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#bookstore jobs sydney
thislovintime · 8 months
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Photo 4 by Henry Diltz.
A look at some specific books mentioned by Peter over the years...
- How To Play the Five-String Banjo: "Pete Seeger’s book was very, very good. He’s a lively writer as well as a very good musician, a good teacher, good, very enthusiastic kind of all around person. So it was very good to learn from his book. And I recommend the book highly if anybody ever wanted to learn how to play folk-style five-string banjo, his is the book to learn from.” - Peter, Headquarters radio, 1989 (x)
- Naked Lunch: “In Melbourne last night Peter Tork said that Sydney airport Customs officers had seized from his bag the banned book ‘The Naked Lunch,’ by William Burroughs. A Customs officer had taken one look at the book and said, ‘I’ll have that. It’s banned here.’ […] ‘It is a good book,’ Tork said. 'I was just getting interested it. It’s sold out everywhere back home. I didn’t know it was banned here.’” - The Sydney Morning Herald, September 17, 1968 (x)
- Letters to a Young Poet: One question posed to Peter for the Ask Peter Tork column in 2008 was, “Do you think [becoming a writer is] worth a try, or do you suggest I 'keep my day job'?” From Peter's reply: “What writers I know of say is, if you want to be a writer, you’re probably not going to do very well. If you must write, then write! Do you see the difference? Rainer Marie Rilke wrote 'Letters to a Young Poet,' which I recommend on this point. (It’s a small book, and cheap at the bookstore, and free at your library.)”
 -Why Do I Say Yes When I Need To Say No?: Escaping The Trap Of Temptation by Michelle McKinney Hammond: “Some years ago there was a movement afoot to separate assertiveness from aggressiveness, which I heartily endorse to this day. 'Why Do I Say Yes When I Mean No,' is, I believe the name of one book that tackles this subject.” - Peter, Ask Peter Tork, 2008
- Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: “I recommend sitting in Zen meditation. The best book I know for that is Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, by Shunryu Suzuki. It’s all about watching your own mind rather than obeying it as tho’ it were the infallible voice of the truth.” - Peter, Ask Peter Tork, 2008
- The Sayings of Buddha: “The Sayings of Buddha (a small, inexpensive book you can find in almost any book store) always rests on the night-table beside my bed. I find that ancient wisdom, meditation and contemplation puts my mind in order and brings me great serenity. These things also broaden my scope of understanding.” - Peter, 16, September 1968
- Stranger in a Strange Land: “One of my favorite books now is Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. It’s about the orphan child of the first Martian explorers. He grows to twenty-one years of age before he’s discovered by the second expedition to Mars which rescues him. He comes back to Earth, having been raised by the Martians — really fascinating!" - Peter, Fave, March 1968
- More Than Human: “Another writer I dig is Theodore Sturgeon, one of the greatest science fiction writers alive today. He visited our set one day and we were all very thrilled. He’s a visionary and a mystic, really one of the giant talents of the day. I hope everybody reads him. He wrote a book called More Than Human and a lot of other novels and short stories.” - Peter, Fave, March 1968
Q: "You read a book a day. Of all the books you have read, which three are your favorites and why?" A: "No, I don’t read a book a day. I sometimes spend weeks on a book. Of all the books I’ve read, my favorites are 'The Book Of [Tao],' 'Stranger In A Strange Land' and oh, I don’t know, a whole mess of other books, because they turn me on—they get to me." - Monkee Spectacular, January 1968
- The Book of Tao: “Peter also reads The Book of the Tao… all about an ancient Chinese nature philosophy with some simple, beautiful and meaningful messages in it. He studies all kinds of different religions, too. Peter has now figured out his own religion, what seems closest to Truth for him. It’s the result of much studying, thinking and sorting out. Peter was also influenced by the Oriental philosophies Zen. ‘Zen Buddhism believes in the theory of sudden enlightenment or sudden awakening. This idea is Japanese. I believe that Truth can just come to you in a sudden flash and you’ll know where it’s all at, if you prepare yourself to receive it. ‘Zen also teaches that you should just go along and live your life as best you can from minute to minute, always living in the present. You’re already there and there’s nothing else. If you can make the most of each day, accomplish and learn all you can now, you’ll get so much more done in your lifetime than if you sit around waiting for tomorrow to come. Because when tomorrow gets here it’s just another today. You end up just waiting and putting things off and nothing ever gets done. So, try to make each minute count!’” - Fave, March 1968
- Upanishads: "[Peter] starts clowning around [on set], but after a bit he settles down and starts reading a book. He sees you looking and explains, ‘This is a book of some of the excerpts of the Upanishads. Actually, these are excerpts from ancient Hindu writings. I guess you could say that in a sense they are like the Bible, only they were written many centuries before the old testament.’ Peter stops speaking for a moment. ‘Am I boring you?’ he asks gently. After you assure him that he is not boring anyone, he continues, ‘Well, the Upanishads are simply but beautifully written. I mean, they are quite easy to understand. You can buy the Mentor pocket edition for about 50 cents —′ Just about that time, Peter becomes aware of 16’s camera focusing on him. He promptly becomes a clown again, laughing and joking and holding his book myopically up to his eyes. You realize that you have just had a glimpse of the real Peter Tork — the sensitive, sincere young man who hides behind the veneer of a silly-funny Monkee. And it makes you feel very warm that for a brief moment you have glimpsed Peter Tork’s secret self." - 16, February 1968
- Autobiography of a Yogi: As Henry Diltz recalled (in Laurel Canyon: A Place In Time), “I remember giving one to Peter on The Monkees set. I did a group shot of them sitting on a couch and he was reading the Yogananda book. I always felt so good about that.”
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ninja-muse · 11 months
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April was not a good reading month but wow, was it a writing month! I spent a lot of my home-based reading time working on my current WIP instead, so I’m trying not to have regrets about how much I didn’t read. I also didn’t truly manage to read anything off my physical TBR, but I’d wanted to reread The Goblin Emperor since I finished it the first time and so technically that’s off my TBR now?
My main bookish achievement this month, besides reading The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, was pulling off another Indie Bookstore Day at work a couple days ago. I had help, my coworkers are awesome, I wasn’t organizing or running it alone or anything, but it’s still a lot of work to put together a party while handling the regular bookstore day-to-day, and then there’s set-up and twice the customers on the day and the tear-down which took all of yesterday…. I did unhaul a bunch of my unread ARCs for a book giveaway as part of this, which I’m very glad about. That’s really going to help my end-of-year stats, I think. (I also unhauled a few of my read ARCs that I was keeping for … some reason?)
And I accidentally bought two books. A Long Day in Lychford was a planned buy, but I got a gift card from my parents for Easter, which went impulsively towards The Gashlycrumb Tinies, and then yesterday I bought some bookish things for a little one and somehow the Pratchett bio found itself in my stack. No idea how that happened. 😅 No regrets, either.
May is going to be a lot like April, I think, or at least it hopefully will involve more writing than reading when I’m home. I’d like to ride the inspiration as far as it’ll take me, after all. It’s also going to be like April in that I’m waiting for the library to come through with a lot of my holds. I’m tag-teaming on a few of them, with physical and e-book reserves. I have no idea what I’ll read when I’m done the ones I’m working on now.
And now without further ado, in order of enjoyment…
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi - Shannon Chakraborty
Amina, mother, retired pirate, signs up for one last job. She should have known better.
8/10
multiracial Muslim protagonist, Indian secondary character, Middle Eastern secondary characters, Muslim and Hindu secondary characters, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (gay, gender-questioning), Muslim author
The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen - KJ Charles
Days after Gareth ruins his chances with a charming stranger, he finds himself elevated to an estate in the country—and threatened by smugglers a few towns over. Fortunately (or not), the head of the local smugglers is very familiar….
