heel or ball. “Those chests we brought you,” he said as they were chewing. He remembered Gerris sidling up just before the fight began. It had lost its sheen somewhat," he says.. Two boys of eight. Strickland’s called all the officers to his tent. It is forty leagues to Greyguard. 1 cause of the soot and smog deaths, according to the study. HBC Europe refers, collectively, to the GALERIA Kaufhof, Galeria INNO and Sportarena banners. Let them give to the slave the right to hold property, the right to form legal marriage, the right to read the word of God, and to have such education as will fully develop his intellectual and moral nature; the right of free religious opinion and worship; let them give маратонки puma mercedes amg him the right to bring suit and to bear testimony; give him the right to have some vote in the government by which his interests are controlled. "Human walking carries a lot of energy," Krupenkin says. You’re a blessed innocent! Glad to see you, my dear soul!” (We kissed each other.) “How many years I’ve been pining in solitude — ‘From morn till night, from dark till light but I’ve not forgotten old times. It must be cold up there, and wet. Nemo . Anna Andreyevna embraced her, sobbing, pressed her head to her bosom and seemed almost swooning in these embraces and unable to utter a word.. Only a few of the captives had been in service here when Jon Connington had last been lord: a grizzled dolce gabanna adidași bărbații serjeant, blind in one eye; a couple of the washerwomen; a groom who had been a stableboy during Robert’s Rebellion; the cook, who had grown enormously fat; the castle armorer. The FX 8370E maintains top frequency more so over time. The serjeants were looking for fresh meat to fill their ranks before they sailed for Slaver’s Bay. Guide him and defend him, R’hllor. Indeed, we are led to infer that, as the shooting is the easier mode of obtaining the reward, it is the more frequently fekete táska női employed in such cases. He swallowed, and said, “Some men say there is wisdom in wine. Be dressed a look at Brazil, and you see the far reaching experience that is certainly today\ sport. The tankard was pewter, very heavy. But the intensest, the most poignant thrill in this sensuality was its secrecy, the audacity of the deception. Of Denver Women Lacrosse Jacob Hallam Marquette Men Lacrosse Jonathan Van Diest Univ. Mudra had just lost two of its largest clients: Reliance Infocomm (now Reliance Communications) and Samsung (it moved to Cheil). The qualified candidate must be able to produce quality work in a fast paced environment under tight deadlines. Dinner is $10 for adults and $5 for kids under age 11. Considering the fact that we have users in over 180 countries, it seems like we're doing a good job at providing a service that our customers love.

[thedreadvampy]

The idea of this experiment isn’t to boycott films which don’t meet the criteria, or to imply that only films which do are good or valid, but only to create a list of films which exist outside the usual hegemonic narrative.

Foreign films are allowable but only if they represent similarly marginalised voices in their own countries - for example a Japanese film would not be admissible purely on the basis of being directed by and starring Japanese people, but could be admissible if it was made by and about women, queer people, disabled characters, or starring/about people of colour oppressed in Japan (eg the Ainu, Black people in Japan etc).

Films by/about only straight cis white women or white cis gay men don’t count, although I’ve listed some as honorable mentions, because while they're still underrepresented in film production they're certainly not as unheard as other more marginalised voices.

Reblog with your suggestions and tag them #FilmsForUs!

My initial suggestions:

Comedy

Nina’s Heavenly Delights: Lesbian romcom about a Scots-Indian woman trying to win a curry competition in memory of her recently-passed father (1: almost all Scots-Asian cast with the exception of the love interest, 2&3: dir. Pratibha Parmar, a Desi lesbian, 4: check, 5: side plots about her brother and mother’s relationships, 6: check)

Hunt For The Wilderpeople: A Maori kid from the inner city is adopted out to the country, but when he and his adoptive father disappear into the bush it sparks a nationwide manhunt  (1: Maori protagonist and some core cast, 2&3: dir. Taika Waititi, written by Taika Waititi and Te Arapa Kahi, 4: check, 5: very little romantic content, 6: check (although some jokes referencing CSA))

But I’m A Cheerleader: A naive teenager is sent to a conversion camp when her parents suspect she may be a lesbian, opening her eyes to a whole new world.  (1: Almost exclusively queer characters, 2&3: dir. and written by Jamie Babbit, a lesbian, 4: check, 5: no heterosexual romance, 6: check)

Saving Face: A young closeted Chinese-American surgeon has her life thrown into disarray when her widowed mother becomes pregnant outside wedlock and is thrown out by her parents. (1: I think the whole cast are Asian or Black?, 2&3: dir. and written by Alice Wu, a Chinese-American lesbian, 4: check, 5: mother’s subplot involves, but doesn’t centre around, her relationships, 6: check)

Dear White People: The lives of five very different Black students at an Ivy League college intersect when a campus society organises a blackface party (1: Core cast is two Black women and three Black men, one of whom is gay, 2&3: dir. and written by Justin Simien, a gay black man, 4: check, 5: one of the four storylines is somewhat focused on Sam’s relationships with men but it’s not the primary focus but only an element of her story, 6: check)

Action

Black Panther: The new king of a highly-advanced and secretive African nation is challenged and overthrown by a vengeful rival, who forces him to confront his country’s responsibility to the world (1: Core cast is all Black bar two, 2&3: dir. Ryan Coogler and written by Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole (two Black men), 4: check, 5: There is a romance plot between Nakia and T’Challa but it isn’t foregrounded, 6: check)

Pacific Rim: 

Wonder Woman

Thor: Ragnarok

Drama

Angels in America: Six-hour epic exploring death, religion and sexuality in the AIDS epidemic (1: Main cast mostly gay men and straight women, one Black protagonist and several Jewish ones, several HIV+, 2&3: written by Tony Kushner, a gay Jewish man, 4: check, 5: check, 6: check)

Hidden Figures: The true story of three Black female mathematicians integral to the success of the US Space Program (1: core cast three Black women, 2&3: based on the book by Margot Lee Shetterly, a Black woman, 4: check, 5: check, 6: check)

Moonlight: A gay Black boy grows up in a rough neighbourhood, struggling with his isolation and fear. (1: Core cast all Black, gay protag and bisexual love interest, 2&3: all Black creators, 4: check, 5: check, 6: check)

The Shape of Water: A mute Latina woman working in a Cold War research institute falls in love with an ancient river god held for experimentation, and helped by a Russian spy conspires to save him. (1: Core cast are a disabled latina woman, a gay man, a black woman, a Russian spy and an amphibian monster, 2: dir. and written by Guillermo del Toro (Mexican) and co-written by a woman, 3: Uses the allegory of monsterhood to sensitively explore how each of these people is othered and oppressed, 4: check, 5: check, 6: check)

Boy: In 1984, young Maori boy living in profound poverty is finally able to reconnect with his absentee criminal father, only to find the reality of his dad is very different to what he’s dreamed about. (1: Cast is almost entirely Maori, 2&3: dir., written by, and starring Taika Waititi (as the protag’s shitty dad), 4: check, 5: check, 6: check)

Angry Indian Goddesses: As old friends arrive in Goa to celebrate a friend’s wedding to her mystery partner, they hang out, laugh, drink, dance and unpick the many ways Indian culture ignores and oppresses women. WARNING: This one has very explicit description of rape and abuse. It also has a VERY sudden tonal shift in the final act which...the first 3/4 of the film seems like it’s going towards something fun and uplifting. It’s not. Don’t watch this one when you’re looking for something to cheer you up. (1: Cast includes two queer characters and one mixed-race character, as well as multiple survivors, 2: co-written by Arsala Qureshi, an Indian woman, 3: Handles issues of caste, gender and sexuality thoughtfully and sensitively (although I’m not Indian so feel free to correct me on that), 4: check, 5: check, 6: Rape is a big theme, but it’s there to discuss its devastating impact and to explore how different women react to different manifestations)

Kids

Moana: The daughter of a Polynesian chief, chosen by the sea, sets out on a quest to repair the damage done by the demigod Maui (1: Polynesian cast played by Polynesian VAs, 2&3: Co-written by Hawai’ian brothers Jordan and Aaron Kandell, and initial draft by Taika Waititi, 4: check, 5: check, 6: check)

Honorable mentions (films which I think are in the spirit of #FilmsForUs but may not meet all the requirements as written)

Pride: Comedy The true story of the formation of Gays And Lesbians Support The Miners, an unlikely solidarity organisation in the 80s between the London queer scene and the striking miners’ unions in North Wales (1: All white cast of primarily queer characters, 2&3: written by Stephen Beresford, a gay man, 4: check, 5: check, 6: check - honorable mention because it’s primarily about cis white men - there are lesbian characters but they are not the focus) 

Bend It Like Beckham: Comedy The daughter of an orthodox Sikh family pursues her love of football against her family’s wishes (1: Largely British Asian cast, 2&3: dir. Gurinder Chadha, written by Gurinder Chadha and Guljit Bindra, both British-Indian women, 4: check, 5: unfortunately there is a major romantic subplot and I hate it and this film should have been about the protagonist getting off with Kiera Knightley, 6: check - honorable mention because the protagonist’s straight relationship somewhat dominates the narrative)

Attack The Block: Action/Comedy A gang of teenagers defend their South London council estate from aliens, which the film uses to explore police brutality against Black kids. (1: Most of the cast are Black, 2&3: All white creative staff, although I believe they’re largely from a similar socioeconomic background, 4: check, 5: check, 6: check - honorable mention because despite having a sensitively-written, diverse cast it was written, directed and produced exclusively by white men)

Mad Max: Fury Road: Action 

Battle Of The Sexes: Drama The true story of Billy Jean King, world tennis championship, and her fight for equal pay and respect for female athletes, as well as her struggle as a closeted lesbian (1: Gay female protagonist, 2&3: dir. by a straight man and straight woman, written by a straight man, all white, 4: check, 5: check, 6: check - honorable mention because of a straight white creative team)

