#// you will not know about my adventures with the marvel cookbook

[archilich]

i think at some point soon i'm gonna make emmrich's mom's hazelnut torte.

[yzeltia]

Wolgraha Week

Day 2: Date Characters: Keith Summers, G'raha Tia Rating: Teen Notes: N/A

"This is…quite a lot," G'raha breathed out as he entered Keith's dorm from their shared patio. 

The Hyur had decorated his desk with a violet banner and set out the dinnerware on top of it. Candles were lit all over and flowers seemed to have been plucked and their petals scattered. This scent of fresh bread seemed to linger in the air along with something savory. 

"I…I have no idea what I'm doing," Keith called out, quickly rushing a pan with a rotisserie dodo in it to the table, "I mean…I know how to cook but…when I invited you over it was with zero plan in mind."

"Well, a simple cheeseburger would have won me over…This, this is a bit excessive," the Scion marveled, setting a six pack of Limsa Ale on the table.

"You hate it."

"No. It is just incredibly corny. Almost like something from one of Krile's ten-gil novels. I-," G'raha started before watching Keith quickly grab something and tuck it behind his back, "What is that?"

"Nothin'."

"Did she give you-."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

G'raha scrambled over to the Hyur as the latter tried to hurry to his cabinet to lock the item in question inside. Sliding forward in his socks across the tile, the Miqo'te collided with the Hyur and made a grab for the book.

"She did give you one! You must let me see it!"

Keith laughed as he held the small paperback out of reach. "How do you know it's not a cookbook, Raha?"

G'raha blushed as he heard his name, hesitating briefly as Keith chucked the small book onto his bed and sat up with the other in his lap.

"Did I say something wrong, Raha?"

"Enough teasing. I shouldn't have let you call me that so easily," the Miqo'te said, shivering as he moved to stand.

"Sorry. Should I go back to G'raha," Keith asked, getting his feet to move toward the table to cut the bird.

G'raha's ears folded, "No, that was me teasing. Though, maybe I am a bit embarrassed by all of this even knowing the source of inspiration."

"I told you before, this is my first time doing anything like this," Keith said, preparing their plates before sitting.

G'raha nodded then moved to sit beside Keith rather than across from him. Reaching for their spirits, he magicked the caps off then handed a bottle to the Hyur before sipping on his own.

"It's hard to believe such a thing. I find myself lucky to have connected with you. Though Krile conspired to set us up, you very well could have had no interest in me. That I am used to…so maybe that's why this feels all a bit laughable. Like I'm in a dream."

Keith drank deep from the ale before shuddering a bit. 

"A dream," the Hyur repeated before shaking his head, "No, this is just me. A clumsy fool who knows nothing about love. If I can be honest, I've always felt a little broken. My brothers and I were always a bit popular, but I didn't get the same gratification they did out of being admired. My eldest especially had no qualms talking about whoever he had eyes for at the time."

G'raha nodded along quietly as he started to eat, trying to hide his elation at the other's cooking as their conversation remained somber.

"I just didn't, feel that sort of thing…in here," Keith continued, putting his hand over his heart, "I have had moments where I've had brief sparks of attraction, but it was nothing more than that. With you though, when you praised my cooking or were in awe of my abilities in the field, for the first time I felt that gravitation. I wanted more of your attention…and only your attention fueled me in that way. That sensation is given life when you read to me, or when we adventure together, or sometimes when you just glance at me across the room. I feel all those urges I was told about but had never really had before."

G'raha stopped eating for a moment, putting his cutlery down as Keith began to dig into his own meal. "Oh."

"Hmm?"

"You're…in love with me."

Keith nearly choked as G'raha stared at his plate in contemplation. Taking another swig of his ale, Keith then wiped his mouth then shook his head, "I didn't say that! This is only our first date. I mean, it has been a few months since we met, but-”

G'raha smiled then reached over to put his hand on Keith's thigh. "It's okay. I should have been more careful with the epiphany. If what you're saying is true though, I think you fell in love with me and that has served to ignite the passion within you. Some people are like that, there's nothing broken about you. Your body just listens to your heart before anything else."

Keith listened, then nodded, face red, "Thank you…for saying that."

"It is our first date," G'raha said, "But in light of honesty I've fancied you since the first bite of that juicy, perfectly seared hamburger you served me. I might have gotten a head start but you've eclipsed me in matters of the heart…Though if you continue to feed me like this I imagine I will be in that place alongside you before long."

Keith blinked then started to laugh before playfully giving the other a light shove with his arm, "You are a little bratty sometimes for an old man."

"O-old man! What do you mean by that," the Miqo'te inquired, ears and tail flicking up, "What has Krile been telling you? Or was it the Archon! She still hasn't let go of her grudge against me!"

Keith laughed as G'raha got wound up. Smiling, he leaned forward, and after a moment the Miqo'te lowered his ears and tail and gravitated inward. G'raha's tail curled upward into a hook as they exchanged a small kiss. Soberly, the flustered Miqo'te put his head on Keith's shoulder and mumbled, "Like I said, I will be alongside you before long."

[writtenjewels]

Remote part 4

Part One, Part Two, Part Three

Nule read in one of his books that plants thrived if people spoke to them. The carbon dioxide that humans naturally expelled was used as nutrients. So he decided to practice with his new bellflower and tell it things about himself in preparation for John's next visit. Nule really had no idea what he should say; the only other person he ever spoke with before was Father, and he of course already knew what Nule liked and disliked.

It dawned on him far too late that he hadn't asked John to bring him anything or prepare descriptions to share on his next visit. In fact, it was the promise of Nule talking that was going to bring John back, and that made him a little nervous. He had examples of friendships in his books to take inspiration from. Friends told each other jokes sometimes or did things together. Maybe John would want to do something with Nule.

He went into the simulation room to look through all the programs. Being Alliance, would John enjoy a combat sim? Or did he encounter enough combat and would prefer something more relaxed? Obstacle courses, weights, and the new one that was supposed to help Nule train in biotic flotation. He paused on that option. He should start training right away; Father would be expecting a report on his next visit. His finger hovered over the command for a moment before swiping it away.

John's voice hailed him a few days later. Nule paced back and forth waiting eagerly for the man to dock. One last time he ran over all the things he planned to talk about: his favorite books, the music he listened to, the simulations. He wouldn't say anything about his biotic training, of course, but he could talk about the obstacle courses and the mazes Father had him run to keep him physically and mentally fit. John stepped inside cradling a rock in his hand.

“Another gift?” Nule asked in disbelief.

“Yeah, it's a geode. A lot more interesting than a Luna rock.” John handed it over and Nule studied the geode from different angles, marveling at how its crystals caught the light and caused it to glitter. It was quite possibly the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

“It's like what people must have imagined stars were made of,” he smiled. “Sit down, I'll make you some coffee.” John did as he was told and Nule joined him a moment later with two mugs of coffee. He noted that John chose the couch this time. Nule settled on a recliner and took a sip of coffee to prepare himself.

“I like to read,” he began. “Especially adventure stories. When I was younger I got into ones where the hero went through space fighting evil and falling in love. But I like reading about anything. Father brought me cookbooks once and sometimes brings me ingredients so I can cook things. I tried baking but I think I like cooking better. It encourages more experimenting and improvising.”

“What kind of things do you cook?” John asked him.

“Oh, just simple things. Rice curry, stir fry, steak.”

“Steak is not simple,” John interrupted with a laugh. “I've had some that tasted like I was chewing an old tire. If you can cook one that's edible, that's pretty amazing.” Nule smiled bashfully at that and rubbed his thumb along the crystals of his geode. John was so nice. Whatever Father said about the rest of the Alliance had to be wrong about John. Nule couldn't believe that this friendly man who brought him gifts would torture a biotic or make them addicted to red sand.

“I listen to music,” he continued. “I like instrumental the best, but I don't know if I like quarian or human the best. Do you know the song 'Vigil'?” A smile spread out over John's face and he nodded. “It's one of my favorites,” Nule confessed. “Here, let me play it now.” He walked over to the sound system and typed in a command. A few moments later music started filtering through the room.

“Beautiful,” John nodded. He clasped his hands together and leaned forward. “Nule, could you tell me something: who is your father protecting you from? Why are you in danger?”

“Oh.” Nule's good mood faded. “I shouldn't talk about that.”

“It's just... I've been thinking about it ever since you first mentioned it, and I've been really worried about you. Don't get me wrong, you can definitely handle yourself. I just want to know how I can help you. I can find these people who want to hurt you.”

“No.” Nule curled into himself. “You can't help me. You... the Alliance...

“Are you saying the Alliance wants to hurt you? But that doesn't make any sense.”

“It's... It's because...” No, he shouldn't say it. You're a biotic, Nule. A freak of nature. The Alliance will feed you red sand just to abuse your gift. He felt a hand touch his shoulder and he reacted without thinking, pushing away with his biotics. John went flying across the room and crashed into a bookshelf. “John! Shit, shit, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!” Panicked, he hurried over to the marine.

“I'm fine,” the man coughed. “Wish I was wearing my armor, though. That was a hell of a throw.” He groaned and managed to get to his feet.

“Are you sure? I have medi-gel.”

“I'm just a little winded.” John gave him an assessing look. “I did always wonder how it would feel to get tossed around by a biotic. So I guess that's one item checked off the bucket list.”

“How are you so calm about this?” Nule demanded. “Aren't you scared of me?”

“Why would I be?” John shrugged.

“Because...” Nule's head dropped. “Because I'm a biotic. I'm a freak of nature.”

“Nule, I swear I will wring your dad's neck if I ever meet him,” John growled. “I can't believe he taught you that bullshit. He's not wrong that people see biotics that way, but letting you see yourself that way? What an absolute asshole.” Nule opened his mouth but couldn't find any words. “Biotics are just people; nothing freaky about them at all.”

“Oh,” was all Nule could manage. Had Father lied to him? No, Father would never do that. He only wanted to protect Nule and keep him safe. He was just being overprotective, that was all. “But doesn't the Alliance use biotics?”

“Yeah, of course they do. They make great soldiers. Oh.” John nodded, as if understanding something. “That's what your father's worried about with you: that the Alliance will want to conscript you. But it's not like you'd be forced to join if you didn't want to. Isolating you like this is taking it to an extreme.” Again Nule was at a loss for words. Everything he thought he understood was being put into question.

“I think you should go,” he said quietly.

“Nule...”

“I need to think,” Nule insisted. “Please go.”

“Okay,” John agreed, taking a reluctant step back. “But I'm coming back.”

[realityhelixcreates]

Beta, Theta, and Me Chapter 9: Magic Carpet Ride

Chapters: 9/?

Fandom: Thor (Movies), Avengers (Movies) Marvel Cinematic Universe

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Relationships: Loki x Reader (But not right now),Drug Use

Characters:  Loki(Marvel) Additional Tags:  A/B/O, Sorta, More Of An Exploration Of  Life And Self Expression Within An A/B/O Framework, Loki Does What He  Wants, But Loki Does Not Actually Do What He Wants, Antagonistic Bosses,  Loki Has A Throne Now, But It’s Not What He Wanted

Summary:  Loki, paragon of self-sacrifice, must face down a cultural taboo.

Loki stared ruefully at the little bottle of pills on the table in front of him.

“You've got to be kidding me.” he said, “Your weak mortal medicine will have no affect on me.”

Tony Stark shrugged. “Works on Cap.”

“I am not your Captain Rogers. We are worlds apart.”

“The guy's a never ending science experiment. We had to develop insanely strong meds for him because, in the event that he actually managed to get hurt, our strongest stuff couldn't help him. But I have it on good authority that this'll do the trick. That authority being your brother. King of Asgard.”

Loki glared in scandalized disbelief. “You are telling me Thor actually took one of these?”

“Took some persuading, but yeah. After he came back down, he was pretty sure they'd work on you too, despite your differences.”

Loki's eyes flicked to you, then back to Stark, then to the bottle. “Hold your tongue. We don't need to discuss this any further. I will not poison myself at your command.”

“It's not poison!” Stark insisted. “It's a painkiller and anti-inflammatory. It will help you heal.”

“You cannot expect me to degrade myself for your convenience.”

“No, I expect you to lie for your convenience.” Stark shot back. “Though I don't see how hiding this from me,” he gestured at the chair, the neck brace, “actually helped you at all. You don't get anything out of it. Anyway, you really need to start cooperating if you want to stay. I'm trying to be lenient, but the more you complicate things, the more likely it is you'll be discovered. I think we all agree that would be bad.

As for you, if you want to come back downstairs and rejoin society, we've always got space for you” he said to you. “The baristas have been asking after you.”

“No!” Loki burst, “If I must befoul myself with your medicines to retain my lodgings, then I require her assistance to oversee things while I am...impaired.”

It had been an accident. Or rather, a lapse in personal judgment. You had left Loki after dressing him one morning, to fix breakfast, and Stark had shown up. And because he was your boss, and owned the building, you had just let him in. That's right, you had helped out the landlord. Your parents would be ashamed of you. You were ashamed.  

And the silent fury Loki had been radiating when he wheeled out into the seating area and Stark had gotten a look at him as he really was made you surprised that he wanted to keep you around at all.

Stark had given him an exasperated earful, and then left, coming back this morning with a bottle full of small pills. You couldn't even come close to pronouncing the complicated name on the label, but from what Stark was saying, they were the kind of thing that should never be taken by a normal person. Not if they had been made with Captain America in mind. Not if they were powerful enough to string out Thor.

You were surprised Loki was even pretending to go along with this, considering the cultural attitudes to chemical medicines in Asgard. Really, you fully expected him to order you to throw the pills away once Stark left.

When you brought him his tea, he sighed deeply, his expression a mask of utter melancholic resignation.

“Crush one of those accursed pills into a powder and add it to the tea.” he said woefully. “Stay by me as I suffer this indignity. Be forgiving of any upcoming transgressions, I implore you.”

“Hey, I'm sure it won't be that bad.” you said, grabbing a cooking spoon, and carefully breaking the pill down into a fine powder with the handle. “It won't stay in your system for very long. Your body will filter it out and flush it away, and you'll be clean again.”

You brushed the powder into his teacup, and stirred until it dissolved. Then you handed it over to Loki, who stared into the cup morosely.

“Won't it be good to not be in pain, even just for a little while?”

“I thought that many times, when I was in the clutches-” He stopped abruptly. “I've thought that many times. It is always denied to me somehow. There's always a catch.” He took a long sip of the tea, and sighed again. “And so I am tainted. At least the tea doesn't taste any different. You are getting better at that.”

“Here, have a muffin.” you offered him your freshest creation. “It says on the bottle that you're supposed to take it with food.”

He accepted the muffin with all the graveness of a prisoner at his last meal, but he thanked you graciously, and stopped you when you started to leave his side.

“I will be rendered a senseless fool by this foul poison. You must stay close, so that I do not do something utterly moronic, like throwing myself from the balcony on the assumption that I can fly. I might not actually survive in my situation, and I dislike long falls anyway.”

“You're scared of heights?” you asked, scarcely able to believe it.

“No,” he said haughtily, “I dislike long falls. It is different.”

“Why do they bother you?”

“That is personal.”

“I've seen your dick.” you pointed put.

“You would not be the first.” he said, matching you for vulgarity.