7/10
🏳️‍🌈 protagonists (gay), Black British protagonist and secondary character, African-American secondary character, 🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (not gendered)
warning: child abuse and neglect, mild sexual assault
Once Upon a Tome - Oliver Darkshire
A Millennial offers a behind-the-scenes look at rare bookselling.
7/10
🏳️‍🌈 author
Tasting History - Max Miller
A cookbook featuring historical recipes reworked for a modern kitchen.
7/10
🏳️‍🌈 author
Episode Thirteen - Craig DiLouie
A ghost hunting show is the first to investigate the most haunted house in America. It’ll be fine.
7/10
African-American secondary character, 🇨🇦
Eight Strings - Margaret DeRosia
Franco escapes his childhood home to apprentice as a puppeteer and reunites with an old friend, which might mean hope for the future—or his destruction.
7/10
🏳️‍🌈 protagonist (trans man), 🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (lesbian, sapphic), 🏳️‍🌈 author, 🇨🇦
A Sleight of Shadows - Kat Howard
Sydney sacrificed much to destroy the violent House of Shadows and rebalance the Unseen World of New York—but it looks like the House may not be entirely gone.
6.5/10
African-American secondary character, Latina secondary character
Picture Books
We Don’t Lose Our Class Goldfish - Ryan T. Higgins
Penelope Rex has to look after Walter the goldfish but he scares her.
Grandad’s Pride - Harry Woodgate
When Milly finds a rainbow flag in her grandad’s attic, she learns he hasn’t been to a Pride since before Gramps died—so she finds a way for him to have one.
🏳️‍🌈 secondary characters (the whole spectrum), 🏳️‍🌈 author
Reread
The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison
Maia suddenly finds himself Emperor of the Elflands and must find a way to be true to himself while navigating thorny court politics.
🏳️‍🌈 secondary character (gay)
Currently reading:
Magisteria - Nicholas Spencer
A history of the interactions between science and religion. Out in May.
The Sinister Booksellers of Bath - Garth Nix
The booksellers of Bath must rescue Merlin after he’s trapped in a map—which might mean taking on an unknown Entity.
🏳️‍🌈 main character (genderqueer), Black British secondary character
Stats
Monthly total: 7+1 Yearly total: 44/140 Queer books: 4 Authors of colour: 0 Books by women: 4 Authors outside the binary: 0 Canadian authors: 2 Off the TBR shelves: .5 Books hauled: 3 ARCs acquired: 7 ARCs unhauled: 14 DNFs: 0
January February March
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chickensarentcheap · 2 years
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Fandom:  Extraction
Pairing: Tyler and Esme Rake
Basic info:  As of the current story, they have been married for twelve and a half years and live primarily in Cooktown, Queensland, Australia.  They also own homes in Tasmania, Telluride, Colorado, USA, and NYC, NY, USA.  Tyler now owns his own (extremely successful) mercenary business (Esme is a silent partner) while Esme splits her time in between being a bookstore owner, wife, and mother.   They have seven children including two sets of twins.
Tyler and Esme met through Nik Khan, who (in a slightly altered story line) brought them onto the same job together. Posing as a newly married couple doing humanitarian work in Dhaka, Esme was to gather information regarding Ovi’s whereabouts, while Tyler was to keep her safe and then eventually extract Ovi.  Things started out primarily sexually; two lonely, broken, and touched starved people seeking comfort and pleasure in one another.  But things rapidly changed; both feeling things for one another that they thought they’d never possibly feel again. For anyone. 
Esme would go on to save Tyler’s life on the bridge in Dhaka.  She would stay behind;  never leaving his side in the hospital and then eventually going to Australia with him.   They would find out they were expecting their first child; a daughter they would name Amelia Grace (Millie).  Six months after meeting, they married in a small and scarcely attending ceremony in Sydney,  Australia.
Circumstances would see them moving to the USA.  Where they would stay for a few years before finally going back home to Australia.
Face claims: Chris Hemsworth and Rachel Bilson
@youflickedtooharddamnit, @secretaryunpaid, @tragiclyhip and anyone else who reads my crap LMAO
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I've officially started making money from my debut novel, Sydney West!
For those who are new here - I'm a self-published author, mainly because of things I know about the traditional publishing industry. Particulars when it comes to agent behavior, publishing house exploitation, and the rise of cost-cutting using AI trained on art theft and violation of intellectual properties.
I'm Blackbird Parlor and Whiskey Terra Foxtrot because I refuse to dilute my work simply to make it "palatable" or to make corporations money they can use to exploit other people, to make more money. I went full-time in my storefront after being targeted for union-busting by a manager who knew I have PTSD, and used it against me + threatened all my coworkers and got them to throw me under the bus.
I've also been threatened with litigation from a previous manager, because of my disabilities making my job with him not a good fit, and he lied to court that I had lied about having disabilities (involving a bit of classism and "I don't see how a middle class suburban --" you get the picture. Then he admitted he lied to court and I submitted his emails to them lol).
I cannot work for anyone else anymore. I can with with, but the "for" is something I'm simply not capable of. It's not "doesn't play nicely," but that I don't fuckin play.
But back to Sydney West. Every cent put toward publishing came out of my own pocket. Every bit of formatting, cover design, and the majority of the editing (I occasionally luck into existing acquaintances being revealed as industry professionals who are into indie work, but that's another post entirely) is also my work.
And because of your support, that's come back to me, so I can finally start working on paying bills with my work.
This is my full-time career, and I've had to be clever about it. Even in viewing myself in the same field as other artists of various types, I'm still... different. In a lot of ways.
Thanks for helping me realize that's not so bad.
if novels are in your media of choice, you can hit the link above and find an indie bookstore that can get you Sydney West, or you can currently order it directly through me, here:
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kokomeong · 3 months
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The End of An Era - A Tribute to Milk! Records
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How fast time passes us by, so why don’t you hold them - Remedy Waloni
I am writing this piece as I sip on a tall hot latte at a Starbucks inside a chain bookstore near my campus, a scene that I would have never imagined when my girlfriend took me to Seven Seeds in Carlton near her campus nine years ago. Her senpai took her there on her first week in Melbourne and she ordered hot chocolate, not convinced that the famous Melbourne coffee was different and would win her over. She used to not be able to stand the smell of second-wave coffee and coffee shops. In the early 2010’s, my brand new (and still alive) iPod video consisted of Alvvays, Bon Iver, Beirut, DCFC, Bombay Bicycle Club, and Wild Beasts. Teguh Wicaksono regularly made a super indie playlist for National Geographic Traveler. It was an exciting time. We went from spending our time going to Periplus Malioboro just to stare at Frankie to finding them at news kiosks everywhere in Australia. The third-wave was taking over in the peak of the hipster years, and we were relieved that the same trend had occupied Yogyakarta when we returned home a year later. Light roast direct trade coffee with manual brew and single origins were introduced perhaps not very successfully by snobbish male baristas as the market preferred cheap iced coffee with condensed milk as their go-to drink and young male smokers remained loyal to the dark roast americano with sugar added.   
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I was reminded of all the buzz about the end of an era as Ronaldo and Messi left the European football scene when I heard that Milk! Records announced that they will close its doors in 2023. It was the heart of Melbourne independent music scene. I learned and took so many references from that music label and its community. It was the year Real Estate released Atlas, the year I was hooked by the brilliance of Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein’s Portlandia. Courtney Barnett released Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, Methyl Ethel and Twerps completed their second album, and Dick Diver finished Melbourne, Florida, a staple of their distinctive Australiana sound.