Lilo and Stitch: Kids A fugitive alien lands in the middle of two Hawai’ian sisters struggling to keep their family together after the loss of their parents, tackling poverty, colonialism and the threat of CPS (1: Native Hawai’ian cast played by Hawai’ian VAs, 2: All white production staff, 3: Handles Hawai’ian issues thoughtfully and carefully, 4: check, 5: Nani has a romance subplot with David but it isn’t foregrounded, 6: check - honorable mention because no Hawai’ian creators were involved)

#films #movies #diversity #filmsforus #films for us #diverse film

[arckhaic]

What are some of the best books you’ve read / would like to recommend?

oh, what a question. 

we’ll go with books that have majorly touched my life and continue to be picked to be reread over and over again to the point that their spines are breaking, their covers have fuzzed, and i just melt into them. 

also, all of these are fantasy because i read a lot of fantasy, so. 

a song of ice and fire by george r. r. martin. ( maybe not the best in terms of writing or whatever, but it’s my comfort fantasy series. i’ve read the series three times, i’m currently in the middle of my fourth reread. it took four times to make me cry but it did it. ) 

the wheel of time series by robert jordan. ( again, probably not best in terms of writing and if you don’t like books where characters don’t do anything for about 5 books then this isn’t for you. but my sister gifted me the first three books and i just devoured them. i love them. they’re dear friends even if they’re awful and don’t do anything. but i saw so much of myself in rand. so. yeah. protip, skip book 10. literally, you don’t have to read it. i didn’t. ) 

the stormlight archive by brandon sanderson. ( you know when people talk about the book that saved their life? here’s one of mine. i was in the middle of bad depression when i picked up the way of kings and it got me through some rough times. i found so much of myself in kaladin and just, he breaks my heart. i will say, tho, oathbreaker? compared to the others? weak. also, if you don’t like short and sparse writing … probably not for you. brandon loves to leave stuff up to the imagination. ) 

assassin’s apprentice by robin hobb. ( sometimes you go through bad times where you feel like you’re never going to find That Book that’s yours and it speaks to you & reads to you like an old and loving friend … assassin’s apprentice changed that for me. i saw myself in fitz and his loneliess and i just wanted a friend like he did. my heart aches, oh god. ) 

the sword in the stone by t. h. white ( if u don’t know anything about me, understand this. i love king arthur. i love all my great and terrible knights of the round table. i love mordred, my heartbroken boy of prophecy.  i love them all so much, i even have a full shelf on my bookcase dedicated to books about king arthur. my phone is named excalibur. my cat is (or was supposed to be) named after guinevere. so. yah. this book is a retelling of arthur before he became king and yes! disney’s the sword in the stone is based off of it. it’s fun and silly and he talks to animals in order to get an education to be a better king. ) 

the raven cycle by maggie stiefvater ( only the first two books, i didn’t like the other two so i don’t read them. and i’m … plenty certain you’ve read these or heard of them if you’re on tumblr. and they’re good. they give me that magic thrumming through a group of kids who are just doing their best kind of vibe that i love so much. and slightly inspired animal skins, so there’s that too. ) 

we’ll end it there for now. obvs there are more but … these are books that mean a lot to me and i constantly go back to and reread. they’re my friends, tiny little worlds of comfort that i’ve come to know and love. 

ask me about books i hate, i love to trash books lmao

#i'm in a Fantasy Mood #anonymous #sorry this was so #LATE #things have gotten really busy and i just havent found time #BUT THANK U I APPRECIATE U

[encyclopedia-victoria-blog]

History Behind the Story - The Baby Princess

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s first child, Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa, the Princess Royal, was born at Buckingham Palace on the 21st of November 1840. The real baby Vicky was actually nicknamed “Pussy” for the first few years of her life - something the ITV series chooses not to recreate!

Read more about the baby Princess under the cut.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s first child arrived three weeks early, taking everyone by surprise. ‘Just before the early hours of the morning of the 21rst[of November]’  Victoria wrote in her journal, she had woken feeling ‘very uncomfortable & with difficulty aroused Albert from his sleep’:

Tried to get to sleep again, but by 4, I got very bad and both the Doctors arrived. My beloved Albert was so dear & kind. [The Doctor] said the Baby was on the way & everything was all right. We both expressed joy that the event was at hand, & I did not feel at all nervous. 

Unusually for the era, Prince Albert stayed with his wife throughout her labour. He was, wrote Victoria, ‘the greatest comfort and support.’ The baby arrived at two that afternoon (‘alas! a girl & not a boy, as we both had so hoped & wished for’) and was immediately whisked away ‘stark naked’ to be shown to the official witnesses including the Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, the Foreign Minister and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

“Victoria asleep, aged 3 weeks” - pen and watercolour sketch by Queen Victoria dated 12th December 1840 (Royal Collection)

Queen Victoria recovered quickly from the birth - a day later she ‘felt as well as if nothing had happened’ and by mid-December happily reported that she was ‘walking about the house like myself again.’ Both mother and baby were strong enough to travel to Windsor for Christmas. Victoria had chosen not to breastfeed her new daughter, and hired instead a Mrs Ratsey of Cowes, Isle of Wight, to act as wet nurse. Mrs Ratsey was required to show deference to the baby’s rank by always standing while she breastfed her.

Baby Victoria, or “Pussy” as her parents began to affectionately call her, slotted in easily to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s busy lives. She was brought down from the nursery to see them twice a day - once after breakfast and again in the afternoon when Victoria changed for dinner. Victoria loved to show off her daughter to visitors to the place, and would produce the baby for even her cabinet ministers to see. On the 11th of December 1840 Victoria proudly described ‘our dear little Child’ in her journal:

She gets daily prettier, & is so "éveillé" [alert] for her age. I hope & think she will be like her beloved Father. She has large, bright, dark blue eyes, a nice little nose & mouth, a very good complexion, with a little colour in her cheeks, very unusual, for so young a Baby.

Lithograph of Victoria, Princess Royal with her parents Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Published by William Spooner c.1840. (British Museum)

The doting parents micromanaged every aspect of baby Vicky’s infant life. Prince Albert wrote long memoranda outlining how the nursery should be run - the Princess was not to be left alone, she couldn’t be shown to anyone or taken out of the nursery without the express permission of her parents, and the nurses had to consult either the Queen or Prince Albert before they acted on the doctor’s orders. Prince Albert even slept with the key to the nursery under his pillow.

The baby Princess was christened in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace on the 9th of February 1841, her parent’s first wedding anniversary. She was given the names “Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa” after her mother, both grandmothers, and Queen Victoria’s aunt, the Dowager Queen Adelaide. Victoria recorded the day in her journal:

Today it is a year, that I have been blessed by becoming the wife of my beloved Albert. What perfect happiness I have enjoyed since then! & how I pray it may continue. This anniversary must ever be the most precious one in my life. — Albert gave me a little brooch representing a cradle with the Child in it, — the quaintest thing I ever saw & so pretty. 

[... I] Dressed in a white ribbed silk gown, trimmed with my wedding lace, with my diamond Diadem, necklace of Turkish diamonds, & Albert's beautiful sapphire & diamond brooch. He was in his Field Marshal's uniform with high boots, & looked so handsome. We went into the Green Drawingroom & received all the Company. When all had arrived, the Archbishops of Canterbury & York, the Bishops of London & Norwich, & the Dean of Carlisle (as Vicar of the Parish in which our child was born) went into the Throne Room, which was very handsomely filled up as a Chapel. We 2, with our suite, went in soon after we then sent for the Child who looked very dear in a white Honiton point lace robe & mantle, over white satin. [...] The Archbishop of Canterbury christened the Baby from the new Font, & with water from the river Jordan, sent by Dr Browning for the purpose. The names the child was given were: Victoria, Adelaide, Mary Louisa. She was wide awake & never cried, though the Archbishop held her most uncomfortably. My sincere & fervent Prayers were offered up for our dear Child. [...]  Albert a I agreed that all had gone off beautifully & in a very dignified manner.

Albert wrote proudly that his daughter was:

awake, but did not cry at all, and seemed to crow with immense satisfaction at the sights and brilliant uniforms, for she is very intelligent and observing.

Princess Victoria’s christening as painted by Charles Robert Leslie c. 1841-2. Adelaide, the Queen Dowager, whom the Princess was named after, steps forward to name the baby. (Royal Collection)

Albert had designed his daughter’s christening font himself (silver gilt with cherubs and waterlilies to represent purity and new life), and he composed a chorale for the banquet held that evening in the princess’ honour. The centerpiece of the grand occasion was a tiered christening cake topped with an edible sugar figure of Britannia holding a tiny sugar Vicky. Lady Sarah Lyttleton (who was later appointed governess to the royal children) was among the attendees. In a letter to her daughter, Lady Lyttleton described her impression of the baby princess:

She is a fine, fat, firm, fair, royal-looking baby, sitting bolt upright, and too absurdly like the Queen; grave, calm, and penetrating in her look, most gentle and sweet-tempered. She wore a very plain white pelisse of muslin, and a droll little Quaker-shaped straw bonnet; no bows or bustle about her, and she surveyed us all most composedly for a minute. She was shewn at her carriage-window to all the standers-by, and it was amusing to us who followed to see the universal grin left upon all faces after their look at her. She will soon have seen every pair of teeth in the kingdom. They say she laughs, crows, and kicks very heartily, and the Prince tosses her often. 

Although both of her parents had initially felt disappointed that Vicky was not the son and heir they had hoped for, they had quickly became besotted. Albert in particular doted upon his baby daughter and the pair remained close throughout their lives. 'Our young lady flourishes exceedingly,’ wrote Queen Victoria to her uncle Leopold when the princess was six weeks old:

I think you would be amused to see Albert dancing with her in his arms; he makes such a capital nurse (which I do not, and she is much too heavy for me to carry), and she already seems so happy to go to him.