You rolled your eyes. “Whatever. Do you want more tea?”

Loki glanced into his empty teacup, bemused to see the bottom.

“Yes, I suppose I would.” he said, setting it down for you.

He had tried to teach you the fine art of pouring tea, and you had finally managed to do it without dribbling, but, as Loki put it, you also did it without grace. He didn't say anything this time, just tightened his lips in a sarcastic way, and took a sip.

At least you knew how to make tea to his specifications. It wasn't difficult, once you had figured it out. Just measurements and timing.

He had devoured his muffin, so you brought him another. Loki was extremely particular about flavors; not adventurous at all. Even banana nut offended his senses. But cream cheese met his approval in every application so far, even if he did complain about the texture of bagels.

“You'll have to get me an Asgardian cookbook, if this keeps up.” you said. “I might be able to whip you up something that reminds you of home.”

“I do not necessarily always want to be reminded of home.” Loki said. “And some of our dishes take many hours, even days to make. I need you for more than that. You cannot be in the kitchen at every moment.”

You would never admit it to anyone, but you got a surge of secret pleasure every time Loki said that he needed you. You'd always enjoyed hearing it from others, but it was so much better coming from a god.

Though it did make you wonder if the isolation up here was messing with your head a bit.

“Besides,” he continued, “enough cheese, bread, and meat will approximate the diet well enough. Asgardians have high metabolisms, and require many calories, and so do I. Our active lifestyles tend to make us big eaters as well, although I do not get my usual exercises these days.”

“If you would actually give yourself the time to relax and heal, you might be able to get back to that sooner.”

“Yap, yap, you nag like a bratty lapdog.” He scorned. Your eyebrows skyrocketed.

“Well gee,” you said with exaggerated shock, “if you don't want me here, just go ahead and say so. I'll go downstairs and be a barista.”

“No, you cannot leave me!” There was a distinct waver in his voice. “I will be polite. You won't leave me, will you? I didn't mean it.”

“Loki.” you said, suddenly feeling guilty. He sounded like a scolded little boy, on the verge of tears. “I'm not going anywhere. Don't worry about that. You should be more polite though.”

He reached out gracefully and took your hand.

“Dear lady...” he began, his words slightly slurred, and you finally realized that the medicine was taking effect.

“How are you feeling?” you asked, filling his tea again.

“Strange.” he said. “I feel light, but like there is a weight upon my eyes. Light, but like I cannot lift my limbs. One with this chair. Melting into the floor. I do not hurt...it's been so long...”

He really was starting to tear up.

You took his tea from his trembling hand and grabbed up a tissue.

“Here you go.” you said, dabbing his eyes gently. “Go ahead and enjoy it. Pain shouldn't be an everyday thing for you, if it doesn't have to be. You don't have to feel bad for enjoying a little bit of peace.”

“No, you don't understand. I don't deserve this. The pain was at least something familiar. I don't recognize this feeling. This lightness. It doesn't feel real.”

“Well, you are real, and I am real, and the medicine is real. The feeling is the medicine acting on your perceptions, so it's kinda real, it's just different than usual, that's all.” you patted his hand, and he grabbed for yours.

“Will this feeling go away?”

“Of course!” you laughed, “don't worry, this is just temporary. It will help your neck, and when you're healed, you won't have to take it anymore.”

“What if I can't stop?” he asked. “I am...not good at refraining from...indulgence.”

“If no one brings you anymore, what could you do about it?”

“If I am healed enough to remove this brace? To move about freely? What could I not do about it?”

“You know, that's a good point. I think we'll have to find you some of that ultra-powerful super weed the cops keep saying totally exists, but no one else seems to be able to find.”

He gave you a sideways stare. “More poisons?”

“It's to help free you from the other poison. But there are multiple strategies for getting clean, if that really becomes a problem. It's not like I've never seen addicts before; I'll help you if you need me.”

He reached for your hand again, and missed.

“Blessed thing.” he blabbered. “You are a draught of Alfar wine, brewed under the starlight. The fresh breeze through the forests of Vanaheim, just after sunrise. You are the faithful moon, pure as gold.”

“And you are high as balls.” you teased, bashful about the flowery praise. You really shouldn't be pledging any more of yourself, but the allure  of being needed-wanted even, was as addictive as any drug.

“You are the only once who may see.” he said. “I want no one else to see me like this. Stark especially. None save you may witness my dishonor.”

“Loki,” you mock-scolded, “if you keep looking at it like that, you'll impede your own progress. You'll fight it subconsciously, and just slow your healing down.”

“How, pray tell, should I look at it then?” he asked.

You took his hand, which was still waving around after yours.

“Look at it as permission. Permission to relax, to let the guard down and just exist for a while. You have everything you need right here, you can just be. It's okay to take some time to just be.”

“Just be what though? What is worth it for me to be?”

You shrugged. “A prince?”

“In exile.”

“A god?”

“Blasphemed rather than worshiped.”

“How about...my master?”

He squirmed a little in his chair.

“I could perhaps do that effectively.” he said quietly.

[rachel1987]

Part 1 of my new story is here! I’ve cross posted it on AO3 as well as FF.net if anyone is interested in reading it there too.

Guess Who’s Coming For Tea

Synopsis: The Hare is getting a visit from his mother! This means that she'll be able to meet all his friends for the first time, including his boyfriend, the Mad Hatter. But Hare's mother is pretty demanding...

Note: This is based off of Adventures in Wonderland and features implied sex acts between The Hatter and the Hare. They are adorable together and are in love. You got a problem with that? Harrumph!

It was a warm Friday in Spring when the Hatter and the Hare made their way to the Hat house from running their errands. They managed to go to the tea shop for some imported teas the Hatter had ordered, the Green Thumb Greenery to pick up plant food for the Hare’s garden, the grocery store for their weekend tea party essentials and, lastly, the mail box for their mail. Their arms were so full that Hare had to hop the fence and drop his grocery bags on the tea table before opening the gate for his partner.

“After you,” the Hare gestured his arms forward as he bowed enthusiastically, giggling to himself.

“Such a gentleman!” Hatter joked, smiling gratefully as he made his way to the table, unloading his bags on it as well. “I thought we’d never make it back home.”

All the noise made the Dormouse pop out of his teapot. “Are you two done shaking this table? You keep knocking my house of cards over.”

“Sorry, Dormouse,” Hatter said with a nod of his cap. “Won’t happen again.”

With a Queenly “Harumph…”, the Dormouse retreated to his teapot and Hatter returned his attention to Hare, who had already started unpacking the bags from the grocery store.

“Hare, let’s wait to unpack everything. We only just got home and my arms are tired.”

“Shouldn’t your feet be tired?” Hare said with a giggle, looking deep into the paper bag his arm was in. “We didn’t fly home.”

Hatter rolled his eyes, laughing as he took a seat on the table next to Hare, peeking into the bag. “What are you looking for? A little snicky snack?”

Hare pulled a single carrot out of the bag and started munching on it. It was past lunchtime but not quite teatime, so he needed a mid-afternoon snack to keep him going.

Hatter grimaced and smacked his lips at the carrot, deciding he was no longer interested. “Mail time!” He shouted suddenly, lifting his hips off the table and taking a handful of letters out of his back pocket, where he had stored them for the walk home.

“I guess we can go through our mail before we deal with the groceries,” Hare shrugged as he took a seat, putting his feet up on the table. He reached into his jacket and took out a much smaller stack of mail. “That way we can toss the junk into the paper recycling bin while we’re inside making tea.”

“How true that is,” Hatter grinned, fanning his letters out like playing cards, addresses away from him so he couldn’t see who they were from. He liked to keep his mail interesting and not knowing who they were from added to the mystery of it all.

The Hare got a Gardening catalogue, some junk mail and a letter reminding him that he still had time to enter the next Wonderland 5k race before it filled up completely. Maybe this would be the year he’d finally beat the Tortoise! His mind was working a training schedule as he munched on his carrot, returning to his gardening catalogue and flipping through the pages.

The pair were browsing through their letters when the phone on the table started to ring. Neither of them looked up from their mail, but the Hatter reached his long arms out and blindly felt around for the candlestick telephone. He had slapped a bag of oranges and some dishes onto the floor with a crash before he finally found his target.

“Hatter’s hat making services: We’ve got a cap for your cranium, a lid for your dome and a topper for your noodle. This is the Mad Hatter speaking.”

The tall man was silent for a little, nothing but the sound of the crunching of carrots coming from his neighbor. Every once in a while, the Hatter would Uh-huh and nod. After a few moments, he smiled and said, “Well, it was nice talking to you, June. Hare is right here, let me put him on.”

The Hare’s mouth fell open and the carrot clattered to the table on his magazine.

“It’s for you,” the Hatter offered, then mouthed the words “It’s your Mom.”

Hare scrambled, wiping his hands on his jacket before taking the earpiece from Hatter and speaking into the candlestick portion of the phone. “Hello?”

“Sonny!” came a loud, screechy voice from the other end, causing Hare to pull away from the phone a little. “I called your home and left a message, but I knew you’d be there with the Hatter. It’s just about snack time, did you have a little something to keep your blood sugar up?”

Hare looked down at the carrot on the table and flinched, picking it up and tossing it into the bushes. The Hatter had returned to his stack of mail and didn’t notice. He had opened a tub of ice cream and was snacking from it with a small sugar spoon he had found on the table.

“Yes, Mom, I just had a snack,” he rolled his eyes. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”

“Oh, silly me! I got so excited to hear your sweet little voice that I nearly forgot to tell you why I called!” The Hare could hear her excitement as she spoke. “I’ll be making my way through Wonderland next weekend and I was hoping to stay with you a couple of days. Maybe meet some of your friends, finally meet the Hatter in my little boy’s life. I’ll be arriving by train on Friday.”

If it was possible, the Hare’s jaw dropped even lower. His stomach was filled with butterflies and his palms immediately started to sweat under his gloves. “Oh, well, yeah, sure Mom. That would be great.”

“Marvelous!” she crooned. “I left all the details on your answering machine. Oh, I’m looking forward to some good Mother son time! I just can't wait!”

“Neither can I,” Hare forced a chuckle, before trailing off.

“Well, I’ll let you get on with your day. I’ll see you on friday. And, Hare,” she paused. “Don’t let the Hatter spoil his dinner with that ice cream.”

The Hare furrowed his brow and looked at the phone, before glancing over and seeing that the Hatter had eaten a good portion from the tub of ice cream. He reached forward and put the lid on the tub, hearing the thump of Hatter’s spoon hit it repeatedly as he blindly tried to dip his spoon back in for more. He was still looking through his pile of mail and hadn’t noticed a thing.

“Okay, Mom. I won’t. See you friday.”

“Ta-ta!” she sang, and he returned the handset to the receiver.

“Hatter,” Hare muttered. “My mother is coming!”

“Hm?” Hatter finally looked up from his own pile of mail, sorting the envelopes into colored stacks now. “Well that’s nice.”

“Do you know what this means?” He looked at him, fear in his eyes.

The Hatter continued to look through his mail, not seeming to be paying attention to the Hare at all, when suddenly he gasped and threw all his letters up into the air. “I’m going to meet your mother!?” It wasn’t entirely obvious if he was excited or afraid of the prospect, but he was enthusiastic all the same.

“She’ll be coming through Wonderland in a week and wants to stay with me for a couple days. She says she’s excited to meet all my friends…” Hare rambled out. “And especially wants to meet you in person.”

“Oh, well…” Hatter blushed and brushed a bit of imaginary lint off his shoulder. “Why wouldn’t she?”

“Hatter, I don’t think you understand…” Hare looked up, shaking his head a little. “My mother is very fussy about things. She’ll expect everything to be perfect, especially from me.”

“That shouldn’t be hard, Hare,” Hatter shrugged. “You’re always perfect to me. Even when you pull your little temper tantrums.”

“Aww, thanks,” Hare blushed, waving his hand at him absently. “But we’ll really have to do some work to make things ready for her.”

“We’ll have a tea party in her honor, that way she can meet everyone,” Hatter offered. “I’ll host it here.”

“Excellent idea,” Hare nodded. “We’ll make up invitations and send them out tomorrow. I think I still have some left over from the fondue party fiasco.”

“It’s been so long since I’ve been able to have a good party!” Hatter squealed, kicking his feet out and knocking a bunch of cups and saucers crashing to the floor. The Dormouse stuck his head out of his teapot again and started speaking, but was completely drowned out by the Hatter’s loud voice. “We’ll have food and tea… and music! What kind of music does your mother like? Maybe country? Or Polka? Oh I don’t know, I’m so excited!”

The Hare didn’t seem nearly as eager about everything. He couldn’t shake the nervous feeling in his stomach about it. What the Hatter didn’t know was that his mother would criticise every little thing Hare did. June expected nothing but perfection out of her only child, and that was a lot of weight to carry on his shoulders all the time. He ran a hand through his hair and bit his thumb nervously, his mind racing.

“Hare, aren’t you excited?” the Hatter boisterously jumped up behind him, giving his shoulders a squeeze before slantering through the IN door and returning immediately with a pile of cookbooks. “We should start planning!”

“I think maybe we should put the groceries away first,” Hare suggested. They had cream and perishables that should really be put away before too long. And the ice cream was starting to melt onto the table.

“Righty roo…” Hatter nodded. “That’s why you’re the smart one and I’m the one with impeccable fashion sense.”

Hare managed a chuckle, digging through the bags and sorting everything.

--

Later that night, after the groceries had been put away and the tea party had ended, the pair were in the attic of the Hat house going through recipe books. Hare was scribbling away at the desk on the invitations, making sure to write up a nice one to put in his mother’s letter he was going to send her. He knew she’d probably like to tuck one away in a scrapbook to show people later.

“How about spinach puffs?” Hatter asked from the floor. He was laying on his stomach, a dozen cook books open around him with dogeared and scribbled on pages.

Hare thought for a moment before shaking his head. “What if spinach gets stuck in your teeth? No, Mother won’t approve.”

Hatter scrunched up his face and flipped a few more pages. “Asparagus spears with bacon?”

“Hatter, asparagus makes your pee smell. Mother won’t like that.”

Hare sure wasn’t making this easy. Hatter lifted his hat and scratched his head before flipping a few more pages. “Jello mold salad?”

“That stuff is sticky, isn’t it?”

Hatter scoffed and slammed the book shut, rolling around the ground in frustration. “Hare! Your mother can’t hate everything! There must be something she likes eating that won’t be messy or gross or smelly! Throw me a bone here!”

“Well, she won’t eat bones either,” Hare replied, not even looking up from the invitation he was working on. “She has soft teeth.”

“That’s it!” Hatter thrust his arms out in the air. “We’re having cucumber sandies and water. I’m done!”

Hare chuckled at his boyfriend, finding him cute despite the flush to his face. “She likes things that won’t get stuck in your teeth or make a mess while you eat it. Cucumber sandwiches are fine and so is the usual tea party spread. But, I’m telling you, she’s picky. We’re going to have quite a time making her happy.”

“Has she always been like this?” Hatter asked, scooting across the room on his knees to the Hare.

“Yeah…” he sighed, leaning back in the chair as Hatter hugged him around the middle and rested his head in his lap. “I was a pretty sheltered kid. Coddled, really. It was just her and I after my Dad left, so she put a lot of effort and time into my activities.”