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Melbourne was a manifestation of an idea of how diverse the communities can be in a city. It could not be better: multiculturalism, the rising awareness of indigenous issues, Palestine, and animal rights debates, farm-to-table dining and direct trade sustainable produce, the tram lines, queer people kissing in front of old houses in Brunswick, the radical ideas of what a library is and can be, the New Year’s Eve fireworks in River Torrens, all the bookshops and empty wet streets, Papa Gino’s in Carlton, the A1 bakery in Sydney Road, Al-Alamy in Coburg, taking a book conservation training under the supervision of Karen Vidler, summertime bus ride along the majestic Adelaide coastlines, Adelaide Showground, the morning view from a room in Sturrock Street, a summer evening in St Kilda, my obsession with Steph Hughes’ illustrations, and the bitter smell of cheap morning to-go coffee in an unnamed stall in Adelaide station, introduced to me by a woman who worked in my apartment. They ground the beans and made the coffee in a proper espresso machine. There was always a long line of blue collar workers. The beans were dark roast, so bitter that you cannot drink it properly without sugar. I remained one of their regulars during those beautiful days in Adelaide because what is coffee even for if not to be romanticized.
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That era in Australia changed (if not solidified) me, and I could not feel more fortunate to do my Master's there. I was a nobody, a 23 year-old working administrative-level job under a yearly contract dying to escape my routine and dysfunctional family dynamics. It was a small chance as the scholarship mainly goes to civil servants with a solid experience and career path. I didn’t have much to offer so I had to make it seem like I knew what I was doing somehow and they bought it. I spent all of my savings to give the best care to ten stray cats I rescued. My parents did not give me any money when I left for Australia, despite their ‘success’ in their respective career. I even gave mom my last 100,000 at the airport because I knew she needed the money.
When I rode my Tokyobike slowly for a morning commute to campus, I felt that it was surely the end of an era. The new young Indonesian bands I can no longer relate to, the fact that my hair is no longer perfectly straight and surrenders to my mom’s curly genetics, the way I managed to understand Japanese cashiers and their many questions before letting me pay for my order, reminiscing the Sefton Park suburb while indulging in the views of Zuibaiji river and the vast open rice fields everyday on the way to campus.
Australians enjoy a slow brunch, the Japanese eat a very effective breakfast. Australians spend a long summer holiday, the Japanese take a week-long summer break. Australians invented their perfectly balanced flat white, the Japanese preserved and perfected their simple drip coffee.
They are totally in contrast, yet from the life I have here and there I learn something in common: that you can be the kind of people who do not define yourself with your titles, job positions or external achievements. The kind of people who have a life outside their job. The people who are more interested in enriching their lives than pursuing the conventional idea of success. People who take seemingly trivial things seriously and deeply. They read, bike, walk, garden, bake, brew, ferment, cook, eat, drink, taste, feel, meet, see, write, watch, and listen consciously. They keep searching for something new and they are excited to learn.
Some people need to advance their career so much they are willing to do literally anything and sacrifice others when they realize they can’t do achieve anything just by relying on their skills and competence. They’re the type who might not appreciate walking to a green space, getting joy from looking at the ducks in the pond, being overly excited to see wild turtles in the river. But there’s no need to be so stressed out about going down if you can just choose to not go up.
Your titles and privileges can and will end, but ideas and knowledge go on. Rest in Peace, Milk! Records.
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australianwomensnews · 8 months
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Everyone on the Women’s Justice Network advisory panel has experienced incarceration, and Frances Drake is proud to be one of the panel’s founding members. As the co-ordinator of WJN’s mentor program, Fran knows firsthand how urgent their work is. 
“The intense grief I felt, having [everything] taken away. I mean, you lose your home, the home that you’ve made for your family, you lose your car, you lose your job, you know, your sense of purpose. You lose everything as soon as they say, ‘Bail is refused, you’re going into custody.’ You know, if you’re a mum, that’s a big deal.” 
WJN had been working for Fran’s benefit behind the scenes the whole time, something she only now fully understands from helping other women. When someone applies to become a mentor with WJN, Fran interviews them, steps them through the paperwork and runs the training programs. “I’m so pumped every day I go to work. I get up at 5 o’clock in the morning. I love it.”
WJN’s vision is that “All women and girls affected by or at risk of the criminal law system live their lives free from violence and discrimination, are treated with dignity and respect, and have opportunities to thrive in their own way, at their own pace.”
Fran saw a sign for WJN in the prison library. She filled out a form and began writing letters with a WJN mentor named Mary. “She was a similar age and she’s not long ago lost her husband as well. And she had a daughter, same age as my daughter. So, you know, we sort of clicked.” 
When Fran found out she would be released from custody in 2018, Mary turned up to her hearing. Fran’s teeth had all come out in prison, and Mary helped her get a plate. Mary helped Fran get her dog back and advocate for herself to secure housing. She helped liaise with Fran’s parole officers. 
WJN has received approval from Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) to run book clubs inside the prisons. Through the fREADom Inside initiative, the public bought about $30,000 worth of books from Sydney independent bookstore Gleebooks and delivered them to CSNSW libraries. 
Different studies report that between 70 and 90 per cent of women incarcerated in Australia are themselves survivors of abuse, violence and assault. That is certainly Fran’s story, and she is fighting to reduce rates of recidivism. “We have a 93 per cent success rate of keeping women out of jail while they’re in our [mentor] program,” she says proudly. 
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teamseaslug · 2 years
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I really wish I was able to read books at my job :(
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kristenbouchard · 3 years
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@spockbisexual tagged me to do this get to know you type thing! putting it under a read more because it’s long
Name/nickname: syd which is a nickname to begin with! my family calls me sydners or sydney bean and my best friend calls me syddles
Gender: woman but like reluctantly
Star sign: cap sun, leo moon, sag rising, etc etc
Time: 11:30am
Birthday: january 4th
Favorite bands: new order, spice girls, ra ra riot, metric, muna, brave shores, beach house, muse, the darcys, the zolas, tears for fears, mazzy star
Favorite solo artists: melanie c, sabrina carpenter, gwen stefani, august eve, shania twain, donna missal, kylie minogue, shura, dagny
Song stuck in my head: help me rhonda - the beach boys
Last movie: thor ragnarok... i’m reading norse mythology for class and i had to scratch the itch
Last show: good behavior 😈
When did I create this blog: ummmm this wasnt my first blog but i think 2012?
What do I post: i mean you’re here so. you know
Last thing googled: “yellow favourite colour tumblr post”
Other blogs: yuh i have a spn sideblog that is mostly defunct but i reblog stuff to when i feel like it @casofdean
Do I get asks: depends on what/how much i post in a given day. not always daily
Why I chose my url: i mean. spice girls. if it needs to be said I Am A (Big) Fan
Following: 700 on the dot actually but i haven’t gone through that list in ages so more than half are probably inactive at this point
Followers: enough!
Average hours of sleep: 6-8
Instruments: i used to know how to play ukulele but like didnt everyone
What am I wearing: faded black mom jeans and an oversized soft dark green knit sweater
Dream job: something academia adjacent in my field of history or in a museum/archive doing whatever
Dream trip: i’ve never been to europe so I’ll take anywhere on the continent!