There is a popular myth that Queen Victoria hated her own children, largely inspired by a series of letters she wrote to Vicky in the 1850s and 60s after Vicky had married and was beginning to have children of her own. Victoria, who had by this stage had given birth to nine children (and likely suffered postpartum depression after some of the births), wrote that being pregnant made her feel ‘like a cow or a dog’ and that she disliked very little babies:

I have no tendre [fondness] for them until they become a little human; an ugly baby is a very nasty object - and the prettiest is frightful when undressed - till about four months; in short as long as they have their big bodies and little limbs and that terrible frog-like action. 

But sensational articles like “Queen Victoria hated her children, say academics” (Telegraph, 2012) and “Queen Victoria adored Prince Albert so much it made her loath her nine children” (Mirror, 2016) do not tell the whole story. Queen Victoria had a whole host of complex feelings about motherhood, including a deep and sincere love for her children. In another letter to Vicky, she reminisced fondly about her daughter’s babyhood:

[...] though I hated the thought having children and have no adoration for very little babies, (particularly not in their baths till they are past 3 or 4 months, when they really become very lovely) still I know what a fuss and piece of work was made of you [...] I used to have you in my dressing room - while I dressed for dinner, dancing on Mrs Pegley’s [the nurse] knees - till you got so lively that you did not sleep at night. All that was very foolish, and I warn you against it - but one is very foolish with one’s first child.

Miniature of the Princess Royal as an angel by Sir William Ross, signed and dated 1841. Prince Albert had this miniature copied and made into an enamel brooch set with sapphires, rubies, emeralds, diamonds and topazes which he gave to his wife that year for Christmas. Victoria was ‘delighted’. (Royal Collection)

Further Reading:

Queen Victoria’s letters and journals

An Uncommon Woman: The Empress Frederick by Hannah Pakula

Queen Victoria’s Children by John van der Kiste

Victoria the Queen by Julia Baird

#i try to be brief #but these get longer and longer #victoria princess royal #queen victoria #prince albert #itv victoria #victoria itv #victoria series #victoria series 2 #2x01 #a soldier's daughter #jenna coleman #tom hughes #artist: queen victoria #queen victoria's journals #william ross #william spooner #lithograph #painting #portrait #charles robert leslie #royalty #royal history #british royal family #british royalty #royal collection #british museum #history behind the story #victoria spoilers

[dontlookimnotabroad-blog]

Festival of the Witch’s Rite: Part 2

Meredyth awoke the next morning still thinking about that weird shop from the night before. Three. There were three gems there that she couldn't touch, and two wood carvings that stirred something deep inside of her. As if they were ingrained in her memory as part of her childhood, but she had never seen them before. When she picked them up, she knew automatically that they had a purpose. She knew they had a use, a power. But she didn't know what it was or how to use them. She knew that certain artifacts had certain effects on her, but she had never, ever seen that many in one place before. She had to ask Taretha about it. There was no forgetting that.

After breaking her fast on fresh bread and cheese, Meredyth set out to find Taretha. Since Taretha would be playing a role in that night’s ritual, Meredyth wanted to find her before preparations began.

The second day of the festival was a reenactment of what happened in the village fifty years ago. Each year, volunteers would pick roles, build sets, and recreate the events that lead to the town’s rebirth. There was never a lack of volunteers; everyone in the village loved the ritual. With each passing year, the sets got more elaborate and the roles got more exaggerated. Meredyth used to participate, but she got less interested as she grew older. It seemed rather childish to her now. She still liked to watch the villagers, though, and she loved hearing the story told over again.

Meredyth walked around the whole village, but Taretha was nowhere to be found. She even knocked on the door of Taretha’s little cottage, but Taretha wasn’t there. Reluctantly, she gave up her search. She would ask about that weird shop when they saw each other after the enactment. She would not forget this time.

 Taretha picked up a broad necklace with a glowing green gem on it and held it to the light, admiring it. It looked so much better lit by the sun than by dim, flickering torches.

“I think this should go very nicely with my dress tonight. What do you think?”

“I don’t think one of the Council of Seven would wear something like that.” Aryst said flatly.

“Oh, come now. This isn’t meant to be so serious, you know.”

“Taretha, are you serious? You know what this ritual’s about, right? You were there when this took place. You remember what happened. Do you have any respect for that day?”

Taretha’s face darkened. “Of course I do. I remember it too well. Aryst, the townsfolk remember this as a happy event. We must act like it was, no matter what consequences it had for us.” She put the gem down and studied Aryst for a moment. “I’m as frustrated as you are. But there’s nothing we can do.”

Aryst looked down at her hands and sighed. After a moment, she looked back up at Taretha. “I think that gem would look amazing with the dress you’re going to wear tonight. I’ll let you borrow it for the evening, if you’d like.”

Taretha smiled. “I’d very much like that. Thank you, dear.” She took the gem with her as she left the shop and started across town.

 Mr. Yeranem lived in a small hut on the east side of the village. Taretha knocked on the old wooden door, and it opened with a creak. Mr. Yeranem stood hunched in the doorway, grinning at her. He looked as old and worn as his hut did. His hair stuck out of his head at odd angles and his teeth were cracked and yellow with age.

“Taretha! It’s good to see you!” He rasped. His voice was old and rough from years of coughing fits. “How’s your family?” Taretha sighed and looked away. Sometimes, Mr. Yeranem seemed to be living in another time.

“They’re doing well. What have you been working on?” His hut was littered with unfinished projects and things that had been taking apart but not quite put back together yet.

“Mr. Jordan’s clock broke and he wanted me to fix it, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. Little Robert was sick last week, you know.” He pulled out a cloth and coughed violently into it for a few seconds, and then continued, gasping for breath while he talked. “It’s just a head cold, so I gave him some weirmot root tea and he improved.” After another coughing fit, he offered Taretha a chair that had a pile of books on it.

“Oh, that’s not necessary. I’ll be leaving soon.”

“You have a part in the festival, too, don’t you? You have to prepare. Take your time doing that, because this year’s going to be a big one!” He said that for every festival.

“Yes, I have a part. I just came by to see if you needed anything. I know you’ve been busy, what with the clock and little Robert.”

“I thought I needed some more bread, but Meredyth brought me some a little while ago. I think she was looking for someone.” Another violent coughing fit. “I think that child is up to no good. She’s always asking about this and that, poking her nose where it doesn’t belong. I say, she should just keep to herself and work in the bakery. And that’s not just because I like the bread. Have you tried the sesame seed bread? It’s the best.”

“Yes, Mr. Yeranem. It’s very good.”

“Anyway, what was I talking about? Oh, Meredyth. She keeps asking me if I believe in witches. I don’t know what to say to her. I don’t want her to know. I think she’d somehow find a way to repeat the past, and I don’t like it. I want what’s in the past to stay there. But, in truth, it was easier back then for a young apothecary to do his work. I seem to remember a young Taretha with night terrors. You would go right to sleep after having your wildberry soup, all curled up with the little doll your mother made for you.”

“That was long ago, Mr. Yeranem.”

“And Meredyth had night terrors when she was that age, too. I thought it was so kind of you to give that doll to her.” He burst into a fit of forceful coughing, his face turning red. He gasped for breath between coughs.

Taretha broke in. “It was nice to speak with you, Mr. Yeranem, but I really should be going now. I need to prepare for tonight.”

“Oh, that’s right. The festival is tonight. I think I have a part in that, too.”

“Yes, Mr. Yeranem. You’ll be playing the witch. Remember?”

Mr. Yeranem smiled broadly, his cracked teeth making his smile look crooked. “Yes, the witch. It’s finally my turn to play the witch. I couldn’t be more excited for it.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I’ll see you this evening, alright?”

“Alright. Have a good evening.”

“You too, Mr. Yeranem. Let me know if you need anything.” She left his hut feeling grateful that she still had her wits. She walked back to her cottage, planning for the night.

 As the sun sank toward the horizon, villagers and visitors gathered in the town square. Meredyth joined the crowd, excited to see the story told again. As it got darker, a man carrying a flame lit several large torches around the stage. Villagers began taking their places on the raised wooden platform at the north end of the square, and the audience quieted. The Narrator spoke.

“Before we start, I want to thank all of you for coming. You really make it a joy to put on this festival. What?”A small boy ran out to the center of the stage, said something, and then ran away again. “Oh. Yes. I’d like to introduce our cast. The villagers and extra roles will be played by the children: Zelda, Rauru, Dina, Farosh, Nayra, and Kilton. The Council of Seven will be played by Egwene, Perrin, Elayne, Matrim, Nynaeve, and Taretha.” As each name was called, the audience burst into applause. “The witch this year will be played by our very own Mr. Yeranem. Once again, thank you for coming, and enjoy! Let the story begin.”

When the applause died down, the Narrator began anew.

 “Long, long ago, witches lived in Sareht. There were quite a few, and they would gather in secret occasionally. No one knew what they talked about during these secret meetings, but they never did anything to hurt anyone. Actually, most of them were really helpful. Some were assigned certain duties, like protecting the village from darkwolves that occasionally attacked. Some of them were assigned to preserving the history of the town and the province. Most of them, though, were not really assigned to anything specific, so they would help out wherever they were needed. In the meantime, they lived their lives peacefully, and you wouldn’t know they were witches if you saw one. They didn’t use magic outside of their homes or do anything out of the ordinary. This is a story about one such Witch.”

 The Witch angrily stalked through the center of the village. A Villager, carrying a basket of bread, stopped her.

“Are you alright? Where are you going?”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing of your concern.” She said with a sneer.

The Villager hesitated. “Well, let me know if I can help you in any way.”

“Why would I need help from the likes of you? It’s bad enough that the other witches want to help me. I don’t need help from anyone at all, and you’d do well to remember it. It isn’t-“ the Witch burst into a coughing fit, pulling out a dirty cloth to cover her mouth. When she resumed, she was gasping for breath. “It isn’t right to assume that I’m incapable of anything. I can’t believe you! I can’t believe any of you!”