“So you were a mama’s hare, huh?” Hatter teased.

“You could say so…” Hare shrugged, removing the Hatter’s top hat and setting it on the desk. He ran a gloved hand through his hair, a grin crossing the Hatter’s face as he relaxed at the touch.

The Hatter remained silent for a while, thinking to himself about the Hare growing up alone with his mother. He knew that June was persnickety, but was only now really getting the full picture. This was going to be important to the Hare and he would have to do his best to make a good impression.

“She knows about us, right?” Hatter asked suddenly.

“I wrote about us a while ago, yes. So she knows.”

Their relationship wasn’t necessarily new, they had been friends for years (felt like a lifetime, really), but they had only been officially together for a year or so. 

“Did she say anything?”

The Hare was silent, trying to pick his words. “She wasn’t surprised. She said she knew we were going to end up dating by the way I spoke about you. I don’t write to her about my relationships often, not that I’ve had many.”

“Well that’s good, I suppose… sounds like she’s supportive, anyway.” The Hatter gave the Hare a squeeze before getting to his feet. “You want to stay the night?”

The Hare shrugged. “Sure. I can take my gardening things home in the morning.”

Hatter smiled and nodded, picking up his hat and giving the Hare a soft kiss on the lips while he was bent over. “I’m going to brew some sleepytime tea then. Be back in a jiffy.”

Hare nodded and finished up his last party invitation, looking around the attic while he listened to the Hatter putter around in the kitchen downstairs. The longer he looked around, the more problems he uncovered. “My mother would hate this…” he muttered to himself as he took notice of all the gathered dust and spiderwebs in the corners. Tisking to himself, he put the invitations in his jacket pocket with the intention of mailing them tomorrow, before going downstairs to help the Hatter with the tea.

--

Hare woke up in the Hatter’s bed much earlier than he had expected to. He had tossed and turned all night, having nightmares about his Mother’s visit and everything going wrong. That simply couldn’t happen. Everything had to go perfectly on her visit. He laid beside the Hatter for a long time, trying to listen to his light snoring in an attempt to let it relax him. It didn’t.

After a little, he had finally had enough contemplation and snuck out of bed. He padded his way to the bathroom, where he brushed his teeth and changed back into his suit from the day before. Normally he wasn’t one to leave without saying goodbye, but he had to get home and check his garden, amongst other things. Plus he would be back later that day anyway.

Scribbling a note on a piece of paper, which he left on the Hatter’s bedside table, Hare waited to put his shoes on until he was out at the tea table.

“Let’s see…” he mumbled to himself as he laced up his yellow high tops. “I’ll go by the mail box on my way home. Check the garden, maybe take a look in the guest room… the whole house will need to be cleaned this week,” he groaned, taking his glasses off and rubbing his eyes. For a second he considered going back inside and making a pot of coffee, maybe munching a scone or two, but no. He needed to get things done, there was only a week till his Mother got there.

Heaving a sigh, he got to his feet and scurried through the gate and made his way home with the gardening supplies he had purchased the day before.

--

“I was disappointed that you weren’t here when I woke up this morning, Hare,” The Hatter said, sipping the tea he brewed to go along with lunch. “Where’d you go off to so early?”

“I mailed the invitations and my Mother’s letter,” the Hare shrugged. “Plus today was weeding day in the garden. I wanted to get that done early so I could spend the rest of the day with you.” He had also managed to grab a shower and do a little cleaning at his place. He had washed all the sheets in his house and they were currently hanging out in his yard to dry so he could set up his Mother’s room.

“I should come see what you’ve done with your garden,” Hatter said with a smile. “It’s been a while since my last visit.”

“Hatter, I’ve been thinking,” Hare said suddenly, making the Hatter look at him with an alarmed look on his face. “I think it would be a good idea for us to give your house a good scrubbing.”

“Oh, and I thought this would be something serious,” Hatter shrugged. “Sure, we can do that. How does our day look next Saturday?”

“No,” Hare shook his head, his ears bouncing a little. “Tomorrow. We need to get it done as soon as possible.”

Hatter cocked a brow, putting his tea down and giving his boyfriend a once over. Hare could be a little bit of a neat freak at times, but he’d never been one to put his foot down about picking things up before. He knew he wasn’t the most perceptive hatter who ever lived, but the anxiety practically oozed from his Hare. This simply wouldn’t do.

“Sure, Hare, whatever you think. But try to relax a little, you look like you’re trying to lay an egg.”

“Rabbits don’t lay eggs, they hide them,” Hare said with a chuckle to himself, enjoying a good bit of bunny humor.

“Well, all the same, we can clean my house tomorrow. No problem. I think my day was wide open anyway.”

Hare nodded and took his notebook out of his jacket, scribbling notes on it as he munched on some celery with his lunch. “Tomorrow we’ll clean your house and finish planning the food for the party, the day after we’ll go back to the grocery and get everything… We’ll have to get our suits pressed, so get any dry cleaning together you want so we can drop that off at the same time… the garden will need to be relandscaped and I’ll have to clean my house at least twice over… I should bring the tea set she sent me for Christmas too, clean those and use them for the party...”

The Hatter listened to the Hare continue to list everything they needed to get done, smirking to himself as he finished off the last bit of the lunchtime tea. He’d think this behaviour was adorable if there wasn’t such a sense of panic about everything. Hare was working his way up into a frenzy and they still had all week to plan and get things done. They needed a distraction.

Wordlessly, the Hatter reached across the table and plucked the notebook from the Hare’s hands, flinging it across the courtyard and into the bushes. The Hare was about to protest when the Hatter took him by the shoulders and kissed him deeply on the lips, tipping his chair over and leaving them smothering one another on the floor.

--

After an afternoon of distractions (a lot of chasing one another around the house followed by some hanky panky), the pair returned to the Hare’s house to bring in his laundry. It was also decided that the Hare would spend the night at the Hatter’s again so they could get up bright and early to tackle the attic.

“This sheet goes in the guest room,” Hare announced as he passed the pure white folded sheet into the Hatter’s arms. “And this one goes in my room.”

“You don’t usually use white sheets…” Hatter remarked. “Don’t yours have pastel stripes?”

“My mother only likes white sheets,” he explained. “She thinks they look better when you turn them over before going to sleep.”

“But your regular ones are so much fun!” Hatter beamed. “These seem boring and blech…” he then made a face like he had put salt in his tea by accident instead of sugar.

Hare chuckled and nodded in agreement. “Yes, well, this is what Mother would approve of. So…”

“Oh, jeez…” Hatter rolled his eyes. “It’s that kind of thing, huh?”

“Hatter,” Hare breathed with a pause, shaking his head. “You have no idea.”

They entered Hare’s house and made up the beds with the fresh sheets and blankets, adding the family heirloom vegetable quilt from the hall closet to the guest room as a final touch. Hatter gave Hare some privacy as he packed some things into an overnight bag, perusing the bookshelves in the living room as he waited.

“Hare,” Hatter said out loud to him in the bedroom. “Maybe we should bring some of your cookbooks over to my place. The ones with family recipes in them. There’s got to be some scrummy things we can make in there that your mother will like.”

“That’s a good idea,” Hare said loudly from beside Hatter, making him jump a little. “Those are on the top shelf with the orange bindings.”

Reaching up, Hatter grabbed a pair of orange books from the shelf and stowed them away under his arm before turning to the Hare. “Are we ready?”

Hare lifted his overnight bag into view and shook it a little. He also had a box of various tea sets under his other arm. “Gifts from Mom,” he attempted.

“No need to explain,” Hatter said calmly, taking the box from the Hare and following him out the front door.

--

“My Mom is very particular about things,” Hare said, fixing his little bandana on his head to cover his hair as they cleaned. The sun had only just risen the next day and they were already out of bed, full of breakfast and standing in the messy attic. “We’ll have to clean this house from top to bottom to meet her expectations.”

“But why do we have to clean my house?” The Hatter asked, smoothing his hair down before putting on a painters cap. “Your Mother is staying with you.”

"We want to make a good impression with her,” Hare wheezed. “I want her to like you.”

“What’s not to like?” The Hatter posed, his arms outstretched to show off his lanky physique.

“Your buttons are off…” Hare muttered, moving to unbutton and rebutton his boyfriend’s coveralls.

“Oh…” the Hatter dropped his arms to his sides, letting Hare fix his shirt as he continued. “Do we have to throw things away or just organize them to look like I have less? Because I’d really rather not get rid of anything.”

“Mostly cleaning,” Hare patted the Hatter’s chest, turning and picking up a broom and a dustpan. “Though this attic could use some reorganizing. But we have five days till my Mother gets here, and with everything else we have to do I don’t think we’ll have enough time to re-catalogue everything you have.”

“How true that is,” Hatter nodded, picking up a box and finding an empty fish bowl underneath. “I’ve acquired a lot of new things since we last did that.”

“Maybe I’ll make a note for us to do that soon,” Hare muttered, taking out his pocket calendar and flipping through the pages. “How about a week from Sunday?”

The Hatter thought to himself before shaking his head. “Naw, we have Pun Sunday that day.”

“Right, right…” Hare made an exaggerated X on that page and made a note about Pun Sunday before continuing. “Well, the next opening would be the day after Labor day.”

“Pencil it in and we’ll see if we can’t move that project forward,” Hatter suggested, causing Hare to nod in agreement as he scribbled in his book. 

--

It took the better part of the day, but by the time teatime rolled around the Hat house had a very clean attic. All the dust and lint had been swept away and they organized it enough that you could almost find you way around up there. The pair was knackered though and almost too tired to even set up the tea party. But, it was expected of them, so they did it.

They decided on a raspberry tea and a matcha tea, in the hopes that one of them would give them a little more energy to carry on the rest of the day. They also had all their sugary treats left over from the day before.

“The next time you suggest cleaning out my attic,” the Hatter moaned, laying across the tea table with a cup in hand. “Remind me to shove you out the window.” He had his coveralls open and his cap on backwards as he sipped his tea, dunking a cookie in his cup before nibbling on it lazily.

Hare chuckled to himself giddily, showing how sleepy he was. “Just remind me to jump out the window.”

“Hi Hr Hatter! Hi Hr Hare!” Alice greeted them from the gate, making both the men jump. “Am I late for the tea party?”

“Hullo, Alice!” the pair greeted in return. “Feel free to join us.”

“Sorry that I don’t hop up and open the gate for you,” Hare apologized. “It’s been a long day and I’m pooped.”

“That's alright, Mr Hare, I can manage” Alice said, noting how filthy their coveralls were as she approached the table. “What have you been up to today?”

“Cleaning…” the Hatter spat out. “It was terrible.”

“I hate cleaning my room too,” Alice laughed, helping herself to the raspberry tea and adding some lemon and sugar to it. “Are you doing some spring cleaning?”

“No, Hare’s mother is coming to town and he insists that we make the place look good for her.”

“Your mother is coming, Mr Hare?” the girl asked excitedly, bouncing in her seat a little. “That’s so exciting!”

“Yes, I’m thrilled…” Hare muttered, sounding less than enthused about the prospect. The idea was growing on him, but so were the butterflies in his stomach.

“When will she be here?”

“Actually,” Hare put his tea cup down and dug into his pocket, pulling out an invitation to the party and handing it to her. “She’ll be here at the end of the week. We’re throwing a special tea party for her, I hope you can come. I meant to give this to you a couple days ago but I got so wrapped up in things I seem to have forgotten.”

“Of course I will!” Alice beamed, taking the invitation and looking over it. “I can’t wait to meet her. Have you met her before, Mr Hatter?”

“Hm?” Hatter shook his head, trying to wake up a little. He’d had a long day and wasn’t his usual peppy self. “No, I haven’t. I mean, I’ve spoken to her on the phone when she calls here to speak to the Hare, but that’s about it. Not more than a few words.”

“You must be nervous to meet her,” the girl guessed. “I’m always nervous when I meet my friends' parents for the first time.”

“Me? Nervous?” Hatter scoffed. “Naw. I’m sure she’ll love me.”

“That’s my Hatter,” the Hare beamed. “Never lacking in self confidence.”

“How true that is,” the Hatter replied with a wink.

“Well, if there’s anything I can do to help, let me know. I love planning parties.”

“How are you with a mop and a bucket? We have the other half of a house that needs to be cleaned and I just can’t force myself to do it,” the Hatter complained. Alice didn’t know if he was serious, but the Hare knew that he was.

--

They spend the rest of the night finalizing the party menu, Hare taking note of all the ingredients he would have to get at the grocery store later that week. They didn’t dare touch the attic. Now that it was cleaned they didn’t want to have to clean it again after they messed around up there, so they settled down in the living room. They had the Hare’s cook books out and open over the coffee table and they were sharing a bowl of ice cream as they flipped through the pages. They were in their pajamas, Hare in a large t shirt and pants, Hatter in his sleep pants with no shirt on. He was also hatless for once.

“Cherry tomato tartlets, shrimp tapenade canapes and sweet pea and leek tartlets will be enough, right?” Hare asked scratching his head with the rubber end of a large pencil as he looked over the recipe notes he had jotted down in his notebook.

“I think so,” Hatter said around a mouthful of ice cream. “We’ll have the usual spread of cakes and tarts and cookies for dessert…”

“And the crumpets!” Hare interjected.

“And the crumpets. I think we’ll be plenty busy with all this. I don’t think we can fit another item on the menu.”

“You don’t think we should make a carrot cake, do you? It is mother’s favorite.”

“We can scratch the regular tea cakes and make mini carrot cakes with cream cheese frosting.”

“Maybe I’ll order those from Just Add Sugar. I feel like we’re going to be really busy with everything else.”

“Just add it to my regular order there, it’s fine,” Hatter shrugged. “We’ll pick them up on the way to the train station to get your Mother.”

Hare felt grateful that Hatter was so supportive of all his demands. He really couldn’t have asked for a better boyfriend, who would not only put together a full party for his mother but also offer to help prepare and clean every inch of both their houses.

“The Queen would probably like some wine too,” Hatter thought out loud. “Might get her to loosen up a little. Is she still angry with your mother about the quicksand incident?”

“When the Rabbit called to rsvp, I might have overheard the Queen say something about my ‘meddling mother keeping her pinched nose out of her business if she knows what‘s good for her’.”

The Hatter sat silently, thinking for a second before eating another spoonful of ice cream. “Ah…” was all he could muster. “Then wine would be a good idea.”

“Red, of course,” Hare nodded, jotting another item on the grocery list, Hatter nodding in agreement.

“Any other rsvps?”

“Everyone said they’d attend, including the Caterpillar. Which surprised me the most.” The Hare craned his neck and looked into the bowl, eyeing the last bit of ice cream.

“Well, it isn’t every day your mother comes all the way to Wonderland to meet all of us,” Hatter said, pulling the bowl out of reach of the Hare as he moved his spoon in to finish it up. The Hare furrowed his brow and looked at the Hatter with a ‘you’d better not’ expression. The tall man gave Hare a wide, teasing grin. “What will you give me for it?”

“For the ice cream that I put in the bowl that you’ve eaten almost all of?” Hare tilted his head down a little, looking at the Hatter over the rims of his glasses.

“Mhmm…” Hatter nodded, still holding the ice cream hostage.