Favorite food: pad thai aaaalways. or sushi
Nationality: canadian
Favorite song: you already know - august eve has got to be one of the best songs ever written and performed
Last book I read: currently reading vengeful by v.e. schwab but the last book i finished was my brilliant friend by elena ferrante
Favorite movie: this is my least favourite question. there’s too many. phantom thread but also spice world but also clueless but also the conjuring? i don’t know film
Places you like to go: well right now it’s kind of limited to my bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom but. i miss my school’s library. i miss sitting in cafes. i miss museums and art galleries! i miss huge bookstores
tagging @nicollekidman @effyeffa @eztehaim @tealesbian @thexfilesbabe @tenenbavms @tennesseewillams if y’all please
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boggirlsummer · 3 years
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Wet Hot American Summer
August 18 Zoey and I thought we fixed the leak in my tent but we were wrong. I spent the early morning inching away from a puddle that finally pushed me out around 8 am - time to get up anyway. Too rainy to cook or make coffee and I left camp aimlessly. I could barely see anything through the smoke and clouds which threw a wrench in my non-plan to drive around and take photos out the car window. Grand Tetons and Montana and Wyoming were up there on my teenage bucket list (lmao, dream big!), mostly for the landscapes and western vibes and maybe a few cathartic renditions of Wide Open Spaces. I just hiked all summer so I feel like I earned a few days of all-american automobile tourism.
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Cozy
Decision fatigue is a ball buster on solo trips (and in life) and sometimes I refuse to change course even when it’s clear that a plan isn’t going to work out. I drove around Tetons alternately listening to the directions and making random navigational decisions, so Google kept yelling at me to make a u-turn. Eventually I got annoyed with both of us and stopped for snacks at the general store. I’ve been making my way through all the kettle chip flavors and so far honey dijon is the best and korean bbq is the worst.
Drove straight through to Yellowstone hoping the storm would let up, but by the time I got there it was 50 degrees with rain expected all afternoon. I thought it would be SUMMER once I left the Bay Area, so all my sweaters and warm jackets are in vacuum sealed bags that I don’t have the space in my car to open. I wasn’t loving the idea of being wet and cold in Yellowstone all night so I talked the campground lady into refunding my site reservation and headed for Big Sky, Montana.
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I felt bad leaving without seeing any of the Yellowstone sights so I stopped at Old Faithful on my way out. I knew laughably little about what I was looking at and when a bunch of people started gathering I thought to myself, is this thing gonna explode or something?? And ya turns out that’s the entire point, it shoots a bunch of water and steam into the air every few minutes. I bought a cup of coffee and watched halfheartedly. The only other attraction I know about is the rainbow glory hole and there was so much traffic to park in the lot I said screw it and went on to Montana.
No LTE between Yellowstone and Big Sky and I was without a place to sleep - luckily my sister was available to do some emergency concierge work for me. I eventually found a nice campground near town but the obscene number of bear country warning signs freaked me out. I backtracked to Big Sky to buy a $50 can of bear spray, what a rip. Feeling beat today so I made it up to myself with a bowl of chicken curry ramen and a Sapporo. It was no nugget curry, but it did the job ☺️
Reading the bear spray instructions before bed - you’re supposed to use it once a charging bear is two to three seconds from reaching you. Wtf. I can’t do anything in two seconds. Finished Year of the Monkey at last. Almost fell asleep with a candy wrapper in my pocket, instant death. Also I got my period and I’m worried this is going to attract the bears.
August 19 I broke my own rule. I drove to Bozeman this morning and had a chicken fried steak at the Western Cafe, “The Last Best Cafe.” I had a nice chat with two old guys at the bar, initiated by ME! We talked about my trip so far and books (I was reading Walden Two and one of the guys had Woman in the Window with him, and we agreed that both authors are pretty nuts). Good time all around and then one of them secretly bought my breakfast 🥰 I’ve only ever had creepy men buy me drinks at bars so free CFS with no strings attached was a revelation. My smile lit up the cold dark streets of Bozeman.
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Too early for hostel check-in so I killed some time hanging out in a coffee shop and wandering around Main Street. When I’m alone in a new city I usually get on the apps, it’s fun to hang out with a real LOCAL and have an AUTHENTIC experience. I did this on my first night in Sydney last year and my date won $7,000 at a bar raffle he’d been going to every week for three years and then bought us a night’s worth of top shelf shots, bad coke, and dumplings. Obviously I was his good luck charm so I should’ve gotten a cut of that $$$ but whatever… Eventually we went back to his depressing loft outside of the city. It was barely furnished and full of his shitty art and luckily he didn’t have any condoms so I was able to decline sex without feeling guilty (I had condoms of course but didn’t disclose). He tried to fuck me again around 4 am and I was so confused I thought he must have found a condom while I was briefly sleeping. He had not. I snuck out at 6 am and caught the bus back to the city. Not the most restful night but nice to get away from the hostel for a little while. But ya I updated my Hinge location to Bozeman and got hella conservative men swiping on me 🥴 My profile isn’t anything crazy but I don’t think I’m giving off Megyn Kelly vibes. Are they playing some sort of sexual bingo? Are they out to stealth me? Seems sus.
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If you are a man on Hinge with a naked photo on your profile I WILL screenshot it and I WILL make a collage of my collection once I have enough material and I WILL sell it as a NFT and I WILL make $0 cuz y’all are freaks. This is the tamest one I’ve got, text me if you want a photo of a naked man covering his junk with a pineapple.
Ooooieee hostel is grungy and subterranean and not the kinda place you want to spend many conscious hours in. I took myself to the movies to escape - another thing I really missed last year. I saw The Night House, which I would describe as an architectural horror? I’ve been thinking about architecture a lot lately, this cool site Zoey sent me has some interesting interviews and stuff. In the movies I ate an entire bag of sour gummy worms and a box of junior mints.
Had a freaky bookstore experience earlier today, not the first time this summer. I originally wrote a longgg paragraph about synchronicity here but I got self conscious and started wondering if hearing other people’s stories about synchronicity is like listening to them talk about their dreams. I personally love talking about dreams (call me and tell me about your crazy dreams!!) but things definitely get lost in translation and sometimes they’re straight boring (like when my old coworkers and I used to dream in Excel, fucckkk). So I get why people find it annoying and here at Bog Girl Summer we can’t afford to alienate any of our readers. All I will say is that I walked into a bookstore today with synchronicity very much on my mind, went to the psychology section to buy a baby Jung text, and there saw a literal sign that said “Staff Pick, Introductory Jung: Synchronicity.” So yes, I bought it. Don’t forget y’all - I have a psychology degree so please don’t come after me about confirmation bias and all that lol. It’s very possible that in this summer of upheaval I’m desperate for some kinda sign that I’m on the right path. Let me have this one 😘
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I also bought this postcard which spoke to me because most days I feel like I’m trying to drink out of a firehose
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ladyherenya · 5 years
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Books read in July
After I read How to Find Love in a Bookshop, I searched the library’s catalogue for other titles containing “bookshop” or “bookstore”. I was curled up in bed with a bad cold at the time, which meant I ended up choosing a bunch of books whose covers or synopses would have, on a different day, put me off. And that worked out rather well!
But afterwards I felt like I didn’t get the right balance between contemporary fiction and fantasy this month.
Favourite cover: Minor Mage by T. Kingfisher.
Still reading: The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert.
Next up: Mort by Terry Pratchett. Maybe The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton.
(Longer reviews and ratings are on LibraryThing. And also Dreamwidth.)
– (they’ve taken away page breaks) –
Things a Map Won’t Show You: stories from Australia & Beyond, edited by Susan La Marca and Pam Macintyre: I borrowed this because I recognised some of the names involved. I liked bits and pieces of it but nothing really stood out. Maybe Peta Freestone’s “Milford Sound”, for the setting. According to the introduction, the stories and poems were chosen “with the curriculum in mind and for their appeal to Year Seven and Eight readers”. That’s a valid reason but I suspect that approach is unlikely to result in a collection that would really appeal to me, not me now and not even when I was a young teenager.