The Villager backed away a little bit, frightened. “I’m sorry. I meant no offense.”

“Of course you didn’t. You never do. No one ever does. No one ever means anything. Isn’t that just how it is these days?” The Witch started laughing. “I suggested that they send a team into the woods to go hunting for wolves. I volunteered to lead it. What did they do? Send a team, but send someone else to lead it. ‘No offense.’ Right. It doesn’t matter to them that I’m the strongest of them all, or the smartest. They never listen! No one ever listens to me!”

The Villager was at a loss. “Well…” She shifted the bread basket on her hip. “I’m sorry to hear that.” She shifted the bread basket to her other hip and bit her lip nervously. “I wish there was something I could do. This bread’s going to get hard soon, though, so I’ll be on my way. You know where I am if… If you should… wish for my… assistance. May Sareht be with you.” With that, she quickly curtsied, turned around, and walked away.

The Witch stared after her, muttering to herself. “How dare she suggest that I need anything from her! Do they all think I’m a ninny? I’ll show them. I’ll show them all.”

That night, as all of the villagers slept, the Witch silently crept out of her home. She walked to the center of the village, cackling softly to herself. “They’ll listen to me. They’ll listen to me when their Goddess is dead!”

 The next morning as villagers were starting to wake up and prepare for the day, a horn blew from off in the distance. A team of three witches assigned to protecting the village hastily ran out of their cottage in the direction of the horn.

“Thank Sareht it’s only one blast. We can handle one darkwolf.”

“Yes, I think we’ll be just fine. Darkwolves are strong, but we’ve dealt with one before. I’ll hold it still while you two take care of it.”

“Do you see that?” One of the witches pointed. “There’s a weird glow around the village.”

“That’s just the sun setting. It always looks like that.”

“Yeah, don’t be ridiculous, Nayra.”

They reached the darkwolf before Nayra had a chance to respond. The giant wolf immediately started snarling when it saw them, recognition and pure hatred in its eyes. It drew back, circling around the witches menacingly. One of the witches raised her arms, and the wolf let out an angry bark. The witch bit her lower lip in concentration. The wolf, still snarling and growling, slowed in its movements as if it were moving through thick honey. It started to lunge toward one of the witches, but froze before it reached her. Once the wolf was subdued, the two other witches joined hands. They raised their free hands toward the frozen wolf and counted down.

“Three, two, one!”

With a loud crack like thunder and a bright flash of light, the wolf crumpled to the ground. The lone witch finally lowered her arms, exhaling forcefully.

“That was a strong one. Good job, you guys.”

They didn’t have long to celebrate. Another horn blew from off in the distance, this time with three short blasts. The witches looked at each other in fear.

“There’s no way we can handle a whole pack of darkwolves. I hope other witches come to help us.”

“I hope so too, but let’s hurry before they reach the village.”

The witches took off in the direction of the horn, heading north through the center of the village. They stopped dead when they reached the central square. For a few seconds, they were unable to speak. They simply gaped in utter shock and terror at what they saw.

“Sareht, be with us!”

“Oh, Sareht!”

“The Goddess Tree…!”

One of the witches dropped to her knees and fervently started praying, her hands shaking as she clasped them together. The horn blew again in three short blasts, but the witches didn’t notice.

“Sareht, who would set the Goddess Tree on fire?”

“It’s not even burning...! There’s fire, but it’s not burning!”

“The benches under the tree aren’t even there anymore, they’re just piles of ash! Who would do this? How did this happen?” Villagers started to gather around the square, gaping in shock. They murmured amongst themselves.

At that moment, the Witch walked out from behind a building, utterly calm. She raised her voice to be heard over the roaring flames.

“Darkwolves are attacking the village. The Goddess Tree is on fire. Don’t you see what this means? Sareht has abandoned us!” The villagers gasped in horror. “Do you really think Sareht, our peaceful and protective Goddess, would have let this happen?” More murmurs. “She’s only showing us that she won’t protect us anymore. We need to find someone else to protect us. But who could be strong enough to protect the village from a whole pack of darkwolves?”

As if on cue, four darkwolves ran toward the villagers, snarling and growling angrily. The Witch held up her hands. With a crack louder than any thunder and a flash of light that made even the flames seem dim, all four darkwolves all crumpled to the ground. The villagers murmured in astonishment, eyeing the Witch.

“Neighbors, friends, you need not fear. I will protect you from darkwolves. I will heal all of your ills and protect you from the future. All I ask in return is that you follow me. Together, we will be the greatest, most prosperous city that the province has ever seen!”

The villagers murmured amongst themselves, casting sidelong glances at her. The Narrator walked to the center of the stage as the villagers shuffled away.

 “For days, the Goddess Tree burned. And yet, mysteriously, it was never damaged. It remained as lush and green as ever, despite hotter flames than any the villagers had ever seen before. For days, the other witches in the village refused to help. Villagers grew suspicious and resentful of them. Tensions flared between villagers, between neighbors. You never knew who was a witch and you didn’t want to associate with one. Finally, rain came and the fire was put out, but everyone was still scared. No one talked to anyone else unless they had to, and former friends would look at each other sideways. The villagers called together the Council of Seven to administer justice, even though it had not been called in many decades.” The Narrator then resumed his position at the side of the stage. Behind him, the Witch was facing a table with seven villagers seated around it. One of the villagers rose to her feet and addressed the audience.

 “This Council was called to session by agreement of the village to settle all disputes that may arise. Our councillors have been appointed by popular vote to determine the facts of the case and ensure that justice is being administered in a timely manner. Our consensus on what happened and what is to be done is final.” He turned to the Witch. “Do you agree to these terms?”

“I agree.” The Witch appeared composed with her hands folded in her lap, but she was fidgeting.

“Very well. Let’s begin. You have been accused of setting the Goddess Tree on fire. Did you?”

“Why would I do something so sinister? How could I—” she stopped suddenly and looked away. “I mean, no. I didn’t.”

“Then why were you so calm when you saw the tree was burning?”

“I wasn’t.” She swallowed hard. “I don’t really show emotion much.”

“Why did you claim that Sareht had abandoned us? Why did you ask us to ‘follow you’ immediately after discovering the tree was burning?”

“I wanted these people to know that they still had someone to turn to. And it was obvious that Sareht had abandoned us because the tree was on fire.”

“No one has seen you at any prayer ceremonies or meetings, before or after the tree was set on fire. You’re not a particularly religious person, are you?”

“I pray in my home with my family. I followed Sareht until She showed us She wasn’t protecting us anymore. The Goddess Tree on fire and darkwolves attacking the village? It was a sign!”

Another council member stood up. “I think it was part of this witch’s plan.” She spat the word witch. “You set the tree on fire because you knew darkwolves would attack. You wanted them to attack so you could be the one to protect the village and people would obey you.” Some members in the audience shouted their agreement.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She said firmly.

“Council members, do we agree that this witch set the Goddess Tree on fire and is responsible for the darkwolves attacking the village?”

“I agree,” said the other councillors as one.

“The Council agrees. We hereby banish you from this village. If we see you again, you will be forced to leave. You have until the end of the day to gather your belongings. You must leave before dawn.”

“But I have a family! What about my daughter? She’s only a child! You can’t do this to me!”

“I repeat, you are banished from the village.”

“And what if I refuse?”

The Council members all looked at each other in stunned silence. “You agreed that our decision was final at the first. You must listen to us.”

“No. I will not leave.”

More stunned silence. “The Council of Seven has spoken. If you do not leave before dawn, there will be consequences.”

 The Narrator walked to the center of the stage once again. “When the sun rose, the Witch had not left, nor had she even prepared to. No one had ever disobeyed the Council of Seven before. It was almost as horrific and unthinkable as, well, setting the Goddess Tree on fire. They couldn’t risk her doing anything like that again. They couldn’t bear the thought of having someone so treacherous, so violent, living in Sareht. Despite multiple attempts to get her to leave, she remained. So the villagers and the Council of Seven resorted to extreme measures to prevent her from repeating her actions.” The Narrator walked to the side of the stage, revealing the Witch standing on a wooden block on a scaffold with her arms tied behind her back. The Council of Seven was standing around the scaffold. One of them stood in front, addressing the audience.

 “Fellow villagers, this witch has set our sacred Goddess Tree on fire with the intent of usurping Sareht’s reign. She caused a panic among the villagers. She then defied the Council of Seven and remains a threat to our village. We cannot allow her to continue threatening us. For these crimes, we will hang her.” Members of the audience shouted and cheered loudly, clapping their hands and stomping their feet. The Councillor walked to the side of the scaffold and looked up at the Witch expectantly.

One of the Councillors standing on the scaffold with the Witch hesitated while putting a black hood on her. “Do you have any last words?” She asked almost gently.

Weeping, the Witch took a breath as if to speak. A member of the audience shouted, “Get on with it!” The Witch started crying harder, gasping for breath between her sobs.

The Councillor repeated, “Do you have any last words?”

The Witch gritted her teeth. “Just do it.”

The Councillor put the hood on and carefully placed the noose around the Witch’s neck. With tears in her eyes, she shoved the Witch off the wooden block, and the audience was in an uproar with applause.

 The Narrator walked back to the center of the stage. The audience cheered for a long minute, hooting and hollering their excitement to have the village cleansed of someone so evil. When the audience quieted, the Narrator spoke. “After the Witch was hanged-” He cut himself off when the crowd erupted in applause again. He held his hand out, and the audience quieted rapidly. “After the Witch was hanged, many of the villagers fled, most of whom were known to be witches. The villagers went back to their old ways and everyone started to trust each other again. Not a single darkwolf has attacked the village since. This horrific event caused by the terrible witches helped unite us as citizens of Sareht, and we are stronger for it!” The audience was riotous with applause, shouting, clapping, and foot-stomping. “This event caused Sareht to be reborn, even better than before! May Sareht keep us and protect us forever!” The applause lasted while the actors and actresses took their bows, doubling in volume when Mr. Yeranem came up to the center of the stage. After the final bows, the Narrator walked up once again. “I’d like to thank our cast and crew for their hard work in this production. I’d like to thank the children especially, because if they don’t remember the past, then who will?” He paused and smiled. “I’d also like to thank our visitors for traveling so far to come every year. We really appreciate it. Can we have one more round of applause for everyone who worked so hard on this?” The audience complied fervently. “Thank you again, everyone, and good night!”