Hare couldn’t even pretend to be angry with that shit eating grin staring back at him, he found the man far too attractive. But it was his prerogative to play hard to get and he just couldn’t let his Hatter down.

“How about…” The hair said out loud, before leaning in and whispering something into the Hatter’s ear, letting his whiskers tickle him as he spoke.

Hatter sat upright suddenly, practically threw the ice cream bowl into Hare’s lap and ran to get his blindfolds. “I’ll give you a three second head start to hide!” Hatter shouted from the next room.

[twistednuns]

December 2019

Maxim calling out of the blue, inviting me to the Mine concert later that month.

Stumbling upon great inspiration for plant-based buddha bowls.

@shitgothssay memes.

Zotter salted caramel chocolate.

Finding out about the fact that you can just add the letter A to some words to transform them into adjectives. Like aglitter or aglow and aglisten.

Ayurvedic Kapha tea with some black tea, honey and milk. Sonnentor Gute Laune tea. Green tea with toasted coconut.

Isana shower oil. Works wonders for dry skin. Such a smooth and creamy texture. Great for shaving, too.

Winning the pub quiz - again! I played with Maggie, Dennis, Daniel and Steffen (Team name: Three geese in a trenchcoat) and we won 178€. However, the best thing about this was when I finally solved the anagram after thinking about it for 10 minutes. It was Greta Thunberg! Winning is lovely, of course, but solving the anagram is already a personal win for me each time.

Tuesdays. Coming home early, sleeping it off.

Being super rested after a nap, cooking a huge pot of veggie stew and my ratatouille signature recipe, even preparing a batch of butter bean hummus and salad dressing. Listening to folk music, singing along, even dancing at some point. Standing there, peeling the potatos… Happy moment.

Signature manicure. Always. This time: bluish iridescent lilac with the obligatory black dot.

A personal realisation. I’ve been massively out of touch with myself. I’ve stopped journaling, stopped doing things for myself because they’re beneficial and not because they’re convenient and numb everything. And why is that a good thing? Well, only being at this point and realising what’s wrong with me makes it possible to do something against it. To come up a self-care plan. To make myself feel better.

Semi-deleting Facebook.

Spending time with Manu for the first time in three months. Watching a documentary about black holes and a cheesy Christmas movie. Ordering south Indian food, cuddling up in bed. Sometimes I don’t know why I keep isolation myself. Being around people can be really lovely and soothing if you can be yourself around them. It’s just that I often feel the presence of other living beings drains my energy.

The best massage I ever had. From now on I’ll always request Yaya as my massage therapist. She is SICK. Strong, merciless, forces me into weird poses and makes my back crack.

Also: the chocolate-filled mint hard candy they hand out at the massage studio. I used to hate mint-infused chocolate but somehow I think these are delicious. Perfect after-torture-treat.

Persimmons. Obsessed.

My eye colour in artificial light. A dark moss green with caramel-coloured speckles and a dark rim.

The National playing a 2-hour-long concert and including some of my favourite songs from the High Violet album. Fangirling with Anika.

The smell of cold. You know, that whiff of cool air you get when you’re sniffing a jacket that’s been hanging on the balcony for a few hours to air out.

Learning more about Claire Saffitz from this article - she likes arts and crafts, is a homebody and has degrees in history and literature! She basically enrolled in culinary school because she was bored after graduation. She’s an enigma of a quirky kind. Not brilliant and scattered, but determined and aimless. Not brave and rebellious, but anxious and creative. She hates change yet pursues it, wants order but trades in chaos. She’s loved because she hates stuff; performs well because she can’t perform. And above all, she’s aggressively regular—and something about this makes the crowd go wild.

Fresh laundry smell on my blankets and pillows. And my new gravity blanket. It weighs 11kg which feels crazy heavy when you carry it but the weight evenly distributes over the body when you’re lying down. Apparently the pressure triggers the release of stress hormones. So far I’m sleeping like a baby and I don’t seem to wake up or move much at night.

Stephanie Madewell. I love everything she writes, her blog is such a godsend of beautiful, important, eclectic ideas. One thing I especially like are her imaginary outfits.

Princess Margaret’s limerick contest with President Lyndon B. Johnson in The Crown. Pure comedy. “There was a young lady from Dallas / who used a dynamite stick as a phallus / they found her vagina in North Carolina / and her asshole in Buckingham Palace.”

Little pieces of string in the corners of a duvet cover. It’s the first time I’ve seen those. So practical for big blankets!

Mental health days. I needed this. So much. Mornings in bed, reading for hours. Drinking a whole pot of tea.

Partner yoga. Chanting the closing mantra together.

Making vegan energy balls for my brother. I adapted the recipe and made my own versions so I ended up with a batch of pistachio/cherry and mango/sesame.

Freaking out whenever I see a cute cat. Damn, I really need to spend more time with animals. My highlight: breakfast in bed, watching a video of an adorable cat giving birth. I cried. Yup.

Going swimming for the first time in, man, I don’t even know. Forever. I didn’t swim for a long time, maybe half an hour, but muscle memory kicked in immediately. Water is totally my element. And, as if it had been destiny: I chose the day they cut the hanging plants in the main hall and the guy gave me a variety of five different cuttings to take home!! He made me a very happy girl.

The ink blue sky right after sunset. / The morning after the full moon in Gemini (the moon still bright and huge, visible in the bluish-grey Western sky). / When the sun suddenly comes out after a very dark and gloomy morning.

Buying a new phone. The old one was broken beyond repair. I even got a nice cork protective case. How could I ever live without an uncracked screen? The battery now actually lasts for more than a day. Nice.

Odd bits of knowledge: A galanthophile is an enthusiastic collector and identifier of snowdrop (Galanthus) species and cultivars. (Wikipedia) // Scientists theorize the Universe might have cracks in it: long thin boundaries that formed as space cooled after the Big Bang. 95 billion lightyears long and a few femtometers thin, these wrinkles in space-time would hold enough energy to bend light and destroy entire planets. (PHD comics) // the word to bloviate (German meaning: schwafeln, langatmig vortragen) // In Japan we have three rituals: HANAMI, TSUKIMI, and YUKIMI. HANAMI is watching the flowers. TSUKIMI is watching the moon, YUKIMI is watching the snow. It’s a beautiful tradition when you invite people to watch with you. I remember them all. (Yoko Ono) // In linguistics, prosody is concerned with those elements of speech that are not individual phonetic segments (vowels and consonants) but are properties of syllables and larger units of speech, including linguistic functions such as intonation, tone, stress, and rhythm. Such elements are known as suprasegmentals. Prosody may reflect various features of the speaker or the utterance: the emotional state of the speaker; the form of the utterance (statement, question, or command); the presence of irony or sarcasm; emphasis, contrast, and focus. It may otherwise reflect other elements of language that may not be encoded by grammar or by choice of vocabulary. (Wikipedia) //

I know I mention this a lot but the first olfactory whiff of a freshly cut open passion fruit is one of the best smells I know.

When my breakfast tastes like a candy bar. Which it immediately does whenever I add almond butter and cocoa nibs to porridge.

Yoga at home on a sunny Saturday afternoon. I’m often too lazy to get out my yoga mat but whenever I do afterwards I’m always so glad I practiced. Also: going to yoga class despite being extremely stressed out. It actually helped me silence some of these tormenting thoughts in my head.

Cutting my own hair. It’s kinda ridiculous and layered but I love the new bounce.

Michael Nyman - Musique à grande vitesse x // feels like it makes my pulse quicker, it’s urging and forceful.

My adventures in psychedelia - an article about the therapeutic effect of psychoactive drugs. I’m going to get Michael Pollan’s book about the topic from the library next week. So interesting.

People who are still writing letters.

My pupils. I realised that some of them have become very fine people. Open, compassionate, motivated, interested, bright, polite. Like the students who attended our first school magazine meeting in their spare time - on the last school day before the Christmas holidays - and had all these amazing ideas. Victor, being able to hold a conversation like an adult. Marks cuddling that dog in front of the supermarket. My tenth-graders being really reasonable, managable, easy to talk to.

Liza Weil’s role as Shy Baldwin’s bass player in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It took me three episodes to recognize her.

A little embroidery set. I love keeping my hands busy when I’m watching movies.

Making vegan walnut lebkuchen and a very good batch of crisp bread in one go.

Roast apples with candied almonds and marzipan for Christmas dinner. Some buckwheat chocolate cookies. Actually helping out my mum in the kitchen.

Sitting at the piano with my brother, singing tunes from our childhood series, Disney songs, pop songs… We both had sore throats afterwards.

Visiting Sash’s parents over Christmas. Her mum cooked a pretty great lunch and we played board games.

Learning how to make a monkey fist knot.

Finding a new spot I like in my apartment. The chair right next to the window at the kitchen table. It’s nice and warm because you can sit beside the heater and while you have breakfast or browse through a cookbook you can see what’s going on outside.

Seeing the incredible gobelins at Kunsthalle / Fäden der Moderne exhibition. I loved the Le Corbusier ones.

Visiting Manu at his parents' place. Playing board games together, his mum feeding me with parsley potatoes and a weird _bird's milk_ dessert. Lying on the sofa, watching old movies. It's weirdly nice to be part of a normal family dynamic once in a while.

Andre saving my New Year’s Eve at the very last minute. Out of the blue he suggested a trip to Czech Republic right after midnight the day before. I was like… okay, let’s do this! So I met up with him and three people I had never met before in Regensburg and we drove to Český Krumlov, checked into our fancy hotel and walked down to the city centre. Czech food for dinner, a band playing at the city square. We climbed up to the castle for the turn of the year. This must have been the first year that started out with a proper New Year’s kiss. Afterwards we went to a weird music bar and - apparently - one of the best clubs in the country. I had a lot of fun. Even though getting Andre home was quite a challenge.

[bookish2597]

Most Amazing Books to Read

We've seen these rundowns previously - from Amazon to the Telegraph to Time Magazine and past. A lot of people have arrangements of the 100 best books ever, the 100 books you should peruse, and on. What's more, flawlessly, in spite of cover, they are on the whole unique. The magnificent subjectivity of workmanship implies that no two of these rundowns ought to ever be actually indistinguishable. So this is our own, our uncommon snowflake of a rundown, conceived out of our enthusiasm for books. We kept it to fiction this time. A portion of the normal works of art are there, close by some progressively contemporary passage. There is some sci-fi, some YA, or more all else, some remarkable stories.

Do any of the included titles stun you? Is it true that you are shocked by any oversights? Tell us what makes the cut for your main 100 books.

The Testaments: The Sequel to The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale—which offers a nerve racking picture of an America under extremist principle—was a touchstone well before it turned into a hit TV arrangement, yet that additional perceivability implies much more individuals are envisioning this spin-off, over 30 years really taking shape.

Moved by the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie

Carly Simon (the free-soul pop star) and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (the monitored previous First Lady) had an improbable fellowship, no doubt. Be that as it may, they met on Martha's Vineyard one summer, and the relationship developed into something the two ladies appreciated. In this journal, Simon expounds on the distinctions and likenesses that made for a one of a kind and paramount kinship.

The Water Dancer: A Novel

This first novel from the honor winning writer Coates, writer of the 2015 marvel Between the World and Me, pursues a youngster naturally introduced to desperate conditions yet presented with a remarkable power. It's a ground-breaking anecdote about what we can accomplish for ourselves and for our families in a world with which we're always at chances.

Red at the Bone: A Novel

The most recent from the National Book Award-winning writer of Another Brooklyn and Brown Girl Dreaming, this thin, ground-breaking novel jumps crosswise over time to recount to the account of a young lady in New York in 2001 and her mom 16 years sooner. Infrequently has such untidy, disturbing, and human story been told with such style.

Fantastic Union: Stories

At the point when a few creators move, the way of life moves with them, following each turn and change in their work with intense intrigue. Zadie Smith is one of those authors, and her first short story accumulation will be all the rage this fall. This volume assembles eleven fresh out of the plastic new sorts out with a portion of her recently distributed work.

Discover Me: A Novel

The account of Elio and Oliver—which started in Call Me By Your Name—proceeds in this continuation, which vows to be similarly as delicate, destroying, and arousing. We get a very long time later on when Sami, Elio's dad, visits him in Rome. In transit, he has a brush with destiny that changes his sentimental life until the end of time. Elio, presently an expert piano player, before long moves to Paris and has his very own issue. In the mean time, Oliver's life as an American teacher appears to be dull, and he recollects a late spring quite a while in the past, feeling a dismantle to a previous darling.

She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement

While the consequential convulsions of the #MeToo development will change our reality for a considerable length of time to come, this book—by the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnists revealed the dim history of Harvey Weinstein's inappropriate behavior—graphs its beginnings and their very own unfathomable adventure to revealing a story many idea could never be told.

Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Arienne Brodeur's shocking diary is the sort of obvious story that makes you wonder for what reason we'd ever need fiction. Starting during her adolescence in a bohemian Cape Cod, the gimlet-looked at book recounts to the tale of her mom's everything expending issue and how Brodeur herself turned into an accessory to a falsehood that increased than anybody could have envisioned. It's a flawlessly composed, thoroughly charming story dissimilar to any we've perused previously—and will doubtlessly be one of the most discussed books of the year.

Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago, and the Rise of America's Xanadu

In this beguiling, zippy history of Palm Beach, Les Standiford graphs the goal's fortune from its establishing during the 1800s to the present day. The majority of the well-known Palm Beach characters, from Henry Flagler to Addison Mizner and Marjorie Merriweather Post, are available for a romping, enlightening exercise in land, American history, and recent developments.

Metropolitan Stories: A Novel

Christine Coulson went through 25 years working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, so it's no big surprise her presentation novel is set in the background at the admired establishment. This arrangement of vignettes goes past what an easygoing guest to the historical center may see and offers a clever, agreeable take a gander at the exquisite and now and then unhinged world that exists with its dividers.

Precious stone Doris: The True Story of the World's Most Notorious Jewel Thief

It would be sufficient just to peruse the diary of one of the world's most notorious gem hoodlums, yet how might we oppose "Jewel" Doris Payne, who has said she found out about how to take the absolute best by perusing Town and Country? Her journal has everything, from her noteworthy accounts of experiencing childhood in Depression-period West Virginia to her most prominent heists, jail breaks, and endless other shimmering undertakings.

There's nothing we at T&C love in excess of a book about a private academy embarrassment. In any case, this most recent from Kevin Wilson, creator of The Family Fang, just utilizes that awesome thought as a bouncing off point for a confused, enchanting, and thoroughly engaging tale about fellowship, family, and the things we need individuals to think about us. Goodness, and furthermore individuals who can light themselves ablaze.

Year of the Monkey

Patti Smith's most recent diary is a thoughtful take a gander at her time of solo meandering in 2016. That year, obviously, brought monstrous political and social change to the nation, and Smith records it in her own expressive manner, alongside unique Polaroid photography. The American ordinance is covered with "excursion diaries," however on the off chance that there's a voice we'd need to add to that sort, it would be Smith, whose effortlessness and savvy reasoning is an appreciated analgesic during circumstances such as the present.