A Thousand Sisters: The Heroic Airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War II by Elizabeth Wein: This is AMAZING. It is aimed at young people, and I wondered if I’d find the writing style too simplistic, but it was just remarkably accessible. I knew bits about Russia’s history but this gave me a much more comprehensive understanding of the culture and politics these women grew up with, and how Russia came to have three regiments of airwomen at a point in time when other countries wouldn’t let women fly into war. The rest of the book is just as fascinating and surprising. Wein knows how to tell a story.
How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry: This is about Emilia, who inherits her father’s bookshop in a picturesque Cotswold village, and the bookshop’s customers. It doesn’t shy away from Emilia’s grief but otherwise is very much a cosy, optimistic story in which friends are made, relationships are mended, mistakes are overcome and everything turns out all right. Which definitely has its appeal. I wanted just a few more sharp edges -- or else slightly more uncertainty -- so that everyone’s happy endings felt more realistic. (I keep brainstorming ways that could have been managed.) Although I didn’t love this book, there was a lot I liked about it. 
The Masquaraders by Georgette Heyer (narrated by Ruth Sillers): This is ridiculous but still quite entertaining. Either I missed something or Heyer doesn’t really do a great job of explaining why Prudence and her brother Robin need to be in disguise, nor why they’ve decided the best way to do this is by crossdressing. The key to enjoying this book was to just roll with it. Also Prue’s romantic interest is a type Heyer writes so well: perceptive, unflappable, competent, with a sense of humour and an appreciation for level-headedness in others. Sensible people pushed into madcap adventures is something Heyer has a flair for.
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle: It’s much more dreamlike than I was expecting, in a similar vein to Patricia A. McKillip’s fantasy. I was emotionally invested only in flickers and bursts, but I appreciated the way it plays with, and comments on, fairytales. Quests may not simply be abandoned; prophecies may not be left to rot like unpicked fruit; unicorns may go unrescued for a very long time, but not forever. The happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story.
The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler: Esme, a British scholarship student studying art history at Columbia, discovers she’s pregnant and gets a job at a quirky secondhand bookshop. I would have found some of her choices -- and the book itself -- terribly frustrating, except I really liked the bookshop and Esme’s narration. I liked her quotes and references and her enthusiasm and her observations, especially those about living in New York and about the shop -- this is a story with a vivid sense of place. Esme’s naivety and optimism is both understandable and believable, and I wanted to see her finally, properly, free of her awful boyfriend. 
The “Happy Ever After Bookshop” books by Annie Darling:
The Little Bookshop of Lonely Hearts: If I hadn’t already read the second book about the Happy Ever After bookshop and liked it a lot, I probably wouldn’t have bothered reading this. The romantic interest annoyed me -- he’s not a bad match for Posy, but I’d find him infuriating in person and I didn’t want to read about him. Fortunately the book is just from Posy’s POV. I enjoyed the Britishness, and the bits about running a bookshop. I particularly liked Posy’s relationship with her younger teenaged brother, whom she has responsibility for. And I was pleased the romance bookshop stocks appropriate YA and mystery titles.
True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop: I was expecting it to turn into the sort of romance which annoys me. To my delight, it did not! Verity loves her noisy family, her nosy friends, her job in a bookshop and reading romances but she believes she isn’t suited to being in a romantic relationship. She reluctantly agrees to a fake-dating situation to avoid friends trying to set her up. I loved the way this story shows Verity being an introvert, and her obvious love for Pride and Prejudice. And this has all the things I like about fake-dating without too much cringe-worthy deception.
Crazy in Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop: I have less in common with Nina than I do with her colleagues: she’s into make-up, tattoos and Wuthering Heights. But it was interesting seeing why she’s embraced both Wuthering Heights and her own particular style so fiercely -- she’s finding her own path, one that differs from what her conservative working class family expected. Some of the resolutions came about a bit too easily. However, I liked getting a different perspective on the bookshop, I enjoyed bits of her romance with Noah, and I share some of Nina’s fascination with the Bronte sisters.
A Winter Kiss on Rochester Mews:  Mattie runs the tearooms attached to the Happy Ever After bookshop. She is delighted about living above the bookshop, but not so impressed about her new flatmate. I’m not a fan of the crazy commercialism of Christmas, but really enjoyed reading about it here -- probably because the story recognises that not everybody loves it. And, given the weather, I was in the mood for something wintry. Other things I liked: the vivid portrayal of the challenges of working “in a customer-facing environment over Christmas”; the details about Mattie’s baking; and the intelligent commentary about romance novels and romantic relationships.
Allegra in Three Parts by Suzanne Daniel: Eleven year old Allegra lives with one grandmother, next door to the other, while her father lives in above the garage. Allegra knows her grandmothers love her, but they are very different. “Sometimes I wish they could just love me less and take what's left over and put it into liking each other a little bit more.” The initial mystery and conflict were slightly stronger than the answers and aftermath. But it’s an interesting portrayal of growing up in Sydney in the 70s, the women’s liberation movement, and of a family dealing with grief. I read it in practically one sitting.
We Rule the Night by Claire Eliza Bartlett (narrated by Chloe  Cannon): Revna’s father is a traitor. Linné’s father is a general. Revna is discovered protecting herself with illegal magic during an air-raid. Linné is discovered after three years fighting at the front disguised as a boy. They’re both sent to a new women’s Night Raiders regiment, where, if they are to survive this war, they have to learn to fly together. This is tense and captivating -- and nuanced. Magic is wondrous but also confronting, the Union is unjust but contains things worth defending, loyalties are not always predictable, difficult people can become valued friends, and not everything is neatly resolved.
The Way Past Winter by Kiran Millwood Hargrave: In the fifth year of winter, Mila and her sisters wake to find their brother has left. Sanna believes Oskar left them willingly, like their father once did, but Mila is convinced that Oskar was taken by last night’s unsettling visitors -- and is determined to rescue him. I didn’t find this as emotional and compelling as Hargrave’s previous books. I don’t know if that’s because this is a simpler narrative or because I didn’t listen to the audio book -- a good narrator adds liveliness and emotion. But Hargrave’s prose is lovely and I liked the fairytale quality this story has.
Grace After Henry by Eithne Shortall: I really enjoyed Love in Row 27, so I borrowed Shortall’s other novel. After her boyfriend dies, Grace keeps seeing him everywhere. Then she meets a man who looks unnervingly like Henry -- a long-lost relative of Henry’s she did not know about. This story is funny and touching. I didn’t expect it to be so compelling, nor make me so invested in Grace’s relationship with Henry. There’s a strong sense of history and of place -- it was interesting to read about contemporary Dublin. There are unexpected and hopeful developments in Grace’s life. But mostly, it’s just very sad.
Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills: Sophie loves her friends, her high school’s marching band and her small town. She has an idea for how the band could raise money -- enlisting the help of a famous country singer. I liked Sophie’s deep sense of belonging and how much she cares about things. She’s very kind in a way that is realistic and realistically complicated. Her friends are very supportive, but believably so. They all have flaws and make mistakes and have their secrets. I really enjoyed this story about friendship and summer (and it was a good choice after reading something sad).
Can’t Escape Love by Alyssa Cole: I’ve tried a couple of Cole’s novels and they didn’t appeal to me -- I wouldn’t have considered this novella if I hadn't seen a positive review. It’s fun and fandom-y and diverse. Reggie contacts an old internet acquaintance after she discovers his puzzle livestreams are no longer online. I liked how it’s very clear that Reggie’s disability has a significant impact on her daily life, but has nothing to do with her current problems. And, for Gus, being autistic isn’t ever an obstacle to a relationship with Reggie. I would have liked to read more but this still satisfying.