#short story #writing #fantasy #I want your feeedback #WR part 2 #witches #this is getting out of hand #but I didn't want it in hand anyway

[lipwak]

VHS #381

Accordion Tribe - Music Travels!, American Masters - Muddy Waters - Can’t Be Satisfied, Blues Story, Concert For Bangladesh, Pink Floyd Live - Pulse, Soundstage: Bill Laswell: Axiom Sound System, Musical Freezone *** Accordion Tribe - Music Travels1&1/2 hr, sGuy Klucevsek, Maria Kaleniemi, Bratko Bibik, Lars Hollmer, Otto Lechner5/21Link TV Dolores · Bratko Bibic, Otto Lechner (https://youtu.be/IAZwxg6Byr8) Not this clip. Audio only.Itflykt M. Dacyckl (LH) - frenetic intros all the bandOtto rehearsing in Uppsala to record CD, Swither then onstage (https://youtu.be/LaV7OaRcpzc) Not this clip. Audio only.more rehearsalMaria: 'in the beginning, what was going to be happening', otto playing fast notes (https://youtu.be/OtWYAIcyRog) This clip.Cirkus 1 (LH)! onstage (https://youtu.be/AS7YifBkHR4) Not this clip. Audio only.Maria, Otto talking about Finnish music, Otto doing throat music, Maria talking. (https://youtu.be/EiDz5hvRN_s) This clip. Tune is Unikko (https://youtu.be/0VOa9gjCeHY) Not this clip. Audio only.unknown tuneOtto’s accordion, his sweetheart, plays short segmentsTagozide (GK) - nice tangothey all play a huge accordionsign accordionGuy’s hometown, his accordion teacher, Waltz, Waltz, teacher notes something he didn’t likeGras (OL), interesting up and down scalesWintersonnenwende (OL), slow, beautiful, w/ wavering notesBoeves Paselm (LH), Lars Holmer sweet simple tune with hook (https://youtu.be/6qBbkUCViqE) Not this clip. Audio only.Lars, Yes, I’m a romantic bastard. Lars and Otto jamming at the breakfast table. Maria goes back to sleep. unknown tunetrying to find the hotel using the GPS on the bus(Police - Walking on the Moon on accordion)Otto in his hotel roomconfused tune, Otto throat singingBratko Bibik tunes, extreme breathing intro - that was the title of the next song we were going to play.folk tune?, Slovenia, doing stone work, talks of his youth playing accordion in the 60s, Guy in NYC (Staten Island?), old family footage of Eastern PA, polka music, driving in NYC, minimalism wasn’t interesting to him after several years, then he wrote a polka, Happy Chappie Polka (https://youtu.be/HKuzZabjda8) Not this clip. Audio only.Otto on tv show. another confused tuneOtto throat singing, extreme breathing on the busMaria singing/playing, talks about doing music she loves, walking onstage, Finnish duo by lake (https://youtu.be/YpaJY9c8CuQ) This clip. (a Swedish version of a Scandinavian song called Ramund = Ramunder (MK and Marrianne Moore)Porteletype (love this one) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV50p1qjKyk&t=1012s) Not this clip. Audio only.Helsinki, Maria, lake with lily pads, Tuttuni (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV50p1qjKyk&t=2005s) Not this clip. Audio only.Maria at Lar’s studio. Slow song. Karelian love song!… frozen lake scenes (in compilation?), wolves howling at the moon… Otto ad libs at end, then coughs.Dark Side of the Accordion (OL) (Pink Floyd/Dark Side of the Moon) as credits roll Compilation of clips from the movie (https://youtu.be/KYeQdKQUNXA) walk towards cam, otto, guy, group *** American Masters - Muddy Waters - Can’t Be Satisfied1 hr Long Distance Call (https://youtu.be/fe2LZYFaIho) This clip, BB King, Keith Richards, Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt, Rollin’ And Tumblin’, Jim Dickinson, granddaughter, talks about family in car, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, Willie Dixon, Catfish Blues - Robert Petway, Robert Morgenfield, You Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone, Alan Lomax, Ron Wynn, original Lomax recording talking to him, I Be’s Troubled, Still A Fool, James Cotton, street musicians in Chicago, I Can’t Be Satisfied, Marshall Chess, I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man, Juke - Little Walter, stepson, house he used to live in - abandoned now, watched baseball on tv all the time, Bob Margolin, She’s 19 Years Old, old girlfriends, at Newport, I’ve Got My Mojo Working, Chuck D, Charlie Musselwhite, beer bottle in his pants, Just Make Love To Me, painting the celling at Chess?, Electric Mud, I Just Want To Make Love To You, Honey Bee, My Home Is In The Delta, Westmont, IL, Crosseyed Cat, Mannish Boy (Dortmund, 1978), Bird Nest On The Ground. *** Blues Story1 hrall kinds of blues people circa 2003 See the whole thing (1 & 1/2 hrs) here: https://youtu.be/5qq_qnLHf74 Willie Foster - My Dear Old Dad, Koko Taylor, BB KIng, Honeyboy Edwards, Little Milton, Othar Turner and the Rising Star Fife & Drum Band - Fife & Drum Music, Philadelphia Jerry Ricks, Charles Brown, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lowell Fulsom, Blind Blake, John Jackson - Police Dog Blues, Charley Patton, Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins, Rufus Thomas, Gatemouth Moore, Ma Rainey, Robert Johnson, Robert Lockwood, Honeyboy Edwards - Cross Road Blues, Snooky Pryor, Ruth Brown, R. L. Burnside - Poor Black Mattie, Sonny Boy Williamson (1 & 2), Howlin’ Wolf, It’s Rainy Outdoors, Baby, Pinetop Perkins - How Long Blues, Robert Lockwood - In the Evening When the Sun Goes Down, Willie King and the Liberators, Roosevelt Sykes, T-Bone Walker, Clarence "Gatemouth” Brown, Louie Jordan - Caldonia, rope dividing audience, Bobby "Blue” Bland on (the new) Beale St, BB playing, Bobby "Blue” Bland - That’s The Way Love Is, WDIA, Pep-Ti-Kon jingle, Buddy Guy playing (If You Ever Been Mistreated), Snooky Pryor, Maxwell St, Snooky Pryor - Snooky & Moody's Boogie, Koko Taylor - Wang Dang Doodle, Williw Dixon was in the audience as an A&R man for Chess to hear Koko, Chess brothers, Little Milton - We're Gonna Make It, Magic Slim and the Teardrops, Howlin’ Wolf, Hubert Sumlin w/ Magic Slim, Muddy Waters w/ James Cotton, Philadelphia Jerry Ricks - Hey Hey, John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom Boom, Big Mama Thornton, Rolling Stones w/ Howlin’ Wolf. And lots of others. *** Concert For Bangladesh1&1/2 w/o some of the pledge breaksVERY edited…6/1/? See the whole thing here: https://vimeo.com/66413717 Jesse Ed Davis! Ringo and Jim Keltner on drums, Leon Russell, Billy Preston, Badfinger Wah-Wah, Clapton lead gtrMy Sweet LordThat's the Way God Planned It - Billy Preston, gets happy at the end...It Don't Come Easy - Ringopledge break, reissueGeorge intros bandWhile My Guitar Gently Weeps, Clapton soloJumpin' Jack Flash - Leon Russell (medley cut out)Here Comes the Sun -George Harrison Blowin' in the Wind - Bob Dylan pledge break/edited short by meJust Like a Woman - Bob Dylan w/ George and Leon SomethingBangla Dhun - Ravi ShankarBangla Desh - all *** Pink Floyd Live - Pulse 49:32, s2006 (missed beginning) Learning To Fly (https://youtu.be/tresPsC7WCA) This clip.Breathe (https://youtu.be/74tuTW8h0P0?t=127) This clip.Wish You Were Here (https://youtu.be/tiF-q2h7tSA) This clip.Comfortably Numb (https://youtu.be/vi7cuAjArRs) This clip.Money (https://youtu.be/smlOI4YWn6M) This clip. “Bullshit" edited out.pledge break I edit outTime (https://youtu.be/pgwjGrdieIY) This clip.Us And Them (https://youtu.be/JbGyNtKKK5I) This clip.Brain Damage/Eclipse (https://youtu.be/1Z39KZAryzk) This clip. *** Soundstage: Bill Laswell: Axiom Sound System, Musical Freezonemissed beginning52:24, ssaturated colors See the whole thing here: https://youtu.be/qurVdB-HwUU Ustad Sultan Khan, Zakir Hussain, Pharoah Sanders, Buckethead, Bootsy Collins, Toshinori Kondo, Hamid Drake, Abegasu Shiota, Bill Laswell, Foday Musa Suso, Aiyb Dieng, Karsh Kale unknown song (Indian)Pharoah Sanders sax, synth, Toshinori KondoFoday Musa Suso, Pharoah SandersFoday Musa Suso, Toshinori Kondo, Pharoah SandersBuckethead, Big D as Buckethead dances, then plays gtr, Brain on drums, dj Bootsy Collins - Keep That Funk Alive, Buckethead

[character-aroma-project-blog]

Transforming Uganda through NGOs

Greetings dear Friends!                                                                                          Transformation is not just a buzzword, it’s a possibility. Every country you see and admire in the West today had to be transformed from their underdeveloped state to where they are as first world nations. More importantly, its people had to be transformed for their nations to become an envy of the world. It takes a civilized people to build a civilized nation. An important tool that has helped bring transformation to the widely admired peoples of the West is a unique tool called a nongovernmental organization (NGO).