Up close and personal: The Art of Human Connection

Simon and Schuster

Brian Grazer, the Academy Award-winning maker behind films like A Beautiful Mind—composed this most recent book about the specialty of human association. Utilizing entrancing models from his own ritzy encounters with any semblance of Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Spike Lee, Grazer discloses how to augment your effect on others by rediscovering a range of abilities about us all as of now have.

Sontag: Her Life and Work

In this doorstop of an account, Benjamin Moser—who has composed for T&C about his subject—jumps profound into the life of Susan Sontag who, in spite of being one of the world's most unmistakable educated people, has never been as altogether considered as she is here. This 800 or more page book, which discovers its subject at urgent crossroads in history from the Cuban Revolution to the fall of the Berlin Wall, probably won't be light perusing, however it's unquestionably fundamental.

Do You Mind If I Cancel?: (Things That Still Annoy Me)

You may know Gary Janetti from his extremely interesting royals-centered Instagram account, yet in this book he shares an alternate (yet likewise comical) side of himself. These papers investigate his fantasies of turning into a cleanser star, the battle of aching for an unattainable associate, and fantasies of impressive achievement and the vengeance it would permit are certain to fulfill Janetti's military of fans and enroll in excess of a couple of newcomers.

The Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World: The Twin Towers, Windows on the World, and the Rebirth of New York

Tom Roston's book about Windows on the World—the impressive diner that sat on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center—doesn't simply diagram the amazing opening and sad part of the arrangement feasting foundation. It additionally tells the ritzy, down to business story of current eating, American coarseness, and the stuff to make it in the hardest town on the planet.

The International Best-Dressed List: The Official Story

Since it propelled in 1940, the International Best-Dressed List has been the wellspring of amusement, interest, and shock among a portion of the world's most dominant—and sharp looking—individuals. In this official volume, list-attendant (and T&C giver) Amy Fine Collins uncovers the entrancing history of how the rundown became, what it implies, and the mind blowing lengths individuals have gone to be get themselves included.

This Tender Land: A Novel

Atria Books

This epic experience story pursues four runaway vagrants getting away from their grim conditions at a loathsome school in 1930s Minnesota. What pursues is a progression of contacting, convincing touches of destiny that take the children—and anybody tailing them—to sudden and energizing spots.

Antoni in the Kitchen

Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

You may definitely know Antoni Porowski as the hunky nourishment and wine master on the Netflix arrangement Queer Eye. If not, this cookbook—the writer's first—shares his trademark simple to-pursue plans with an eye for sustenance that is perfect for both engaging and Instagramming.

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Life Isn't Everything.: Mike Nichols, as recollected by 150 of his dearest companions.

A large portion of us know Mike Nichols from his work—films like The Graduate, Heartburn, and Working Girl or plays including The Odd Couple, Annie, and Death of a Salesman. In this very much built memoir—told in the style of an oral history—individuals who really knew Nichols recall the man himself and remind us what a transcending figure he was in work as well as in life also.

Destined to Party, Forced to Work: 21st Century Hospitality

A-rundown party organizer Bronson Van Wyck is best known for tossing incredible

[the--blackdahlia]

The Day the Music Died Chapter 8

Title: The Day the Music Died Chapter 8

Summary: In 1959, a plane crash tragically took the lives of three musicians and their pilot. But the mysterious circumstances send the Winchester brothers on an adventure. Now they have a mystery to solve…before one of them joins the other three.

Warnings: None that I can think of.

AN: You might want to watch this video. It’ll make sense later. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQXVHITd1N4&t=1s

1958

November turned to December and Sam was starting to lose hope of ever getting back to his own time. The 50’s weren’t so bad if you could look past all the racism, sexism, wealth gap, homophobia, and everything else. It had a cool aesthetic though. Maria seemed to love being able to grease Sam’s hair back to help him fit in. She really liked spending time with Sam. But Buddy did too. He was trying to teach Sam how to play drums and he was teaching Sam how to take care of the guitars and equipment for when they went on tour in January.

The doomed tour, and Sam would be there to watch it all crash down.

Buddy and Waylon were out, talking with the other members of Buddy’s new band. Sam had been there when he told the Crickets “screw you” and left them behind. So he had convinced Waylon to join him and a couple others on the tour. There was this pretty cool cat from California that was going to be joining them, as well as another fellow Texas boy. Sam and Maria knew exactly who they were and what was going to be happening to them.

So Sam and Maria stayed behind while Buddy and Waylon did their thing. Sam wasn’t sure what to do, so he took to helping Maria with the cooking. There was a small radio plugged in, sitting on the counter. Maria was reading through a cookbook, trying to figure out which recipe would be best for dinner that night. Sam set at the table, reading the week befores copy of Life. Elvis had just played a little bit ago, followed by one of Buddy’s songs. After a few ads and some talking from the DJ, a Connie Francis song came on and Maria couldn’t stop smiling. She turned to look at Sam.

“Stupid cupid you’re a real mean guy.” She sang. Sam glanced up at her. “I’d like to clip your wings so you can’t fly!” She walked over to him, making him look up at her. “I am in love and it’s a crying shame…” She leaned in to kiss him then, but Sam gently pushed her away.

“Maria…” Sam said. The song was still playing in the background and Maria stood there awkwardly.

“I just thought…” She started to say.

“You’re married to Buddy.” Sam told her.

“Yeah, and I love him, but you know what happens.” She said.

“And I care too much about him to hurt him like that.” Sam said. “You’re the one that said you would have rather loved and been in pain than never have loved at all.” Maria nodded and set down, hiding her face. “Maria…”

“I’m sorry. I just don’t know what to do.” She looked up at Sam. “What am I supposed to do?” Sam leaned forward.

“You spend as much time with him as you can.” Sam said. “You love him like you’re gonna lose him.” Maria nodded. “I know how hard this is, but it will be okay.” She smiled a little, trying to hold back the tears. “Why don’t we change the subject and forget about what just happened?”

“When are you going to cut your hair?” Maria asked with a laugh. Sam glared some.

“Never.” He stated, matter of factly. Maria laughed.

“Good thing the 60’s is coming up. Though you might get mistaken for a member of the Manson family or something.” She teased.She stood up and went back to the cookbook. “Sam, would you chop some veggies for me?” Sam went right to it, so thankful that they had moved away from what had just happened.

They spent the rest of the afternoon cooking and making small talk. Sam ignored the looks that Maria tossed his way when she thought he wasn’t looking. She knew it had been a mistake to try to kiss him. She tried to just focus on the task at hand, getting ready to put the chicken and veggies in the oven. She put it in then went to do the dishes, but Sam had already gotten to them. Maria started throwing away the packaging when a song came on.

Day-o, day-o.

Maria stopped what she was doing and looked over at Sam, who looked right back at her with a smile on his face.

Daylight come and me wan’ go home.

Maria started miming along with the song.

Day, me say day, me say day, me say day

Me say day, me say day-o

Daylight come and me wan' go home

Sam and Maria faced each other and slowly started to stand up straighter, moving their arms as the song continued, smiles on their faces.

Work all night on a drink of rum

Daylight come and me wan' go home

Stack banana 'til de mornin' come

Daylight come and me wan' go home

Sam and Maria started mirroring each others movements, touching their head with one hand and their side with the other, switching back and forth between head and side. Sam reached over and grabbed an empty stockpot and flipped it over to use it as a drum while Maria kept dancing.

Lift six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch

Daylight come and me wan' go home

Six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch

Daylight come and me wan' go home

Sam put the pot down as they stacked their hands, making it look like they were building a tall tower. The song kept playing and they kept dancing until they heard the garage door open, meaning Buddy was home. Maria turned down the music and went to check on her chicken. For a moment there, they both forgot about their situation, living in the moments that laid several decades ahead of them. A movie that Sam watched with Dean at a theater in some little town, and a movie that Maria went with her friends to see because Michael Keaton was just so dreamy.

“Smells good in here.” Buddy said, hanging up his jacket and kissing Maria. “What were you two up to today?”

“Just cooking and listening to the radio.” Sam said. Maria nodded.

“I was listening to see if I heard songs by either of those boys you’ll be touring with next month.” She cringed a little. The pain weighed heavy on her heart, knowing that in a little more than a month, her husband would be long gone.

“Well, Sam and I have some practice to do tomorrow. He’s getting really good with drumming.” Buddy patted his shoulder. “You might have your own band someday. Or you, me, and Waylon can team up and be bigger than Elvis.” Sam just smiled and glanced over at Maria. They both wanted to save him,but they knew that they couldn’t. Maria turned to busy herself with dinner. “Maybe I could convince you to become a singer while we’re at it.”

“That’s more of my brother’s speed, not mine.” Sam laughed. He had mentioned his brother a couple times, but he played it off as he was in the military and not around much. Which was partially true in Sam’s eyes, so he wasn’t lying completely.

“Well, you’ve proven yourself to pretty good on the drums, and you’re picking up guitar pretty quick. So you could probably sing like an angel but think you sound like a walrus.” He laughed. Maria got toast ready for their meal. Roasted chicken with vegetables and toast was one of her favorite comfort foods from her childhood. And today, she was really missing her home and her parents. Hell, she was even missing her little sister. And even though Buddy and Sam were there, chatting away to each other, she felt like she was alone.

“How are you honey?” Buddy asked her then, snapping her out of her moment of loneliness.

“Oh, I’m great.” She said, pasting a smile on her face. “I can’t wait to see you two play together.” She looked over at Sam, trying to hold back the tears. Part of her wanted to leave Buddy, to get away from the pain and possibly get back home. But she had been in love with him since the day she met him. She had even had a bit of a crush on him back in high school when she learned about him in her music appreciation class.

“Well, let’s eat up and then maybe Sam and I can put on a show for you.” He laughed. “I could call Waylon up and have him play with us too.” It was nice having Waylon around sometimes, since Maria and Sam could talk openly about things to him. Sometimes Sam forgot that there have been hunters as long as there had been people, because monsters would never go away and people were always going to need saving.

Maria served the food, just like she always did, even if sometimes Sam would cook instead. Occasionally, they would get something from town, or Maria and Buddy would go out together and Sam would go hang out with Waylon or just fend for himself. Something that he was used to doing. But they had really become a family since Sam fell into this time and part of him didn’t want to leave it.

But Dean was waiting for him.

The food was eaten, dishes were cleaned, and later that evening found Sam and Buddy in the garage with Maria sitting on a crate, watching them play. Sam wasn’t the best drummer in the whole world, and wouldn’t be winning any Grammy’s anytime soon, but he kept pace for Peggy Sue pretty well and even did decent on That’ll Be the Day.

“I think Mr. Winchester was lying to us about being able to play.” Buddy teased. “I might just have to add him to the band.” He patted Sam on the shoulder. “Holly and Winchester could be a good band name.” Sam just had to nod. He knew it would never happen unless he decided to intervene and save Buddy from getting on the plane. But he also knew how just unsinking the Titanic could change everything, down to the smallest details. And he wasn’t going to be responsible for any of that.

Forever Tags: @imboredsueme @aiaranradnay @theas-bedtime-stories @af112992 @dekahg @cutie1365 @marvel-af @bandobsession98 @nanie5 @sammat97 @dslocum89 @i-would-die-for-woodland-demars @newtospnfandom @xxwarhawk @luciathewinchestergirl @tina8009

Supernatural Tags: @essie1876 @smoothdogsgirl @mrsdeanfuckingwinchester @jadepc @sabigmart @winchestergeekfreak @winchesterslibrary @atc74 @anathewierdo

The Day the Music Died Tags: @leximus98

[thehappyfeminist-22]

Okay, girls, let's talk about marathons. No, not that kind of a marathon – I'm talking about movie marathons! Movie marathons and sleepovers aren't just for kids anymore. People get together for Super Bowl parties and other sporting events, and this is no different. Why? When it boils right down to it, what is a sporting event and why do people have parties just to watch it on TV? Because it's something that they're passionate about and they want to gather with like-minded people to celebrate it. In that respect, movie marathons are no different; they can be opportunities for you and your lady friends to get together, socialize, share movies you love, and of course, eat. You can have an all-day marathon or stretch it out into a sleepover if you can all coordinate your schedules.

Now before we go on, I should point out that this post is aimed at mature teens and adults because most of the movies I recommend below are a little too mature or scary for most kids, except for the Disney movies.

You can have gatherings of friends, have a mom-daughter get-together, or just have moms if you can work out the logistics of all that babysitting and getting dad out of the way. These get-togethers can even be as small as two people (my mom and I do this all the time and it's no less fun than larger groups).

Every good movie marathon or sleepover has three main components: the movies, the activities, and the food. We'll tackle those one by one.

First thing's first: Pick your theme! Below I have a list of movies organized by theme. Of course, you can work out your own list; these are just suggestions pulled from my own movie collection.

Aliens: Paul My Favorite Martian Men in Black The Day the Earth Stood Still Signs War of the Worlds (the original) Dark Skies Independence Day Independence Day: Resurgence Super 8 E.T. Alien

'80s/early '90s: Footloose Dirty Dancing Tremors Pretty Woman Sister Act  Mrs. Doubtfire Robocop Gremlins My Cousin Vinny Ghost To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything The Birdcage

Halloween: Sinister The Nightmare Before Christmas Corpse Bride The Werewolf (from 1956, starring Steven Rich and Don Megowan) The Little Vampire Crimson Peak Only Lovers Left Alive The Haunted Mansion Silent Hill The Grudge Hotel Transylvania Frankenstein (from 1931) The Haunted Palace (starring Vincent Price) Paranormal Activity

Action/Adventure: Jurassic Park Jurassic World Journey to the Center of the Earth (the original) 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (the original) King Kong Kong: Skull Island

Fantasy/Medieval: Clash of the Titans (the original) Snow White and the Huntsman The Huntsman: Winter's War The Dark Crystal A Knight's Tale Alice in Wonderland (live action) Jack the Giant Slayer

Disney (I know everyone has a list of their favorites, so here's mine): Tangled Treasure Planet That Darn Cat The Sword in the Stone Monsters, Inc. The Great Mouse Detective Fantasia Fantasia 2000 Sleeping Beauty The Princess Diaries The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement Bedknobs and Broomsticks The Emperor's New Groove Mulan The Hunchback of Notre Dame The Brave Little Toaster Hercules The Black Cauldron Tarzan Robin Hood My Favorite Martian

Marvel: Captain America: The First Avenger Iron Man Iron Man 2 Thor The Avengers Thor: The Dark World Iron Man 3 Captain America: The Winter Soldier Guardians of the Galaxy Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 Deadpool Deadpool 2 The Avengers Age of Ultron Captain America: Civil War Black Panther Thor: Ragnarok

Vintage Horror/Suspense: The Werewolf (the same one mentioned above) The Day the Earth Stood Still War of the Worlds (the original) Dial M for Murder Frankenstein (the same one mentioned above) The Ghost and Mr. Chicken Night of the Living Dead Carnival of Souls House on Haunted Hill The Haunted Palace (the same one mentioned above)

Here's a list of other themes to pick from: Christmas Murder mysteries Sherlock Star Wars Doctor Who Supernatural Indiana Jones Harry Potter Studio Ghibli Jurassic Park Paranormal Activity Gravity Falls The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings Your favorite childhood movies Make a marathon out of your favorite TV show Veg out on your favorite true crime shows

The hostess can supply the movies or have each guest bring one.