The Orphans of Raspay, a novella in the World of the Five Gods by Lois McMaster Bujold: Penric’s ship is captured by pirates and he is thrown in a hold with a couple of young girls from Raspay. As always, I enjoyed Pen’s interactions with Desdemona. I would have enjoyed the story even more had there been more significant character interactions -- the girls aren’t quite old enough to play a very active role in escape plans but are old enough that, in terms of emotional support, they’re not very demanding. I’d like to see Pen challenged more. But this is still a solid adventure. I’m very glad that Bujold hasn’t finished telling stories about Pen and Des.
Minor Mage by T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon): Oliver, a twelve year old minor mage with an armadillo familiar, is sent by his village on a perilous journey to the mountains to bring back rain. There’s some dispute over whether this is a children’s book -- Vernon thought it was, her editor was adamant it wasn’t. It feelslike a children’s book to me, even when Oliver has to deal with ghuls, bandits and murderers. (There have always been children’s books which have been too dark and scary for some kids.) The tone is dryly humorous, the armadillo is a delight and I never doubted that Oliver would succeed.
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rowe-v-theworld · 5 years
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I had this saved to my drafts last night aND TUMBLR ATE IT so here I am, back at it again! Allow me to introduce y’all to Sutton Elijah Rowe -- Resident poet, artist, drug dealer, loving grandson.. you know, nothing out of the usual 👀Some of y’all might remember Sutton’s twin brother Sydney from the first iteration of veritas. Don’t worry, Sydney’s still around and more extra than ever, you can still see some of his stuff on Sutton’s blog. He has a tag! Now. Without further ado. Let’s get into this jawn.
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Sutton Elijah and his identical twin brother, Sydney Cliffton (ayyy), were born in Louisiana but were raised by their grandmother, “Ma”, in Texas.
lamao except not Houston they lived like 3 hours away under the poverty line.
For a period of time as children (when their mother was still alive, she has since passed to illness and let's not talk about their father, thnx) they were in and out of shelters. They were 7 when they moved to Center, Texas, spending the rest of their adolescence at Ma’s. 
Sutton has 5 younger (not including Sydney THOUGH SUTTON IS THE OLDEST JUST PUTTING THAT OUT THERE) “siblings” who he adores. So he came from a PACKED house. Sutton is fairly quiet despite the LOUD household he grew up in. He leaves most of the talking to Sydney but he’s charming in his own right. He’s the cool quiet kid naw’mean? 😎
As he and Syd were the “men” of the house they worked from the age of 16 while attempting to keep up with school. But customer service positions were never really....Sutton’s strong suit. Because fuck the man (like the saying but also Sutton and Sydney are the gayest so...)
Anyway, he hung around a lot of street corners and got into some trouble as a teen. This was his first introduction to drugs and dealing. 
Of course, Ma wasn’t going to have her 16-year-old on the fucking streets so she forced him to work at his great Uncle’s dusty bookstore called Shades of Afrika. L A M E
Sutton’s Uncle was a writer and eccentric, he couldn’t pay much, but needed the help and the arrangement was mainly so that he could keep an eye on Sutton. 
At first, Sutton hated working in the basement of the old building. It was basically helping the old man archive all of his crap — books, masks, boxes upon boxes of Africana, masks, speeches, records… But it quickly became the best form of punishment. His Uncle really encouraged him to get into poetry and eventually spoken word and to keep up with his artistic practice.
Sutton stayed off of the streets for a while, but times were rough and let’s just say dealing paid for their application fees for St. Etienne.
Sutton and Sydney are the first in their family to go to college, both receiving a full scholarship to St. Etienne — Sutton for English, Sydney for Dance. 
Ma is very supportive of her babies.... But like Sutton is on his way to receiving a degree in English and Fine Arts, and Sydney a degree in Dance and Women, Gender, and Sexuality studies so… She can’t help but pray they actually get jobs after graduation.
Sutton got into too many fights as a teen, where Sydney could talk himself out of most situations Sutton's two options were run or throw punches. If you want to tell the twins apart, look closely at their faces. Sutton, no matter how hard he tries, can’t get rid of the dark circles under his eyes.
Sutton was the deciding force in choosing St. Etienne. He wanted to be as far away from Texas as possible.
The plan had always been to stop dealing when they got to college. Sutton had promised his grandmother he’d stay away from it. But it continued (at first) because of financial stress at home. 
Sutton feels a twinge of guilt about breaking his promise, but he justifies it by saying he’s doing something for his grandmother for once.
As far as Daisey is concerned Sutton is was (yikes) her supplier. It didn’t take long for him to be the guy on campus. Sutton can hook you up with whatever you need -- Pills to help you study, pills to help you sleep, hallucinogenics, grass, pretty white powder. Whatever. Whenever. And for a good price.
St. Etienne is so far from what Sutton is used to. The feeling of being out of place has never gone away, though he’s not shy. Sydney is the more approachable -- more talkative and warm -- Sutton gives off a cool, laid-back demeanor that seems to do well for him.
That said lol guess who has an anxiety issue?? This kid. Sutton will have a panic attack then throw on some shades and skateboard away from his problems. It’s fine.
Connections!
Drug du jour: Sutton is the drug dealer on campus so there’s a lot there to play with. Maybe your character has brought from him before. Or is a regular. Maybe your character disapproves? Lot’s of options here!
Reading Rainbow: Sutton is in the book club and is also a TA most likely for an English course/Intro painting course SO if you need a tutor, are also in the book club, or are an artist Sutton could be of assistance.
I won’t hesitate bitch: Give me drama or give me death
I hope he likes boys: Crushes! Flirtationships! Wingmen/women! Exes!
A mess ✨: Sutton really only show’s his more anxious side to Sydney but if you get to know him close enough he’d be more willing to let you in and even ask for help. He’s been struggling the past year especially.
Paint me like one of your french girls: Sutton is that kind of artist that will like, stop everything to take a picture of a leaf or tell you to STAY RIGHT THERE because you have now become his muse and must sit for 3 hours while he paints you. This is your life now.
//Phew, ok. That’s all for now folks. I’ll post on discord and you can hit me up there or here if you’d like to plot! :*
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Food Consultants and Food Product Design - A True Match
Food technologists and food advisers food scientists are currently facing demands from the food businesses which need to deal with pressures of bringing food items in a fashion meeting with the needs of customers of the food market out. Consumers have eating styles and tastes which needs to be nurtured and dealt with meticulously. The food product layout arrangement undergoes changes in line with the flavor of food processors and their product programmers to be able to serve a larger public.
Pupils and academicians from the food product design standpoint possess lots of books written by top authors in the food business, to research and understand the newest trends in the food sector which would let them develop into decent food advisers and resolve lots of R&D approaches and find ways to maximize and accelerate new product improvements from time to time. These publications are available as eBooks that if chosen they may be purchased from bookstores as copies or might be acquired on the internet.
A food item design publication should provide ideas and clarify the resources and the approaches that designers and food programmers must use to produce the recipe more economical, tastier and quicker. It ought to produce systems and end suggestions to be embraced by food consultants and designers in producing new products. It also needs to supply the ideas in creating goods get recognition among 22, predicated on quality, efficacy and speed.
The crucial point for meals product layout employees is the shelf stability of a recipe. They're supposed to create things, flavor quality in them and wrap samples and retain it to look at its shelf life. The taste should stay the exact same as it ages, this can be vital.
The expenses of components which go to a recipe that was unique will be calculated and the sale and retail cost ought to be determined upon. A food advisor would make the analysis that is ideal .
When performing a food item design job, packaging and labeling are also a portion of this duty. Packets intended for food items must be designed with concern and care working with technologies and the gear. That is exactly what wiall draw consumers' interest . The tagging must have catchy and appealing information that include guidelines.