A non-profit organization (NGO) is a body that operates independently of any government, typically one whose purpose is to address a social or political issue. John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States of America famously said: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

The global entrepreneurship monitor in 2015 named Uganda as the world’s most entrepreneurial nation. Meaning more businesses was started per capita in Uganda than anywhere else in the world including the United States of America and China. This fact informs the world that Ugandans are upstarts, ambitious, innovators, hard workers, and goal oriented people. It is time for the resourcefulness and pro-activeness of Ugandans to be taken to another level of effectiveness by channeling it into building people especially those who are less privileged. It’s time to focus on giving back to our communities and lifting up those who are not as fortunate as we are by setting up an organized system of outreach in form of NGOs.

Many people think they can’t run an NGO. They think they don’t have the time and resources to get it done, but it is easier than you think and far more effective and rewarding than many realize especially when the work is done right. One of the ways Western countries have made huge progress is by setting up NGOs that catered to the needs of the people. An organization like the famous Boys Scout was set up by a man called Robert Barden Powell in 1908 who was a member of the British Army. He got inspired to start this now famous organization from his experience while serving in South Africa. Great men like Martin Luther King Jr. Michael Jordan, Neil Armstrong, John F Kennedy, Bill Gates, George W. Bush and lots more were members of the Boys Scout.

Great leaders have credited their success to the values and discipline they got from been members of the boy’s scout all because one man out of many took an organized action. I doubt Mr. Powell knew what great impact his little movement was going to make on the world when he started the Boys scouts. Ugandans have to be able to set up such organizations that will help lift up whatever failing part of society that they are passionate about. The little knowledge and skill you have that has made you successful or comfortable can help others who are doing less than you are. You just have to begin by asking yourself what you are passionate about and begin seeking knowledge on how to fix it. Our organization CAP can help you do that. You might be passionate about helping widows, politics, the uneducated, the poor, the old, the handicapped, the homeless, the drug and alcohol addicts, the prisoners, the sexual and domestic abuse victims, etc.

You can do it. One of the unique things about an NGO is that you can do it alone or get partners to join you in funding and running it. Government corruption and administrative bottlenecks have little to no impact on your activities. Friends, well-wishers and the public are able to contribute just by hearing about your project and seeing your passion and results. The scouts currently have about a quarter of a billion dollars income annually from private donations alone.

The world is full of generous and kind-hearted people who are willing to contribute to good causes but they need a channel they can trust. You can be that channel in Uganda today. There are about 1.5 million NGOs in America and 12,500 in Uganda many of which are not fully functional. We can help lift each other by been organized in our approach to lending a helping hand.  If you think you don’t know how to start or how to go about finding what you’re passionate about, contact us at CAP Organization and you would be guided and trained to become a nation transformer. Uganda needs its people to take responsibility for each other instead of being mad at politicians.

You can have an NGO to raise good politicians as well. The failures in leadership that we see can be fixed. You have to be the change you want to see. There are desperate people out there waiting for a helping hand. Most people cannot transform themselves; all they need is an organized system and a guide. You must stop waiting on God and the government. Choose to begin today and in the near future, you would be surprised at how many lives you have been able to positively transform.

Godspeed! Joshua Amatare CAP Trustee 11/01/2018

[junker-town]

NFL Dad: 6 hours of RedZone with 2 kids under the age of 3

Football’s back! But the kids are still around. One dad’s diary of the enervating journey to heartbreak and bedtime.

Killing time until 1:00 p.m. Eastern during football season used to feel like an eternity. Wake up at 11, eat a breakfast sandwich, set fantasy lineups, and then ... wait. Maybe go to a bar? Yes, I would go to a bar and watch dozens of TVs at once and drink all the beer I wanted for three or 7 hours.

That was another lifetime. Today, I spend my morning at a 3-year-old’s birthday with my wife, daughter (almost 3), and son (16 months). The party, which is three miles from our home, requires us to pack enough provisions for an Arctic expedition, yet I eat no breakfast and pack no food for myself; I am too preoccupied with the high-wire act of keeping two toddlers happy and entertained without resorting to bribery.

Because the kids’ naps (and my job) start at 1:00, my wife and I vow to leave the party at EXACTLY noon. We leave at 12:15. My son falls asleep in the stroller, practically guaranteeing he won’t take his usual 2-hour nap. But that doesn’t mean we won’t TRY to get him to sleep. We arrive home at 1:00. I take off my son’s shoes and dunk him in his crib like Shawn Kemp cleaning up the glass.

I turn on the TV, and Scott Hanson’s handsome visage fills the screen. I instantly have the same feeling that people used to have for news anchors: here is a steady voice to guide me through the coming storm.

EARLY GAMES, FIRST HALF

— The Titans, hosting the Raiders, begin their season with an onside kick attempt; it fails, and Derek Carr will start at midfield. The Browns begin their season by getting a punt blocked, which the Steelers recover for a touchdown. Marshawn Lynch rumbles through traffic for a gain of 14 on his first carry as a Raider. Matt Stafford throws a pick-6. Amari Cooper catches a touchdown. The Jets intercept a Tyrod Taylor pass in the end zone, but fumble the ball back during the return? I can’t be sure about that last part, because I’m reading to my daughter before her nap. Mr. Plumbean has a big orange splot of paint on his roof, and the neighborhood association is PISSED.

On third-and-12, Carson Wentz evades most of the Washington defense and hucks it downfield to a wide-open Nelson Agholor, who races in for a 58-yard score. I have now seen multiple touchdowns scored on offense, plus defensive and special teams scores, AND I’ve read a children’s book. It has been 15 minutes since I turned the TV on.

— At 1:20, with both kids in bed and Marcus Mariota scoring on a zone-read keeper, my wife leaves to run some errands. “Is that my son making noise?” I think to myself as she closes the door. Surely not!

1:22 — He is definitely awake. I go to check his diaper; it’s dry. I sing him a song and put him back down.

1:26 — I leave my son’s room to the sound of my daughter calling me. She needs a diaper change. I sing her a song and put her back down.

1:31 — I leave my daughter’s room to the sound of my son crying. The Ravens intercept Andy Dalton as I pour a bottle of milk. SLEEP, YOU ADORABLE VAMPIRES.

— In Nashville, the Raiders go for it on fourth-and-1 inside the Titans’ 5. Marshawn Lynch sidesteps an unblocked defender in the backfield, then fights two more defenders to move the chains. Now facing first-and-goal from the 2, the Raiders proceed to:

throw incomplete to Amari Cooper on first down,

throw incomplete to Amari Cooper on second down, and

throw incomplete to Amari Cooper on third down.

Goddammit, Raiders! You indefensible slugwits. Did Super Bowl XLIX teach you nothing? THE SEAHAWKS DIED SO THAT YOU MAY LIVE.

And well well well, looky here. It’s Derek Carr taking shots at the Seahawks’ play calling back in June.

"There's no we'll be on the 1 yard line and I won't give it to Marshawn, I'll throw it." http://pic.twitter.com/0yhqrWEFWT

— NBCS Raiders News (@NBCSRaiders) June 23, 2017

ENJOY REGRESSING TO THE MEAN, FRESNO BOY.

— My son is making noise in his crib, but he isn’t crying. He’s probably having fun by himself in the dark room, right? I leave him be. As Andy Dalton throws another interception, I text my wife and beg her to come help. She’s nearby! Parenting: successfully dodged.

— Jordan Howard scores for the Bears to tie Atlanta 10-10 just before halftime. There’s a ton of Twitter chatter about Tarik Cohen, a player I have definitely heard about before today, because I am a fantasy football savant and professional NFL commentator. Like, who doesn’t know that Cohen, uh ... (*opens new tab*)

I only went to this page to add information to it!

... is an American football running back? And that he played the same position for North Caroline A&T? Common knowledge for even the most common fan, says this dedicated NFL expert.

— Chris Thompson scores an incredible touchdown for Washington:

6? 7? 8? More? Let’s count how many defenders Chris Thompson made miss on this CRAZY @redskins TD. #HTTR http://pic.twitter.com/iHnmjE4nnG

— NFL (@NFL) September 10, 2017

Yes, it was pitiful tackling from the Eagles, but credit Thompson for staying on his feet through the contact. Kind of unfair that Kirk Cousins gets credit for throwing that touchdown.

— In Houston, where J.J. Watt received a hero’s welcome when he stepped on the field, the Texans are getting worked by the Jaguars. Tom Savage fumbles, resulting in a scoop-and-score for the Jags, but it’s overturned on review — his arm was moving forward before he lost the ball. The telecast barely has time to show that Calais Campbell has 3.5 sacks in the first half when Savage is sacked and fumbles AGAIN, resulting in another defensive score. For a moment, I thought I was watching a replay of the previous fumble return touchdown, but no: this is a different play, and this time it counts. The Jags go into halftime up 19-0; Tom Savage has been sacked six times while leading Houston to 52 yards of offense.

— Through 100 minutes of RedZone, I have seen one offensive play from the Jets: a 1-yard pass. Granted, I missed some time while parenting, but RedZone knows what the people want: not the Jets, dear God, anything but the Jets.

EARLY GAMES, SECOND HALF

— DeShaun Watson makes his Texans debut; Bill O’Brien has benched Tom Savage. And say what you will about O’Brien’s complete inability to evaluate quarterback talent, at least he’s quick to pull the hook when he chooses the wrong guy, which is usually. Watson completes his first three passes in what is already the Texans’ longest drive of the day — not that the bar was high.

The drive ends in a touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins, and I cannot understate the glaring and obvious difference between Savage and Watson. Savage’s movement in the first half resembled the first time in Ratatouille that Remy remote-controlled his blindfolded human friend by yanking his hair. Watson, conversely, looks like a natural biped. I am convinced Bill O’Brien has brain parasites.