Now on to the food! You can obviously have any type of food you want, but finger foods and snacks are typically best for these kinds of gatherings. They're quick and simple to make, they're portable, and they're miniature versions of regular foods that you can eat with your fingers – what's not to love?

I have decided not to include any recipes in this post because there are literally dozens of different ways to make the same thing. For example, you may decide to add additional ingredients to punch up the flavor, or you may need to substitute an ingredient to accommodate dietary needs or allergies. So here's a list of ideas that you can play with however you like:

Sweet potato fries Rice Krispy treats (they're so versatile because you can add food coloring or sprinkles to make them suit any theme) Meatballs, little smokies, or sliced Polish sausages in the crock pot with any sauce you like Pigs in blankets Finger sandwiches (so many types of fillings!) Egg rolls Sliders Pizza rolls Bagel bites Snack mix (again, so versatile because you can make your own and customize however you want) Cheese straws Tortilla roll-ups (also called pinwheels) Taquitos Chicken nuggets Hot chocolate Party punch (you can make a delicious basic punch using Sprite, pineapple juice, and any flavor of Hawaiian punch; you don't even have to freeze any of it if you don't want to – just pour it all in a big bowl!) Brownies (or brownie batter...seriously, no one is judging you) S'mores Cupcakes Buffalo wings And what marathon or sleepover would be complete without COOKIE DOUGH?

Another fun idea would be a chip-and-dip night. Each person brings a different kind of dip, and the hostess supplies the chips!

You can also make foods that are featured or mentioned in your movies. There are tons of Disney and Harry Potter recipes out there, Star Wars literally has its own cookbook, and if you are having a fantasy-medieval-type marathon, I highly recommend the World of Warcraft cookbook. The possibilities are almost endless! Have fried chicken and a chocolate pie if you're watching The Help. Have spinach puffs if you watch The Emperor's New Groove. Have a red velvet armadillo cake if you watch Steel Magnolias. You could even have Tang and Spam if you watch Kong: Skull Island.

If you want to take a break from movie-watching, here is a list of slightly more grown-up activities for you and your ladies to partake in:

Coloring Homemade spa treatments Do each other's nails Make friendship bracelets Crochet/knit (or make a game out of learning how to) Truth or dare Play Twister (it's not just for kids, either) Jewelry making Movie trivia Dance party Wine coolers and gossip (as long as everyone in your group is of age) Planning your next marathon!

[theonyxpath]

It’s that time for a brief (riiight) look at just why we even have Monday Meeting Notes in order to have this blog. As we tighten up and re-purpose this and our other blogs, as you may have noticed these past few months, let me fill you in on just what this one, in particular, is all about.

Really, it’s an extension of the basic idea of starting the week off with a situation report that looks back at the last week to see what was accomplished, and looks forward to the coming week and what needs doin’. Full disclosure, I stole the idea from my head of Creative Services back in my TV days, and grafted it to the company-wide lunch meetings we had in the first months of White Wolf way back in the day.

Back then, I used the meeting to see if the production team had hit their goals from the meeting before, re-evaluate those goals based on why they were missed, and if they were met we set new ones at the meeting. They were individual goals, mostly, and such things as “Finish Mage splat character pencils”, or “Get half of Wraith laid out”, or “Get quotes from three different printers for the Aeon plastic book”.

By doing this during the meeting, the whole department was aware of both the challenges and the status of the various parts of the creation of the books. Sam needed Josh to finish those Mage splat drawings so he could get the initial layout done, for example. I’d also share the info I had learned during the previous Friday’s X-Meeting, which was the name for the WW weekly managers’ meeting. So long as the info was not top secret, I’d share it so that our team had the best information to base their decisions on.

It was a good system, and we had fewer left hands not knowing what the right hands were doing. I even heard rumors that the developer boyfriend of one of our designers would ask her for notes on the info to share with the devs at their meeting.

So naturally, I incorporated a Monday Lunch Meeting when I started Onyx Path. Putting the notes up in this blog was also based on a previous incarnation, this time with notes that started informal but turned into a formal weekly thing years later at WW after we had internet venues to post them to. With our belief in community and transparency, it just made sense to use this blog format to provide a regular reporting on how things stand at Onyx.

    They Came From Beneath the Sea! art by Aaron Riley

    Plus, for me, this was the modern equivalent of Stan Lee’s Soapbox, a “column” that appeared in the news page of Marvel comics way back in the day that enabled the lead guy at Marvel to continue to talk right to the reader, even if he wasn’t working on every book like he had been.

Love him or hate him, Stan succeeded in making readers feel that there were actual people involved in the making of the comics. At least young Rich Thomas did as he pored over the new X-Men – isn’t that Wolverine from Hulk? – and all the other 20 and 25 cent comics.

As for the meeting itself, we’ve actually put together a pretty organized routine at this point. We start the meeting with any big-picture, company-wide news. Then, Eddy, Matthew, and Dixie go through the status of the upcoming projects they have oversight over, then Mirthful Mike goes over where the projects are in art direction and layout. We discuss all news about the projects, with special emphasis on any roadblocks they are having.

Then Mighty Matt McElroy goes over any Operations news – which is basically things like conventions, sales and sales venues, business opportunities, etc. If there’s anything not covered previously, like vacations or the like, we wrap up with that.

Using their reports, which are also written out and updated each week, I then update the project progress parts of this blog, and then pick through the jokes and banter to get to several topics that the gang discussed in more detail that I think you folks will be interested in.

Which is really a huge part of the point of this blog. Where once, Monday Lunch Meetings allowed our staff to be aware of what everybody was working on, now the Monday Meeting Notes blog is set up so all of you erudite blog readers can look right into what we’re up to, and how, each week.

    Cover art for Wraith20’s Handbook for the Recently Deceased by Michael Gaydos

      And with that, here are a few highlights from the meeting today:

We’re excited to announce that we’re partnering with Fabricate, LLC to provide Scarred Lands adventures for Expedition!

Expedition is a light RPG using cards and a smartphone or tablet. Whether you’re new to the genre or a D&D veteran, whether you’re playing alone, with a group of friends, your spouse or with your kids – anyone can learn to play in less than 5 minutes! There are new quests and adventures every week, and the Expedition community can even create their own adventures and share them with others. With this new license, Scarred Lands-specific content will be available as booster cards and through the app. The team are really excited about this, so don’t be surprised if you see them posting in our Scarred Lands forums soon as well! If you want to learn more about Expedition, you can look them up here: https://expeditiongame.com/

  Gen Con 2018 is only a month away, and we’ve been busy with new brochures (one with all of our lines, and one just for Storypath System games), pins, card hand-outs, signage, all that con stuff we do. We’ll be announcing at least one new license, new projects, and two separate “What’s Up With the Onyx Path?” panels (Thursday and Saturday) which will pretty much cover the same info although the panelists may differ. It’s an experiment to see if we can open up more time for everybody, not jamming folks in to one session. There’s also a freelancing panel and a developer boot-camp session for those creators wanting to get into the biz.

  The Onyx Pathcast audience continues to grow, and last week the Trio of Terror interviewed writer and developer Steffie de Vaan and talked a lot about Promethean. This Friday’s Pathcast is all about freelancing in general, since they all do that, and freelancing for Onyx Path specifically. Plus, we’re making plans for some Onyx Pathcast broadcasting at/from Gen Con. More on that when we know more.

  We went over the Fetch Quest Kickstarter a bit, just reaffirming that it did well for its audience, but didn’t break out into the larger card game audience. It would have been nice, but we funded and more than tripled that amount, so it will be great to have it in stores. Card games are still something that we’ll do when a cool idea comes our way, and we’ll continue demoing Fetch Quest and Prince’s Gambit, and see where that kind of exposure leads.

  Next, we have prepped most of the material for the Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition Kickstarter, and are audaciously planning on putting it live on Monday, July 2nd at 12 noon EDT. We think that the audiences for this and Fetch Quest are significantly different, so there shouldn’t be much KS fatigue, and so we can run this before Gen Con. If, for some reason, we can’t make that happen, we’ll run it over Gen Con – but I’m trying to give our guys a break by letting them enjoy the con and any August vacations they so rightfully deserve without worrying about an ongoing Kickstarter.

  So, like we end with every week, you know:

Many Worlds, One Path!

    BLURBS!

KICKSTARTER:

Thanks, everyone who backed Fetch Quest and helped us bring it to stores!

Next up, Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition Kickstarter…we’re aiming at starting this Kickstarter at 12 noon EDT on Monday July 2nd…if we can!

    ELECTRONIC GAMING:

As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is now live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is both rolling and rocking!

Here are the links for the Apple and Android versions:

http://theappstore.site/app/1296692067/onyx-dice

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.onyxpathpublishing.onyxdice&hl=en

Three different screenshots, above.

    ON AMAZON AND BARNES & NOBLE:

You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).

If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue you bought it from. Reviews really, really help us with getting folks interested in our amazing fiction!

Our selection includes these fiction books:

Vampire: The Masquerade: The Endless Ages Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Rites of Renown: When Will You Rage II (Kindle, Nook)

Mage: The Ascension: Truth Beyond Paradox (Kindle, Nook)

Chronicles of Darkness: The God-Machine Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Mummy: The Curse: Curse of the Blue Nile (Kindle, Nook)

Beast: The Primordial: The Primordial Feast Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Vampire: The Masquerade: Of Predators and Prey: The Hunters Hunted II Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: The Poison Tree (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Songs of the Sun and Moon: Tales of the Changing Breeds (Kindle, Nook)

Vampire: The Requiem: The Strix Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Forsaken: The Idigam Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Mage: The Awakening: The Fallen World Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Vampire: The Masquerade: The Beast Within Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: W20 Cookbook (Kindle, Nook)

Exalted: Tales from the Age of Sorrows (Kindle, Nook)

Chronicles of Darkness: Tales of the Dark Eras (Kindle, Nook)

Promethean: The Created: The Firestorm Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Demon: The Descent: Demon: Interface (Kindle, Nook)

Scarred Lands: Death in the Walled Warren (Kindle, Nook)

V20 Dark Ages: Cainite Conspiracies (Kindle, Nook)

Chronicles of Darkness: Strangeness in the Proportion (Kindle, Nook)

Vampire: The Requiem: Silent Knife (Kindle, Nook)

Mummy: The Curse: Dawn of Heresies (Kindle, Nook)

      OUR SALES PARTNERS:

We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the Screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there!

https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

    Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

Here’s the link to the press release we put out about how Onyx Path is now selling through Indie Press Revolution: http://theonyxpath.com/press-release-onyx-path-limited-editions-now-available-through-indie-press-revolution/

And you can now order Pugmire: the book, the screen, and the dice! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=296

      DRIVETHRURPG.COM:

This Wednesday is a veritable Sword and Sorcery Day, with the DriveThruRPG releases of the PoD version of the Scarred Land‘s adventure the Dagger Of Spiragos, and the PDF and PoD versions of the third of the Scarred Lands adventures: the Ring of Spiragos!

Along with the Gauntlet of Spiragos, these three adventures provide an outstanding way to first get into the epic fantasy Scarred Lands setting – available in both 5e and Pathfinder versions.

  As if that wasn’t enough, it is the last Wednesday of the month – so here are our Monthly Exalted 3rd PDF downloads:

For Hundred Devils Night Parade, we have Susurrus and Lodestar, and for Adversaries of the Righteous, we have Fivefold Mask & Lies.

          CONVENTIONS!

Prep is seriously underway for Gen Con 2018 in the first week of August, which takes place in Indianapolis. In addition to our booth presence, be sure to check out the games and panels in the Gen Con Event Schedule.

From Fast Eddy Webb, we have these:

Eddy will be speaking at Broadleaf Writers Conference (September 22-23) in Decatur, GA. He’ll be there to talk about writing for interactive fiction, and hanging out with other writers who have far more illustrious careers. http://broadleafwriters.com/3rd-annual-broadleaf-writers-conference/3rd-annual-broadleaf-writers-conference-speakers/

Eddy will also be a featured guest at Save Against Fear (October 12-14) in Harrisburg, PA. He’ll be running some Pugmire games, be available for autographs, and will sometimes accept free drinks. http://www.thebodhanagroup.org/about-the-convention

If you are going and want to meet up, let us know!

    And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM FAST EDDY WEBB (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

C20 Novel (Jackie Cassada) (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

M20 The Technocracy Reloaded (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

CofD Dark Eras 2 (Chronicles of Darkness)

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Lunars: Fangs at the Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Tales of Excellent Cats (Monarchies of Mau)

Adventures for Curious Cats (Monarchies of Mau)

Scion Companion: Mysteries of the World (Scion 2nd Edition)

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

Changeling: The Lost 2nd Companion (Changeling: The Lost 2nd)

Changeling: The Lost 2nd Jumpstart (Changeling: The Lost 2nd)

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Witch-Queen of the Shadowed Citadel (Cavaliers of Mars)

  Redlines

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Spilled Blood (Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition)

In Media Res (Trinity Continuum: Core)

Wr20 Book of Oblivion (Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition)

  Second Draft

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Tales of Good Dogs – Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Night Horrors: Shunned by the Moon (Werewolf: The Forsaken 2nd Edition)

Dog and Cat Ready Made Characters (Monarchies of Mau)

Aeon Aexpansion (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

C20 Players’ Guide (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

  Development

Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)

Fetch Quest (Pugmire)

They Came From Beneath the Sea! Rulebook (TCFBtS!)

CofD Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

Dystopia Rising: Evolution (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

  Manuscript Approval:

  Editing:

Guide to the Night (Vampire: The Requiem 2nd Edition)

  Post-Editing Development:

Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

Ex Novel 2 (Aaron Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)

GtS Geist 2e core (Geist: the Sin-Eaters Second Edition)

M20 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Night Horrors: The Tormented (Promethean: The Created 2nd Edition)

  Indexing:

Wraith 20

Cavaliers of Mars

Monarchies of Mau (Monarchies of Mau)

    ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:

In Art Direction

Ex3 Monthly Stuff

Scion Hero – Stuff is progressing…slowly, but progressing.

Trinity Continuum 

Geist 2e – KS artwork continues.

The Realm

M20 Gods and Monsters

Ex3 Dragon Blooded – More sketches coming in.

Promethean Night Horrors: The Tormented – Sketches and finals coming in.

VtR – Guide to the Night – Sam is doing the fulls and cover.

  Marketing Stuff

Posters and Displays

Gen Con Cards

  In Layout

Fetch Quest – Playtest decks uploaded.

  Proofing

Scion Origin – Onyx review.

Changeling: the Lost 2 – Josh is working on the interior fixing.

Storyteller System Brochure

  At Press

V20 Beckett’s Jyhad Diary & Beckett Screen & V20 Dice – KS backer rewards shipping.

Scion Dice – At fulfillment shipper.

Monarchies of Mau – In Indexing.

Monarchies of Mau Screen – Files sent to printer.

Cavaliers of Mars Screen – Files sent to printer.

Wr20 Guide for Newly Departed – PoD uploaded.

Gen Con Buttons – At press.

WoD and CofD reroll cards – At press.

FQ and PG Gen Con cards – At press.

Wraith 20 Screen – Files sent to printer.

GenCon Brochure – Files sent to printer.

  TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: Although the one-year anniversary of his passing was last week, here’s to the creative work and legacy of my friend, and co-founder of White Wolf, Stewart Wieck. A year? Really? Doesn’t seem real.

[gardencityvegans]

Weekend Reading, 6.17.18

https://www.thefullhelping.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/weekend_reading.jpg

I’m drafting this post from a room that’s only a few blocks away from where my old apartment used to be in Washington, D.C.. I’m down here because my cousin’s twin babies were baptized over the weekend, and my mom and I made the trip to celebrate them.

It’s a short trip, only two nights. My hope was to come down earlier and spend time catching up with my friends here, but with all of the recent feeling unwell, I wanted to spend more time at home last week, resting and catching up on work in a peaceful, gradual way. It was the right choice: my usual instinct when I’m in D.C. is to see as many people as I can, recognizing that we no longer live nearby, but this makes for sort of frenzied weekends.

The other upside of planning a short, family-focused weekend is that I’ve had time to experience the city quietly, privately, and reflectively. Being here brings back so much nostalgia and gratitude; every time I’m in the District I feel bowled over with the memories of how many people made me feel welcome and at home when I moved here. My time in this city was difficult in a lot of ways, but it was an incredible lesson in how generous and full of grace people can be.

In the past few days, I’ve also appreciated how rich and adventurous my time here was. Moving four and a half hours south of one’s home town for a few years may not sound very daring, but my post-bacc really was—and still is—the great adventure of my life so far.

It was something I could never have imagined doing until I did it: learning within a completely new set of disciplines, allowing myself to struggle, rather than yearning for mastery, and surrendering my need to be an “expert.” It taught me how fun it can be to learn from younger peers (as opposed to being the quintessential teacher’s pet, which had been my posture as a student in the past).

So much about that time in my life was foreign and strange. As I wandered the streets of D.C. yesterday and early this morning, I wondered how I—as a person who who tends to fear and resist novelty and change—managed to do it at all?

It took me a few steps more to recognize that I wasn’t giving my identity enough credit for being fluid. Right now, emerging from the various challenges of my last five years in New York, I’m craving stillness and grounding. But there’s a part of me, too, that’s bold and daring, and that part was in the driver’s seat during my post-bacc years.

After picking up a cup of morning coffee today, I sat on a stoop near Dupont Circle, smiled gratefully at the familiar scenery around me, and I silently thanked the part of myself that allowed me to be brave and take so many personal and professional risks when I lived here. I marveled at this “self state,” at her energy and endurance.

Then I took another moment to acknowledge where I am right now. It’s a different place, a little more bittersweet and uncertain and humble. But there’s a lot I like about it: I’m moving through life slowly and consciously, which wasn’t possible when I was careening through organic chemistry and microbiology classes and trying to keep up with work at the same time. I’m more rooted in the familiar and everyday, not out of fear but because I appreciate how vital they are to my happiness and health. I’m more attuned to my body and its needs. I’m less grandiose and more content.

It felt poignant to acknowledge past and present selves and inner capacities at once, recognizing that they’ve each served me well, depending on where I am in life. I hope I can take stock of my experience like this again in a few years, and that I’ll have interesting contrasts to consider then, as I do now.

Wishing you a gentle start to the week—and a happy Father’s Day to those of you who are celebrating.

Recipes

The first recipe that caught my eye is a quinoa salad with a tropical, summery twist: the addition of coconut flakes, mango, basil, and dried fruit.

I love my friend Emily’s simple, springy, one-pot green farro, which is easy to veganize with vegan parm or nutritional yeast.

I stuff potatoes with cooked fillings all the time, but I hadn’t thought to load them up with salad or raw veggies. These salad stuffed potatoes are such a fun idea!

My packable lunch pick of the week: protein-rich ginger peanut tofu wraps. Yum.

For dessert, I’m drooling over Tessa’s vegan (and gluten-free!) peanut butter pie. Any dessert with PB in it knows the way to my heart.

Reads

1. I love Kelsey Miller’s tribute to the company and solace of cooking and cookbooks. I spend plenty of time exploring and downloading recipes online (as these weekly posts illustrate!), but I agree with Miller that there’s nothing quite like a cookbook and its guidance. I was touched by her appreciation of Anthony Bourdain’s cookbook writing in particular:

Cookbooks are a particular comfort, on bad days or during times of grief and loss. It’s not only that they help with the cooking of comfort food — though there is healing in that, certainly — but also the people they bring to life. That’s why, I realized, I didn’t reach for Bourdain’s famous essays, but for his old cookbook. I don’t mean to knock the rest of his work — the man never wrote a boring sentence in his life, as far as I can tell — but his recipes are different. In them, Bourdain is at his most joyful.

I’m my most joyful self when I’m creating recipes, too; I think many of us are.

2. Supermarket led nutrition education interventions seem like such a smart idea to me (a captive audience, an opportunity to highlight products or ingredients in real time). How cool that Weis Markets is instituting a plant-based program in its stores.

3. A new weight loss procedure—the gastric balloon—is proving to be far more hazardous than its marketing would suggest. I’m glad that this article is publicizing the risks.

4. Pamela Druckerman offers up some wise and (for me) relatable tips on time management, which aren’t only about time management: they’re about self-knowledge and the process of identifying and prioritizing what matters.

5. A lot of healthcare practitioners, in spite of many years of training, are never really prepared for handling personality mismatches or interpersonal conflicts with the individuals who are under their care. It can be a jarring experience for a person in a helping profession to realize that he or she is grappling with feelings of discomfort or dislike around a patient.

This essay, written by a resident, captures the experience humbly. Of a patient with whom she did not easily or readily connect, and who ultimately passed away under her care, she writes,

What I remember most about Mrs. G was how imperfect our interaction was and how little it had to do with the mistakes I thought I would make — wrong medication doses or a procedure gone bad. Our relationship was rocky, our attitudes clashed, and the clinical outcome was not what any of us wanted. It was imperfect but it taught me the importance of being honest with yourself about the way you feel when you interact with others, especially patients. This will help you to both forgive yourself and others such that you can form powerful and needed relationships during difficult situations. It was a first in many ways but certainly not a last as the human interactions in medicine are part of the healing we do every day.

What an honest and human reflection.

Switching topics completely, is it officially too hot for soup? I hope not, because I have a pretty delicious one to share in the coming week. Happiest of Sundays to you.

xo

[Read More ...] https://www.thefullhelping.com/weekend-reading-6-17-18/

[relevy]

A-Z Book Recommendations.

What a great idea from my friend at @macrolit :) Had to give it a go. I’ve omitted “A’s” and “The’s” from most of the titles for sake of flow.

A - American Gods by Neil Gaiman - A wandering modern “fantasy” that felt keenly poignant to me having grown up in the midwest. You’ll need patience for this one but this book is truly about the journey not the destination.

B - Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer - I’ll be honest, I never finished this series. It got a little overblown but the characters are so genuine that I held out a lot longer than I would expect of myself. This first book though is the definition of a classic middle reader. Lot of Adventure and a lovable, fierce, albeit flawed, female protagonist. 

C - Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess - I used to read this book every summer. It’s a rough read with some explicit violence (sexual and otherwise) but an important one I think. I recommend reading the “British” publishing which has 21 chapters (the publishers took out the last one for American audiences, because apparently we don’t like character redemption and growth *eyeroll*). The real genius of this book is the vernacular Burgess created from scratch that is truly like reading another language at first. 

D - Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab - Not to be cliche but I find that a lot of the titles Booklr obsesses over in the YA genre to be par-baked at best. Not the case with this series! Well developed characters that exist beyond their actions and exhibit real emotional complexity without relying on tropes and a plot that kept me turning and turning pages!

E - East by Edith Pattou - This is a remnant from my scholastic book fair days. It’s a frightfully easy read, however, her love for the folktale on which it is based (East of the Sun and West of the Moon) shines through. Each chapter is told by a distinct alternating voice and though the plot leaps about a bit you do not lose any sense of forward motion. 

F - Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge - At this point you’ve probably realized I love middle-reader books. There is also a pattern of relatable well written female protagonists in all of them. Not to be outdone the lead of this book is a stubborn young girl named Mosca and her equally prickly goose, who live in a fantasy setting based loosely on 18th century Britain. I won’t give anything else away except to say READ THIS BOOK!

G - Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson- I don’t exclusively read fantasy children’s books and here’s the proof. All of Larsson’s books are difficult to get into. Which can be put down to the fact that the first half of his reads are laying the complex groundwork for the gripping, fast paced, second half that will leave you gasping for air. 

H - The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - If you go into The Hobbit expecting the verbose grandeur of LoTR you’re going to be sorely disappointed. This book was aimed much more at a younger audience and is far more light-hearted and comical than its more mature follow-ups. Nevertheless it still has the grand beauty of Tolkien’s imagination and I quite like the whimsy of his narrative style in this prequel. 

I - It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini - This book helped me understand aspects of my own struggle with depression and anxiety. It is heartfelt, raw, but most importantly not without hope. Vizzini committed suicide a few years ago, which leaves a bit of a cloud over the book but it is an important read for both those who struggle and those who care about them.

J - Jerusalem by Sami Tamimi and Yotam Ottolenghi - But Rachel this is a cookbook! Yes! Yes it is! But it’s also so much more than that. The entire thing is a love letter from the two authors who grew up, respectively, in the Jewish and Arabian communities of this complex city. Beyond the delicious recipes there is mouth-watering photography more akin to photojournalism than a traditional cookbook. Each section and almost each recipe is accompanied by an explanation of the historical and political machinations, tragedies, and cultures that led to its creation.

K - King Lear by William Shakespeare - Far and away one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. I dream of someday playing a gender-bent Lear. I find that this play in particular asks a lot of tough questions of its characters and they answer in frighteningly frustrating ways. “Tis the times’ plague, when madmen lead the blind.” 

L - Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt - This book is a cult classic. Originally published in Dutch in 1962 it has since been translated into twelve languages! This is a classic hero’s journey written in a loving, nurturing hand. 

M - Maresi by Maria Turtschaninoff - Maresi is a relatively new book that has flown totally under the YA Booklr radar. It has a vivid comparison to The Wizard of Earthsea series by Ursula K Leguin but is not a reproduction. The plot centers around an island of “sisters” in an intensely patriarchal world. The second book was just released so I suggest jumping on this bandwagon soon!

N - (The) Naming by Allison Croggon - I’m in the middle of rereading The Books of Pellinor series and I vividly remember now why they were the favorites of my High School years. Crogon writes in a simple elegance that must have been lovingly honed by years of reading Leguin and Tolkien. Another complex female protagonist in this one but written in 3rd person Omniscient (not fixed) narrative which is hard to find these days.

O - Once and Future King by T.H. White - I am an Arthur scholar and I will admit this is not my favorite Arthurian book (That’s Sword at Sunset by Rosmary Sutcliff). However, it is a necessary read for anyone who has interest in how modern fantasy came about in the US and the American obsession with King Arthur.

P - The Plucker by Brom - This is more of a graphic novel than a book. If you are a fan of Guillermo del Toro YOU WILL LOVE THIS. Imagine Toy Story except as a horror movie instead of playful animation. Brom is an exquisite illustrator and it’s worth it for the art alone. 

Q - I have literally nothing for this one! Ah!

R - Runaways by Brian K Vaughan - This is a graphic novel series about a group of teenagers who mistakenly find out their parents are part of a super-villain society. Being a Marvel comic there are cameos by familiar goodies and badies and the series itself takes many surprising twists. Characters of color and female characters are prominent! 

S - Seraphina by Rachel Hartman - Imagine if Dragons could take human form but were required by law to wear a bell to mark their otherness. Rather than set in a typical medieval setting, Seraphina takes place in a pseudo “classical” Europe setting with heavy emphasis on music. The characters and plot in this are flawless and I found it a refreshing, fun read.  

T - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - This is one of the few books I was required to read in High School that I actually enjoyed. There’s a lot to be said for this timeless classic but the fact that it still remains relevant is really all that needs to be.

U - Under the Black Flag by David Cordingly - Albeit I read this book back when pirates were much more a pop culture phenomenon than they are now. However, if you like history, and pirates this is a great read for notable and notorious seafarers. 

V - V for Vendetta by Alan Moore - a graphic novel but truly a novel in its own right. I honestly prefer Watchmen but I feel Alan Moore is at his most Alan Moore-y in this one. No contest better than the movie.

W - Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K Leguin - The mythic style of these books can turn some modern readers off. Keeping with that there’s not as much character “development” as modern readers are used to. However, that being said these are some of the most compelling characters and books you will ever meet.

X - I came up dry on this one as well :(

Y - Y the Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan (Again!) - Imagine if all the men on earth died instantaneously except one slacker and his capuchin monkey. This graphic novel series could have gone way off the rails (as far as imagining what an all female dystopia would look like) yet Vaughan writes his female characters with a surprising nuance and depth. 

Z - Zel by Donna Jo Napoli - I read this in elementary school and WHOOO BOY I don’t know who approved that one for children’s shelves but it is definitely a mature retelling of the Rapunzel fairytale. Distinctive voices and no making it less gruesome than the original here. 

[brianwestchest]

Day 815- To Serve Man

To Serve Man

This weekend I’ve been at the Afterlife Research and Education Conference. The conference itself has been outstanding with the top experts in afterlife research making appearances.

As our questions about the afterlife are answered, one question remains and keeps coming up over and over again.  If the afterlife is so idyllic, why the hell do we come here to do this?  Not only do we do it once.  We do it over and over again. Not only do we keep repeating it, we plan in the pain. We even plan for things as masochistic as the death of a child.

There is not on answer to this question of why. The best theories are that we do this for personal development or growth. Roberta Grimes likes to say this is just a bad afternoon in the gym.  Another prominent theory is we do it for excitement or adventure. It’s boring being in perfection all the time.  We want to experience separation. We want to experience lack. We want to experience pain.  These answers are ultimately focused on the self.  We want to grow so we can be better than others  or at least better than we are now.  We want to advance to the higher levels.  Or, this is just a play for our amusement or a trip to a sometimes scary Disney World.   I think it’s a little of both of those things.  But, what I’m coming around to is the main reason is we come here to serve and to love. Personal development is great because it increases our capacity to serve in greater and greater ways. The strong we become, the more we can empathize, the more we can serve.  

This weekend, the conference within the conference has been me hanging out with a group of warrior women from Helping Parents Heal.  Colorado Beth, Hawaii Beth, Colleen, Heidi, Irene, Lynn Maryann, Sara,Sue, Terri,Tracy and Tywana are all with Helping Parents Heal. Each of us has had the experience of the “loss” of a child. Don’t ask me why there are no men here. It is what it is.  Some of these women I have known for a few months, even though the bond is so strong it seems like several years.  Some I have known via social media.  Some I only met a few days ago.

Last night, after the agenda for the day was over, we went over to Whole Foods, grabbed some prepared foods and came back to the hotel where we sat on the patio and shared food and a glass or six of wine.  As I looked around the circle, I was reminded of the mini series  Band of Brothers. This is a band of sisters, and Brian. We are on a mission.  Maryann told us that she is descended from the Spartans, appropriate for the mission she is on.  As we were discussing what we are doing here, I reminded Colonel Beth (not a metaphor, she is an actual Colonel in the US military) that we signed up for this mission. We have to see it through. These are the bravest of the brave. They did not comes here to have fun. Nor did they come here simply for their own personal growth. Sara tells us she and Scott, her son who passed away at the age of 19, have done this numerous times. You don’t do that for fun. And I really don’t believe Sara is a slow learner that needed to repeat the same lesson again and again to get it. She does it to heal the world, as we all do. As much as we hate to say it, and more so hate to hear it, we have probably done it before and we will probably do it again.