Food advisers should achieve their aims in fulfilling their customers that are at the food market that is competitive. Food is not eating; it must undergo a good deal of procedures until it's set in any food shop on the shelf available or before the waiter serves it to the clients. The food items packaged utilizing the food product.
For more details and Information please visit Our Website:
https://equator-design.com/site/sydney
Brand Design Consultancy
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Chris & Ellie Series: Episode 3.5
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With Tumblr holding my original writing blog @beccaheartschrisevans captive (aka flagged as explicit), I have made a secondary writing blog and may end up closing the other all together. In the meantime, I am reposting all of my stories on my new blog.
Pairing: Chris Evans x Ellie Spencer (OFC)
Rating: strong PG-13
Warnings: Borderline graphic description of the male anatomy
Episode Summary: Takes place in March 2013. Ellie has a video chat with her sisters to tell them about her new job and living situation.
Disclaimer: This work of fiction is not to be reposted, used or translated without my permission.
The Chris and Ellie series is primarily chronological.  It begins with a flash forward to 2016 and has a few other scenes in the future.  However, the majority of their story is told in chronological order starting in 2013 and going through 2017. Each episode starts with a date to help you place it within the story.
The Chris & Ellie Series Masterlist | Chris & Ellie Masterlist
Episode 3
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Episode 3.5: Sister Talk
March 30, 2013
Ellie sat on the leather sofa in the basement of the main house as she waited for the video call to connect. She hadn’t intended on telling Chris about her biweekly video chats with her three sisters, but as she stared at his big screen TV she was super glad she had, because he had shown her how to do video call on it.
The last video chat she’d had with all three of her sisters had been a couple days before her first meeting with Chris and she hadn’t told them anything about her new job or living situation just in case the whole thing fell through. Even now that everything was official, she was still a bit nervous about telling her sisters.
Eyes focused on the TV screen, Ellie grinned the second her sisters’ faces appeared in their separate boxes. She waved at them and greeted them each by name.
“Syd!” or Sydney was her oldest sister at 30 years of age. She was married to the best brother-in-law a girl could ask for, Garrett, and they lived in Seattle, Washington. They were also the parents to Ellie’s nephew, Noah, who was five years old and her niece, Chloe, who was three years old.
“Izzy!” or Isabelle was Ellie’s second youngest sister and her best friend in the entire world. Just under three years separated 27 (almost 28) year old Ellie and 25 year old Izzy, which meant they had been close. Unlike the other three girls, Izzy had blond hair like their mother’s side of the family while the other three took after their father’s side. LIke Ellie, Izzy also lived in California, but in the Bay Area where she’d recently graduated from law school. Now she and her boyfriend, Eric Montgomery, were both looking for jobs.
“Riley!” was the youngest of the four girls and was constantly updating her Twitter account with a countdown to her 21st Birthday (124 days). Growing up, she’d followed Ellie and Izzy around, doing whatever they told her to, until she got tired of being bossed around. She then became the teenager that tested their parents’ patience the most. Unlike her three older sisters, who’d gone straight from high school to college, she had taken a couple years off school off and therefore was only a sophomore instead of a senior.
Ellie hadn’t realized how lonely being in the main house and guest house had been after Chris and his mom had left until she was listening to her sisters as they shared the latest news and a little bit of gossip. She still had her job at the bookstore, but it still didn’t make up for the fact that she was coming home to an empty house all the time.
She laughed along with her sisters as they each shared amusing stories, trying to out do each other. It had been Sydney’s tale about her daughter’s ballet recital which had ended with a mouse running across the stage followed by the ballet teacher holding a broom, that had brought tears to their eyes.
Brushing tears from her cheeks, Ellie looked at the screen and knew her time had come when she saw Izzy giving her a suspicious look.
“You’ve been awful quiet tonight,” Izzy said. “And where are you? I can tell you’re not at Aunt Deena’s house because of the white wall behind you, I don’t think there is a single white wall in her house”
“Yeah, about that,” Ellie said, slowly. “I got a job.”
“What?”
“Where?”
“When?”
“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”
Ellie snicked as her sisters’ questions overlapped each other. She was still nervous about telling them, but she knew she had to. They’d find out soon enough.
“I’m still working at the bookstore,” she told them. “But I’m also working as a housekeeper slash housesitter for the son of someone I met at the store.”
She could tell by the look on Sydney’s face that she wasn’t impressed with the new job and she was pretty sure that Riley was painting her fingernails.
Nervous about how to address the big part of the new job, Ellie chewed on her lower lip.
“You’re not telling us something,” the ever observant Izzy stated. “You only chew on your lower lip like that when you’re not sure what to say.” She leaned in closer to her camera. “What aren’t you telling us Sarah Elaine?”
“My boss is Chris Evans,” Ellie said after waiting an extra moment. “And not the British one.”
“Who?” Sydney asked as Izzy and Riley just stared at their computer screens in shock.
“He plays Captain America in the Marvel movies,” Ellie explained to her older sister.
“And he is fucking hot!” Izzy exclaimed. “I don’t even like superhero stuff, but I dragged Eric to the theater to see that first Captain America movie.”
“Is he really that buff in real life?” Riley asked.
Ellie felt her face flush and heard Izzy gasp.
“OH MY GOD! YOU’VE SEEN HIM NAKED!” her sister shouted through the TV.
Ellie felt her face turn an even brighter shade of red, meaning there was no way she could deny that she had in fact seen Chris completely naked.
“It was an accident,” she said when Izzy finally quieted down. “His mom hired me and he got home earlier than she’d expected and she hadn’t warned him that I was there. So there I was, cleaning the kitchen floor and I turn around and there he is, standing completely naked in the doorway to the kitchen.”
“You saw him naked?!” Sydney said in a delayed response. “Sorry, I had to look him up. I think Garrett has some of those movies, I might need to watch them.”
“Yes, she saw him naked,” Riley replied. “But we haven’t asked her the important question yet.”
As Ellie watched, matching smirks appeared on her sisters’ faces and she knew exactly what they wanted to know: just what was he hiding under his clothes.
She’d known who Chris was before even met Lisa, but she hadn’t known that Lisa was Chris’ mom until she’d taken the job. So she had known what she was getting herself into, she’d seen his movie “What’s Your Number?” and there hadn’t been much to imagine after the scene with the towel and the apple, but seeing it on a TV screen with her sister Izzy was nothing like having the real, naked man right in front of her.
It didn’t take much effort for Ellie to recall the scene from the morning she and Chris had met. His hair had been longer than normal and his beard had been shaggier than she’d seen in promotional photographs, but given that he’d just spent two weeks in hibernation, it had made sense. There had been hair on his chest as well, the perfect amount in her opinion.
“WELL?!” Izzy demanded interrupting her thoughts.
Ellie kept them waiting a moment longer as she remembered that particular part of Chris’s anatomy that had been the first point of contact that her eyes had settled upon that morning: the beautiful, err manly, organ in between his thick thighs. She wasn’t an expert, though hardly a novice, when it came to penises, but Chris’s had certainly looked better than those of her ex boyfriends. Better taken care of, that was for sure, especially when it had come to the small tuft of hair at the base.
Then there had been the penis itself. It had been a good length; not too short where you’d be crossing your fingers praying he was a grower not a shower, but not too long where you’d be afraid of it getting longer and damaging your lady parts. She’d only seen him straight on, so she hadn’t been able to tell exactly how thick he was, but he hadn’t been pencil thin, that was for sure. And from where she’d been sitting on the floor, his balls had looked healthy, too.
“SARAH ELAINE!” Riley shouted at the screen.
Ellie smiled and then calmly said, “He’s my boss, so I’ll just keep it simple. There is not a single thing about him to complain about.”
Her sisters laughed and Izzy let out of whistle.