— Hey, a Jets touchdown! I saw precisely zero of the plays that led to it. The ensuing 2-point conversion is intercepted, and I believe all the way down to my marrow that every Jets TD this season should come with a pick on a 2-point attempt. I want to look at the final score every week and have reason to doubt that they scored a touchdown.

— T.J. Watt earns a personal foul penalty, and then immediately intercepts DeShone Kizer. He’s got two sacks and a pick in his debut for a storied NFL franchise. I’m going to enjoy this moment right now: it’s the last one before I am shown T.J. Watt’s face repeatedly every week. But at this second? I couldn’t pick T.J. Watt out of a crowd of large, muscular people. It’s nice.

— Matt Ryan finds Austin Hooper wide open for an 88-yard touchdown. “Wait,” you’re saying, “how does a tight end run the length of the field without getting caught?”

Well, my friends, he does it buy putting Quintin Demps into the ground.

RIP, Quintin Demps, conveniently already buried in the grass of Solider Field.

— Quick story from the kids’ birthday party. One of the dads there had a thick orange cast on his hand. He was a bookish guy: slim, glasses, graying hair and gray beard neatly trimmed — a Brooklyn Dad like many other Brooklyn Dads. One of the other dads signaled to his cast and said, “What happened?”

He sighed. “I smashed it pretty bad at Burning Man.” A long pause, and none of us interrupted it. He added: “... as one does.”

— Tony Romo breaks down Seth Roberts’ touchdown, pointing out the Air Raid staple Four Verts. It’s maybe 10 seconds of analysis, but it’s like breathing pure oxygen after YEARS of Phil Simms leaking carbon monoxide into my home. It’s also only one game, and we haven’t had time to get tired of his vocal tics, but Tony Romo is already legitimately great in the booth.

Thank you for retiring, Tony. This is so much better than you making the Broncos good.

— HOLY ADOREE’ JACKSON:

He jumped at the 26-yard line and landed at the 33: approximately 21 feet in the air, in football gear, as three different players tried to stop his forward movement. It’s no surprise he almost went to the Olympics in the long jump.

— Tarik Cohen scores a touchdown on what looked like a wheel route (my attention is not always fully invested in Mike Glennon’s work), and the Bears are giving the Falcons all they can handle. Remember that name: Tarik Cohen. I certainly will and always have, dating back to his youth in Bunn, North Carolina.

— On third-and-6 in the red zone with his team trailing, Kirk Cousins makes a terrible throw that gets intercepted at the goal line. The next time RedZone clicks over to the Washington-Eagles game, Brandon Graham is pulverizing Cousins just as he’s about to throw, leading to a fumble that Fletcher Cox takes into the end zone to ice the game. The replay looks like it could be ruled an incomplete pass, but the refs are like, “Nah, let’s go home,” and I respect that.

— With the Bears trailing by 6, Mike Glennon leads a hopeful but doomed last-gasp drive into the red zone. He gets sacked on fourth-and-10 to end the game, and the Bears all lift him onto their shoulders to celebrate covering the 7-point spread. They’re gonna be the best damn 5-win team you’ve ever seen.

— The Jaguars are up 29-7 with two minutes remaining, and they now have nine sacks. But hey, at least the Texans found their quarterback! He was hidden in the first round of the draft! Who would think to look there?

— The Lions and Cardinals are taking their sweet damn time finishing up their game. Kenny Golladay scores on a deep bomb, his second touchdown of the day, and I rue each of my three fantasy drafts in which I gave him serious consideration but ultimately passed. With the Lions up 28-17, Carson Palmer throws a pick-6. Ballgame.

LATE GAMES, FIRST HALF

— Ugh, Colts-Rams on RedZone. I’d rather watch truck commercials. I grab the remote, because I’m choosing Seahawks-Packers and commercials over the barren puntscape of the RedZone channel during the late games. I try to click over, and nothing happens. Am I in hell? No: I removed the batteries when I gave the remote to my son. Kid loves anything with buttons. Give him a room filled with fans, clocks, and buttons to push, and the only thing I’d ever have to do is change diapers and toss food in a couple times a day.

But before I can change the channel, Scott Tolzien throws a touchdown, but to the defense. The Rams are up 10-0 barely three minutes into the game.

And hey, Colts? Y’all know Colin Kaepernick is free to sign, right? You don’t have to ship your former first-round draft pick to the NFL’s reigning dynasty for their third-string quarterback.

— You and I, we’re friends, right? We’ve gotten this far in this football LiveJournal together, and so it’s time you knew the truth: I am a Seahawks fan, and for the next 3 hours the TV will be on this game. If you are a Panthers fan who wants to read about the 49ers game, you should leave this page now before you get even more disappointed.

— The first quarter is bad, both from my perspective as a Seahawks fan, and for anyone who enjoys fun things. Seahawks defensive tackle Nazair Jones, who has one of the most uplifting stories in this year’s rookie class, intercepts Aaron Rodgers point-blank and rumbles the length of the field for an incredibly rare and joyous Fat Guy Pick-6.

The Seahawks, though, pick up two flags on the play: Cliff Avril had a glancing swipe of Rodgers’ shoulder pads that was ruled a block in the back, and cornerback Jeremy Lane — who was dragged to the ground by Davante Adams grabbing his facemask — was ejected for a retaliatory forearm shiver. The touchdown is wiped off the board.

In #SEAvsGB they missed the initial foul on Adams. And that was a block in the back on Rodgers? I don't think the play was well-officiated.

— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) September 10, 2017

I do not yell. I do not swear. The person that my children see in this moment is, essentially, the same gentle father who guides them through every morning and every night. Perhaps I say, “Gosh darn it,” which my daughter parrots, which makes me smile even though my blood is BOILING. I calmly pour myself a glass of gin in a mug. The game, somehow, stays scoreless through the quarter.

— My daughter has a habit of repeating the same question over and over; it’s how she sponges up language, hearing the same words repeated until she gets everything in full context. But ohhhhh, sweetie, my daughter, light of my life: If you ask me “What is the yellow man doing?” again, I will lock you out in the hallway. His name is Aaron Rodgers, and he’s screwing us, mmkay?

— Five minutes into the second quarter, the Seahawks get their first first down. BUST OUT THE CONFETTI. But on 3rd-and-7, Russell Wilson — under pressure from Mike Daniels — overthrows an open Tyler Lockett downfield on what would have been a touchdown.

— How have the Packers not scored yet? Aaron Rodgers seems to have two or three miracle 3rd-down conversions every drive before the Seahawks defense can force a punt. The only reason Green Bay hasn’t kicked a field goal yet is Jon Ryan, the finest ginger Canadian punter in the NFL, who pins the Pack deep repeatedly.

— I’m still mad about Naz Jones’ touchdown being called back, and I’m still mad about Jeremy Lane’s ejection. But time and gin are helping.

— My daughter asks if I took any photos of her at the birthday party today. Are you kidding? All I do is photograph my kids. So she crawls up onto the couch and I swipe through pictures of her blowing bubbles and pushing a giant beach ball as the Seahawks only rush 3 on 3rd-and-16 and OF COURSE Rodgers converts! UGH. NEVER RUSH THREE. YOU IDIOT COWARDS.

I don’t say any of that, of course. I am sharing a moment with my firstborn, trying to focus on the sheer joy that she got from blowing some bubbles on a sunny day in the park. That’s the life, man. Just blowing bubbles. Sports are for dopes.

— With a minute left in the half, the Seahawks get the ball on their own 11. With three straight running plays, it’s clear Pete Carroll wants to kill the clock and head into the halftime with the score knotted at zero. But the Packers — anticipating a chance for one last drive — call their final two timeouts before the Seahawks, seemingly by accident, pick up a first down. NOW they call a timeout and try to score.

The next two plays are a 34-yard pass to Doug Baldwin and a Russell Wilson scramble to the Packers 15-yard line. It is incomprehensible to watch after almost a full half of three-and-out drudgery.

So, with two timeouts and the ball on the 15, the Seahawks are forced to kick a field goal on third down, lest the clock expire without getting any points — all because they wasted half their time trying to burn clock at the other end of the field. This team is bad and winning and I hate them.

LATE GAMES, SECOND HALF

— Let’s check in on the action in Los Angeles and Santa Clara.

Tickets for Colts vs. Rams were $6 and still nobody showed up. http://pic.twitter.com/RND1DmDOof

— Jordan Heck (@JordanHeckFF) September 10, 2017

Second half kickoff http://pic.twitter.com/sEQgbtfJIq

— Ann Killion (@annkillion) September 10, 2017

See? I’m not ignoring the 49ers and Rams games! I’m merely giving them the same enthusiasm they got from local fans.

— With the Seahawks facing third down deep in their own territory, I think, “Oh God, Russell’s going to throw an interception here, isn’t he?” But no, I’m wrong. He fumbles instead. Packers get the ball on the 5.

Watching the replay, Troy Aikman blames Wilson for not protecting the ball better. And yes, that is technically factual, but it also ignores the reality of Packers linemen streaming through Seahawks-colored turnstiles on every play.

Just how Tom Cable drew it up. http://pic.twitter.com/RKNMH276QD

— Keith Myers (@MyersNFL) September 10, 2017

Hey, Dr. Aikman, maybe we can talk about the sickness instead of blaming the symptoms? (LIFEHACK: Never go to a doctor named “Troy.”)

Ty Montgomery punches it into the end zone. Packers up 7-3. Crap.

— Jimmy Graham gets mugged in the end zone, and the refs don’t call pass interference. The announcers find it questionable. Mike Pereira says it’s a bad call. I yell, “P. I.!” My daughter yells, “P. I.! P. I.!” because she knows more about football than these refs. Seahawks Twitter ... well, I will spare you the things that Seahawks Twitter said, but this unrelated image sums it up:

MARSHAWN LYNCH http://pic.twitter.com/q5eG5nlvVN

— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) September 10, 2017

Deep breath. Here is my rational take: it’s the kind of call you don’t get when you’re the away team and it’s not your day, and this is most definitely not the Seahawks’ day.

I close my laptop. I pause the game. When I come back to watch it, after my kids are in bed, I will watch most of the 4th quarter on fast-forward. The frames that click by will look like repeats of each other: Rodgers knocked to the ground, but a Packer with the ball crossing the yellow line anyway. The final 6 minutes-plus of game time will pass that way, the ending so unremarkable I zip past the final: Packers 17, Seahawks 9.

But for now, with sports frozen in time, I read books to my kids. I sing them lullabies. I hug them and kiss them, and their hair is fine and soft like fresh corn silk as I put them to bed.

It is immeasurable how much better this is than football. Even when my team wins.

[nakeddeparture]

BARBADOS/THE WORLD (Naked Departure) — LAST WEEK IN PHOTOS as they appeared on Naked Departure and dealing with the world.  Naked Departure

Rickson Leacock MT38 assaulted his girlfriend AND did not hold a charge

Ralph Gonsalves accused of Rape while giving speech in New York

Millions in the US and around the world protest Trump’s presence and policies in the White House

Robert Monague Rape Accusation

Robert Monague Rape Accusation

Robert Monague Rape Accused

House Sold blog

Kimberley Jones of Arabian Knights

Kimberley Jones of Arabian Knights

Shantye oro Shonte…..

STOP insuring your vehicles and homes with CGI.

Denise Waithe of the QEH

MONEY LAUNDERING: If the white trash, the Duekcs, can get away with money laundering, so should you Dawn Latrecia Taylor Burgess

BARBADIANS are C*nts: a foreigner’s take on things

Butch Gordon, white man to the rescue in St. Lucia

Butch Stewart, white man to the rescue

CANCER: meat-chemically-treated-old-expired

CANCER: Rotten chicken

EXPIRED foods!!

Samantha Grannum, running midget Lil Rick down

Lil Rick, disrepectful of women and children but still rewarded in Barbados

Overrated midget, Lil Rick

Nikita Belgrave married an old white man

Peter Harris and Freundel Stuart — How much $$ did he give PM in bribery

President Trump and first lady Trump

Michelle Obama and Melania Trump

The Trumps and the Obamas

Quincy Jones School Teacher with little boy sitting closely/tightly between his legs

Muslims creating a powerful subculture in Barbados

Re: Quincy Jones

Quincy Jones with school boy sitting snugly on him

Re: Quincy Jones

Quincy Jones with Ronald Jones – Entire family are said to be twisted

THE LIST: Mark Brewster of Sagicor

THE LIST: Noel Lynch

THE LIST: Leroy Parris

THE LIST: Terrance Holder

THE LIST: Corey Lane, hiding in a closet within a closet! Huge Chin Meridian!!

Corey Lane swollen CHIN MERIDIAN

THE LIST: Corey Lane

THE LIST: Kenneth Connell

Darcy Dear and his HUGE chin meridian

THE LIST: Tino Best

THE LIST: Bruce Rowe

THE LIST: Bruce Rowe

THE LIST: Piss in a bag Elliott Belgrave

THE LIST: Magnus Whitehead, got fired from BCCI for irregularities, is incompetent, unemployable, arrogant, poor

THE LIST: Thomas Harris

THE LIST: Richard Harrison

THE LIST: David Ellis

THE LIST: David Ellis

THE LIST: Chris Birch, shrouded by DEATH!

THE LIST: Wayne Maynard

THE LIST: Jepter Ince

Ellerslie School and the slackness of their teachers

SOLD!!!!! GONE — CGI Tower sold? to Scotiabank

Visionary Claim of Good Governance — see blog

Co-operators General Insurance and fraud

Romario-Lewis-dead

Kim Angoy of Chinese Restaurant in Barbados

Kim Angoy and Chinese Restaurant blog

DEAD!! Romario Lewis shot multiple times and found dead in St. Philip, Barbados

BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: Irwin Marshall

Heather Wick

Ecaf: Time for the Black Face logo to go!

Tracey Lorde-Williams’ husband, Philip Williams, is a cheater!!

DEAD!! Adrian Boo Husbands

DEAD!!!! Adrian Boo Husbands

Old Bay and Swibbly Hands saved me $10,000.00

Ronald Jones, Minister of Pedophiles

DEAD!!!! Leon Anthony Richie DEAD over $440.00 debt – Guyana

Rickson Leacock MT38 assaulted his girlfriend AND did not hold a charge

CIA Releases 13 Million Pages in Declassified documents, including UFO sightings

The Sleeping Giant talks Productivity

BERENICE CRADDOCK, Mrs Africa CONTINENT

LIVE BLOG will record videos of child abuse sent into Naked Departure

Jackson, Charlize Theron’s son, transitioning into a girl

Jackson transitioning into a girl

Jackson transitioning into a girl — in this photo, you can see some sugar in the tank

BOYCOTT: Take your money out of Barbadian Banks!!

New Political Party: Barbados

CUP, Political Party, Barbados

Are Barbadians Literate Zombies? Or, Will they Boycott the Banks

Ricky Mohammed, 39, and his wife, Luenda Anthony, were shot while sleeping in bed.

Legal Rape: Child Brides in Trinidad (12 y/o)

FOUND dead in Negril

DEAD in Negril: Richard David, Romaine Miller, David Bennett

DEAD in Negril: Richard David, Romaine Miller, David Bennett

BAJAN man bites off head of live chicken and eat it, feathers and all….

Billionaires always around trying to lend Barbados money! Andrew Stewart

Andrew Stewart always trying to lend Barbados money

AIDS: Man with list of names of women he had relations with, while he knows he has AIDS

Allen Chastanet, St. Lucia is BROKE

RAPING of children, see blog

RAPING of caribbean children….see blog

Four Year Old Assaulted by teacher at Charles F. Broome

Bulling; Rite of Passage at Combermere School

Open Letter to Barbadian Women

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: Terry-stowe-aka-miss-campbell-always-picking-fares-and-dishonest

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: paul-puckering-adam4adam-gay

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: Dale Eastmond, Closeted gay

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: errol-crichlow-adam4adam-gay-his-wife-came-home-and-caught-n-bed-with-a-man

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: carl-sealy-adam4adam-big-fat-sore-gay-and-always-brek

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: lennox-robinson-big-fat-battleship-broke-winfield-walked-heart-and-bank-account

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: douglas-haynes-from-cherry-grove-likes-nuff-young-boys-school-boys-and-does-pay-them-for-sex

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: irwin-marshall-that-works-up-by-airport-has-a-huge-wood-and-the-young-ladies-like-lamar-callender-does-run-him-down-for-it

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: paul-harris-adam4adam-closet-gay

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: greg-adam4adam-vodakila

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: gregory-hope-a-former-private-school-teacher-was-fired-because-he-was-molesting-the-boys-at-industry-high-school-n-st-phillip-now-n-town-trying-to-foop-every-young-boy-he-meet-with-sweet

Henderson Ricardo Seale needs marijuana to ease the pain

SAVAGES!! Jamaican police Urging Gun-Battling Savages to Surrender Peacefully

Rasta Travelled to Fort Lauderdale with Crocus Bag

Sheri Shermeyer married her enemy, a demon! It ended with murder/suicide

Sheri Shermeyer married her enemy, a demon! It ended with murder/suicide

Denis O’Brien: DIGICEL in billions of dollars in debt

Digicel: No Payday at DIGICEL

Addison St. John defends his ‘BANK SCAM’ wife, Kimberly Taylor

Geralyn Edward, NATION SCANDAL

PINK PANTIES, husband came home in …..

Alexis Manigo and father Charles Manigo. Alexis states that he was a poor father

ONE EYEBROW girl

Peter Virdee, Held in London for Germany re Fraud Scheme in Barbuda

Victor Callender

Dennis z1545

CLICO: Chris Sinckler and Leroy Parris are FRIENDS

CLICO: Leroy Parris and David Thompson (deceased)

CLICO: Chris Sinckler and Leroy Parris are FRIENDS

Justin Taylor disses his ‘BANK SCAM’ Sister, Kim Taylor

Justin Taylor dissing Kim Taylor

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: Michael Rowe

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: Junior Thomas aka Crow

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: Shirley Lovell

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: Sean Alleyne

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: Terry Small

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: Lamar Callender

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: Greg aka Biforsure

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: Winston Ramses

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: Ronald Thompson

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: Steve Alleyne

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: Delisle Trotman

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: Rohan Phillips

ADAM4ADAM BARBADOS UNDERCOVER: Michael Rowe

DEAD!! Eddie Long

Colin Jordan

Bank Scam girl

Bank Scam girl

Bank Scam Girl

Sandra Husbands

KIMBERLY TAYLOR: Bank Scam? Where? When?

DEAD!!! Larry Jackson

Barbadian Men have highest rate of Prostate Cancer in the World

Obstructed Watercourse

Obstructed Watercourse

Obstructed Watercourse

Grenville Phillips, II — Solutions Barbados

Toni Yarde, Nation scandal

Rachael Ramkissoon raped and killed after missing school bus

Keisha Clarke, Michael Carrington and super predator Mark B.A. Thompson

THE LIST: SUPERPREDATOR!! Mark B.A. Thompson

THE LIST: Criminal connections

Michael Carrington – THIEF of the House in Parliamant, stole almost $225,000 from his elderly client

THE LIST: Randall Worrell

Roy Morris, Nation Publication scandal!!

RACISM!!! Barry and Barbara Dueck, too WHITE for Dodds

RACISM!!! Barry and Barbara Dueck, TOO WHITE FOR DODDS

Donville Inniss, Drunk

Deliar Worrell

Mia Mottley

THE LIST: Denis Lowe may carry virus

Peter Harris gave Owen Arthur $100,000 and then stopped the check

Last Week in Photos BARBADOS/THE WORLD (Naked Departure) -- LAST WEEK IN PHOTOS as they appeared on Naked Departure and dealing with the world.  Naked Departure

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