“Fuck, the girls’ on my floor are planning to watch ‘What’s Your Number?’ tomorrow night,” Riley said with a groan. “Now I’m going to have to sit there knowing that my sister knows exactly what he has going on behind that towel!”
“You guys can’t say anything to anyone about this,” Ellie said, seriously. “You three, me, his mom and him are the only ones that know.”
“Wait, how does his mom know?” Sydney asked.
“You know how I mentioned he got home earlier than planned?” Ellie said. “Well he was doing the Full Monty in the kitchen when his mom got to his place. She found us in the kitchen, me still on my knees on one side of the room and Chris trying to cover himself with a roll of paper towels. She sent him upstairs to get dressed and I thought she was going to fire me, but she just laughed!”
She couldn’t help join her sisters as they laughed over the awkward situation.
“So other than being a complete God physically, what’s he like?” Izzy asked her.
“I haven’t gotten to spend much time with him,” Ellie shrugged. “He was here for a week and then he was off to film a new movie.”
“So there were no sparks?” Sydney asked.
“Sparks? You mean romantically?” Ellie replied, staring at her older sister in surprise. “I just met the guy and he is my boss.”
“You took five minutes to answer the question about whether his penis lived up to the rest of his God-like stature,” Riley pointed out with a smug grin.
“It’s called suspense,” Ellie replied. “I had information you wanted and I’ve always loved holding that over your head.” She rolled her eyes. “Besides, Chris is a celebrity. He isn’t going to date, let alone sleep with, his housekeeper, especially not one hand picked by his mom.”
“Ellie, you’re worth more than any celebrity out there,” Sydney said with a smile. “If Chris can’t see that then you don’t need him.”
“And if he can see that then you need to get with him,” Izzy added with a smirk. “And then tell us all about the motion in his ocean!”
“Every single detail,” Riley agreed.
“Oh, is that a thing now?” Sydney asked, pulling the attention of her two youngest sisters. “If so, then we have a lot of catching up to do about Garrett. Let me tell you, my husband can -“
“Oh look at the time!” Izzy exclaimed while Riley covered her ears and loudly sang, “La la la la.”
Sydney winked at Ellie and then said, “Well I have little monsters to put to bed. And the night is still young for you three, go have some fun.”
“Night Syd,” the other three chorused.
Sydney waved and then disappeared from the video chat.
“I should probably finish writing the essay that I have due tomorrow,” Riley said with a frown. “Either of you know anything about music theory?” Ellie and Izzy shook their heads. “I figured as much. Night guys.”
“So, when can I come for a visit?” Izzy asked with a smile once it was just her and Ellie.
“I don’t know if I can have visitors,” Ellie replied. “Especially overnight, freeloading sisters.”
“Well ask your hunky boss and let me know,” Izzy said before redirecting her attention to something off camera. “Alright, Eric just decided he’s hungry, so we’re going to go get food.”
“Later,” Ellie replied. She turned off the video chat and reset the TV to its proper settings. Then she went upstairs and made sure the big house was locked up for the night before retiring to the cozy, studio apartment-like guesthouse she called home.
Episode 4
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Want to find me off tumblr? I’m @beccatheycallme on twitter. I also post my stories on AO3.
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hxlcycnx · 2 years
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“You can't kill me! There'll be paperwork!”
Look who just woke up- is that MICHAEL SHEEN? No, I must have been mistaken, that’s AZIRAPHALE from GOOD OMENS. I heard they are IMMORTAL and stuck here just like everyone else. Even in the 20’s, he/she/they still gives off a/an OLD BOOKS, ENGLISH TEA, TARTAN COLLARS, MOZART PLAYING FROM A GRAMOPHONE, AND LOVING A GOOD SOLID FRENCH CRÊPE impression. In Sydney they work as a/an ANTIQUE BOOKSTORE OWNER. They’re known to be quite INTELLIGENT & WHOLESOME, but have a tendency to be NERVOUS & WHINEY on their bad days. (willa)
Look who just woke up- is that MATTHEW GOODE? No, I must have been mistaken, that’s AZIRAPHALE from GOOD OMENS. I heard they are IMMORTAL and stuck here just like everyone else. Even in the 20’s, he/she/they still gives off a/an OLD BOOKS, ENGLISH TEA, TARTAN COLLARS, MOZART PLAYING FROM A GRAMOPHONE, AND LOVING A GOOD SOLID FRENCH CRÊPE impression. In Sydney they work as a/an ANTIQUE BOOKSTORE OWNER. They’re known to be quite INTELLIGENT & WHOLESOME, but have a tendency to be NERVOUS & WHINEY on their bad days.
Gender/Pronouns 
angel??? he/him
How long have they been in Sydney?
they have been here a month or so
Job 
antique bookstore owner
Which suburb do they live in?
Darling Point
Memories of their real life :
Aziraphale remembers everything. He remembers the world almost ending, saving Adam, and working with Crowley to ensure that angels and devils do not corrupt the world and plot it’s downfall ever again. He recalls living a simple life after saving the world, eating fine foods, reading good books, and enjoying the company of his husband? friend?, the demon Crowley.
What was their fake life like?
When Aziraphale first arrived, he lived as he did in his real life. He sold (and by sold he displayed books and talked people out of buying them because he’s too emotionally attached to all of them,,,,it’s really more of a museum of old books than a store), are good food, and was merry. But he didn’t have his beloved Crowley. He didn’t know who he was missing, but he also felt the absence of the other and it both frustrated him and saddened him.
It was only a couple weeks that he felt like this, but to Aziraphale, his altered memories made it feel like he was missing Crowley forever.
Upon waking up, he’s still living the same life, and while he does not go out of his way to look for Crowley since he doesn’t even know where to begin looking, he keeps an eye out while he’s doing his normal everyday errands.
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sxfetrxvels · 2 years
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CHESTER INTRO
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Gender/Pronouns: CIS Male & he/him
How long have they been in Sydney?: Memories: 10 years; Reality: 5 years
Job: Plant Nursery Owner- Taking Root
Which suburb do they live in?: Liverpool
Memories of their real life : Chester was born on November 10 in Halloweentown. As an Ogre/Forest Giant mix, Chester grew up being bigger and taller than nearly everyone in his classes, and in town in general. At seven-years-old, he stood taller than almost every adult in town, save for his mother. Despite his size, Chester grew up happy, healthy, and well-adjusted. Living in a place like Halloweentown had its perks, the biggest of which was that everyone in town was blessed with some sort of magical difference or ability. In fact, for the majority of his childhood, his neighbors were vampires, werewolves, and even the Abominable Snowman. His father was a businessman, and the owner of the biggest (and only) gym in Halloweentown. His mother stayed home, though she always baked sweets and other treats, as well as tended to a vegetable garden, all of which she would take to the local Farmer’s Market to sell during the season. It was through her that Chester learned to garden, and tend to plants and vegetables of all sizes and varieties. While Chester has always gotten along with others, peers included, he has always had his own personal quirks. Order, structure, and schedules have always been incredibly important to Chester, and he experiences moderate-severe anxiety at the mere thought of breaking any of the above. While he is friendly, personable, and enjoys meeting new people, he can also be timid and shy in certain situations. Chester believes he moved to Sydney as part of an experiment about Halloweentown residents living in the ‘mortal’ world. 
What was their fake life like?: Chester’s fake life is very put together and structured, though it is something he finds great joy in. He lives in Liverpool, where he owns and operates a Plant Nursery & Greenhouse called Taking Root. He lives in a log cabin located just behind his business. He does make his way into town twice per week- once on Thursday evenings to browse the selection at the local bookstore, and every Sunday to attend the matinee at the local movie house. 
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