As we sat in the circle last night we took a break from our mission of saving the world, but we didn’t stop serving.  We served each other. We have all been battered and bloodied on the mission. We took a night to dress our wounds. We shared our stories. And what stories they are. The tales are so fantastic that anyone who hasn’t had these experiences wouldn’t believe them. Colleen shared stories that would be cut from a Hollywood script because the audience would never believe 26 feathers would fall from the sky to show a skeptic Austin is still here.  The stories are also too numerous to tell here.  These are not one offs.  They are not rarities. We are being assisted and guided on this mission.  As we shared the stories, the magic that the universe tries to hide, making us believe life is all random and chance, was exposed.  I was spontaneously filled with gratitude for this revelation. People keep telling me to “practice” gratitude. “Being grateful will raise your vibrational level and draw good things to you.”  Well, gratitude comes hard to a parent who has “lost” a child.  I’ve seen parents faking it, posting sweet affirmations on Facebook trying to convince themselves and the wold they are feeling something they are not. For me, gratitude comes  naturally when I step back a bit. When I remember I am not just the human who will live here, I am the Observer who planned this whole thing and am, slowly, day by day fulfilling my mission, when I trust in that, in spite of the appearances, that is when the gratitude comes naturally.  

We comforted each other as well as sharing our stories. We reminded each other of the bigger picture that is so easy to forget in the day to day skirmishes.  As we sat there talking I got the feeling the plan was coming together. I love words.  The word coalesce came into my head.  We had just seen Suzanne Giesemann channel a group of advanced beings she calls Sanayyah. I wonder if perhaps we are a Sanayyah in the making.  I’ve been told that on, the levels above the astral planes, people instead of identifying as individuals identify as a collective.  

Sanayyyah reminded us that, while our children’s “deaths” are tragic from our human perspective, they are no tragic from the perspective of the soul.  They are opportunities for growth.  More importantly, they are opportunities for service.  And, each and every one of these brave women is serving with honor.

As I sat in the circle, lyrics from a Don Henley song played on a loop in my head.

You think this is love Your education starts today So you think this is love? So tell me How bad do you want it? How bad do you want it? How bad do you want it? Not bad enough So you put a hold on happiness … a day, a week, a year You got to bring somethin’ to this party, boy If you party here.

Yeah, to be a part of this party, you got to bring something all right. We have all paid a dear price to be in this circle.  We have put a hold on our personal happiness.  It’s a temporary hold. We will have this party again in the Summerland one day and we will have some stories to tell then!  I wonder if they have boxed wine in the Summerlands.

As I got my download this morning, the title for this post came to me.  A couple of options presented themselves.   “To Serve Man” is the title of an episode of the Twilight Zone. In the episode, humans find a book left behind by an alien.  They translate the title to find out it says To Serve Man.  The twist is the book is not a book about serving, but it’s a cookbook.  But, that’s not important to my tale today.  I liked the title. As I sat alone at breakfast on the patio, I overheard a conversation between two women at the table next to me. They were marveling about the advancements of technology. One said to the other “Isn’t it amazing. I can download any episode I want of Twilight Zone to my phone and play it whenever I want.”  What?  Did she just mention Twilight Zone?   I’m not even amazed by the synchronicities anymore.  I am grateful for them. I note them and I cherish them.  But, I know they will just keep coming as the plan unfolds itself and we serve until the mission is complete.  

p.s.- I like to get two events before I call something a synchronicity. Otherwise, it could be random chance. Either two validations of the triggering thing or two triggers each with a validation. Tonight, after the farewell party, we were being driven back to our hotel. Suzanne was talking about "the heart" and just then Don Henley's The Heart of the Matter came on the radio. The radio volume was pretty low and I don't think I would have noticed had she not pointed out the coincidence. What I didn't tell anyone is that I had made a Don Henley reference in this post this morning and was actually considering another Don Henley song as the title. Synchronicity number two. Validation noted.

[bullmiddle5-blog]

22 of the Best Gifts For Bakers!

This time of year I get all sorts of questions, usually from really thoughtful significant others eager to buy their baker-loves the best baking present they can for the holidays.  It’s so sweet and thoughtful and I can’t help but think that it’s also motivated by their desire for cakes and cookies and the smell of fresh bread in their house.  If you’re dating a baker… it’s definitely a hobby you want to encourage with gifts.  

Here are a few of the items I treasure in my kitchen everyday, but especially on baking days.  I hope this list inspires some generous gifting to the baker in your life.  Ya get what ya give, ya know?  I’m mostly talking about cookies, so… 

BOOKS and things:  some of the books and magazines I reach for most often in my kitchen these days.  I find all of these books to be great technical and creative recourses for the home baker. 

•  Fearless Baker by Erin McDowell – traditional technique and a pep-talk with just about every solid recipe.  It’s a book every baker should have on their shelf. 

•  Layered by Tessa Huff – a beautiful and creative cake book with flavors and frostings I always find myself looking back to. 

•  Sweet Laurel Bakery by Laurel Gallucci and Claire Thomas – a grain free book that uses simple ingredients and techniques.  This book also contains my absolute favorite Snickerdoodle Cookie recipe and is worthwhile for that recipe alone! 

•  Sister Pie Cookbook by Lisa Ludwinski – I talk about this book a lot because the pies are so unique (but still live in the land of comfort), the crust technique is gold, and there’s a whole section about handpies and cookies that are both tremendous! 

•  Food52 Genius Desserts by Kristen Miglore – a compilation recipe book with the best of the best recipes from the best of the best bakers and pastry chefs! 

•  A subscription to Cherry Bombe Magazine : beautiful and important stories of women in food. This publication is a POWERHOUSE and if ya don’t know, now ya know. 

INGREDIENTS: quality ingredients that make baked goods even more delicious and are fancy enough to thoughtfully gift. 

•  My favorite chocolate to bake with comes from Guittard Chocolate.  Their chocolate is deliciously creamy, always consistent, and bakes and melts with ease.  I especially love their chocolate wafers for cookies and milk chocolate chips for brownies.   

•  Amazing baked goods come from really great ingredients and sometimes really great ingredients are a splurge to buy.  That’s why super special Vanilla Extract makes an incredible gift.  I recently discovered Jones&Co and their vanillas from all over the world. The quality is extraordinary.

•  Baking is all about balance and I like a good dose of quality salt to balance the sweetness of any baked good.  See:  Jacobsen Sea Salt. 

•  King Arthur Flour is an incredible recourse for bakers in both online information and quality products.  If you’re gifting an adventurous baker, see about these baking sets that include ingredients for a day of baking! Pumpernickel Bagel Recipe Bundle! And just hope you’re on the receiving end of this adventure for a fresh baked bagel! 

LINENS and such:  fancy and functional. 

•  Something every baker covets these days is a Hedley and Bennett Apron.  

•  Somehow, the only oven mitts that keep me from burning myself are full on GLOVES:  Ove-Gloves.

•  Very special and very versatile kitchen towels:  Oatmeal Linen Striped Tea Towels.  

PANS AND SPATULAS AND GEAR: some of my kitchen work horses. 

•  The goal is and always will be a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer.  It’s so hard to choose a color, but be bold.  Drake says we’re ‘here for a good time, not for a long time’, and I think he’s right. 

•  Some of my favorite bakeware are these Non-stick GoldTouch pieces from Willian Sonoma.  A GoldTouch half sheet pan and rack is something that’s in and out of my oven more than it’s not.  It stays nonstick, creates a really lovely browning on the bottom of baked goods, doesn’t buckle easily under the heat of the oven, and it’s easy to clean.  This full set is a DREAM if you’re looking to splurge!  

•  If you’re going to gift a pretty standard kitchen tool, it better be as classy as it gets.  See: Copper Handle Spatulas. 

•  For cake decorating, a rotating cake stand is an essential luxury.  I particularly love this Cake Decorating Stand with a cast iron base.  It’s sturdy with classic clean lines. 

BEYOND BAKING: for the baker who wants to explore beyond the oven. 

•  Baking is all about time and temperature.  In some ways, brewing kombucha is all about time and temperature too.  Kombucha Brewing Starter Kit

•  Bake in the day when I fancied myself a beer-brewing-enthusiast I marveled at the similarities between bread baking and beer making.  If you know a baker who wants to experiment, consider a Beer Brewing Starter Kit! 

FINISHING TOUCHES: a few pretty extras.  

•  Everything looks extra special displayed on a Concrete Cake Stand.  

•  Listen… if it’s good enough for Martha Stewart, it’s good enough for us.  Represent in this Bakers Gonna Bake Sweatshirt.

•  Fancy Sprinkles I especially love their deluxe sprinkle blends.  

I hope you have the most lovely holiday season.  

Let me know if you need more gifting suggestions – I love this time of year!

xo Joy

Source: https://joythebaker.com/2018/11/22-of-the-best-gifts-for-bakers/

[thefearlessgastronomist]

FEARLESS READS

Book Discussion: My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme

Publisher: Knopf Pages: 333 Genres: Non-Fiction, Autobiography/Biography, Memoir, Food & Drink, Cultural

Related Reading: The French Chef in America by Alex Prud’homme As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis de Voto, Edited by Joan Reardon Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volumes 1 and 2 by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck From Julia Child’s Kitchen by Julia and Paul Child Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell

I’ve talked about Julia Child multiple times before, but I promise it’s for good reason. Although I did not grow up in the time of her reign, it goes without saying (since I’ve said it everywhere else) that her story and career have effected me in some way, shape, or form. I’m not even entirely sure where to start with discussing it.

My Life in France was first published in 2006 by Knopf, the same publishing house that helped bring Julia’s magnum opus, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, into the world. Written in collaboration with her grand-nephew Alex Prud’homme (her husband Paul’s twin brother’s son), My Life in France describes in detail Julia’s years in the country, starting from her very first steps in La Havre, 1948. Alongside her adoring husband, Paul – whom Julia also describes this book as a “love letter” to – each new adventure, each new experience, each new dish consumed and cooked is documented ad nauseam from their 13 years in Europe thanks in part to saved letters written between family, journals, and so much more that have been revisited for this purpose. The book also does graciously include personal photographs (taken mostly by Paul) that give My Life in France and Julia’s story much more charm, as many have not been seen elsewhere.

Let me just start by saying this: I have very split reactions about this book.

On the downside... I discovered that, although she is a marvelous cook and charismatic television personality, Julia Child is incredibly intense. The way she approaches all that she sets her mind out to do (like writing a cookbook or two) are done so with extreme determination, voracious research, and to the utmost degree of completion. While these are, of course, qualities to be admired in others, when it is those aspects discussed in novel form... it is just too much. Too much to read over and over for three-hundred-plus pages. Although it is a different part of her life each time, you can only read so much about how a morsel of food tastes, the steps in development or preparation of a recipe, or other such culinary ventures that Julia took part in. I know as a chef (and as myself a chef of sorts) that all of this is very much a part of her life and her legacy. But at times I just had to put the book down and walk away for a while – which explains why it took me so long to read it. Her madness over the perfection and other such details when cooking, especially so when developing recipes with Simca and Louisette for Mastering the Art of French Cooking, combined with every single smidgen of every memory recalled while in France, it is really enough to drive a person crazy.

Positively, despite this, I will say that I gained a much greater appreciation for Julia Child as a culinary master and as a human being; I believe this to be the perfect book to spearhead my own culinary endeavors. Most importantly, I realized how much she and I are alike – primarily as chefs and in relation to food, but also a few instances as to who we are as people. We were both late bloomers upon entering the culinary world; we both marvel at delicious, well-crafted food and enjoy eating it equally as much; and we both are quite fond of learning new things in this life, especially as it relates to cooking. Funny enough, we both even suffer(ed) from stomach problems. As I made my way through My Life in France, I often smiled to myself when reading passages wherein I saw so much of myself in Julia Child, our shared sense of optimism and adventure especially. Knowing that I share something more personal with Julia gives the book just enough redemption to not only help me finish reading it (though I never leave a started book unfinished), but also enough to say I think I did enjoy reading it. Plus: she had a niece named Rachel and that sort of coincidence is always fun.

Being on both ends of the spectrum – loving a book while also kind of despising it – I’m not sure I want to read the follow up novel, The French Chef in America: Julia Child’s Second Act, which was written solely by her grand-nephew (published in 2016). I’ve definitely had enough Julia Child to last me for a while. For me, My Life in France was a more important read here, and not just because Julia herself had a hand in writing it. In my eyes, her years in France were what shaped who she was/is and created the inspirational woman we all recognize by name. The fact that it was, in part, a travelogue of France (and a few other parts of Europe) was merely an added bonus. My Life in France was about Julia and Paul, and who they are/were as a couple. It was about Julia’s thirst for something more in her life, and Paul’s undying support for every venture she undertook. The French Chef in America, while I’m sure equally as pertinent to her later life, it is more in regards to coping with her celebrity and her impact on others after reaching post-cookbook fame and in the prime of her television show. I’m sure it is a very good continuation of her story, as it does pick up right where My Life in France left off, but my interests in Julia’s story were much more so about a marvelous French-style chef and how she came to be, not so much her television persona. Through My Life in France, you uncover why people loved her, and why she had so many people she could and did work with. But that was achieved by simply describing her day to day excursions. In reading the beginnings of The French Chef in America online (through Google Books), Prud’homme has naturally changed the narrative to third person and, while he is family, to me it just becomes another biography – though a much more well-informed one – and it doesn’t feel the same. Not to mention, it sounds like it would be very similar to My Life in France in the sense that it would be a book about producing a television show. Different source material, but same problem as the first.

MY OFFICIAL RATING ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩

This was the perfect book to have read at the beginning of my own culinary endeavors, but I am also so glad to be done with it. Every detail, every memory, the way she approaches life and her work is both inspiring and crazy. I realized that my affinity for Julia not only stems from our shared love of food and cooking, but also our vast similarities. I found it fascinating all the people Julia was acquainted with – like James Beard, Jacques Pepin – as well as the numerous people in every city she lived that she was able to connect with (at the markets, in restaurants, etc.), and you do realize that she was very much a force to be reckoned with. And an intense inspiration to many people.

In reality, though, this book is not so much about her life in France, but rather more related to how her first cookbook came to be. And unfortunately a book about publishing a book and all that it involves... is pretty damn boring. Take out much of that content and I think I could have enjoyed the book much more. But once writing the cookbook was all that she was doing, my interest waned, and I just wanted to be done with reading it.

ABOUT JULIA CHILD & ALEX PRUD’HOMME (from front of book)

Julia Child was born in Pasadena, California. She graduated from Smith College and worked for the OSS during World War II; afterward she lived in Paris, studied at the Cordon Bleu, and taught cooking with Simone (Simca) Beck and Louisette Bertholle, with whom she wrote the first volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961). In 1963, Boston’s WGBH launched The French Chef television series, which made Julia Child a national celebrity,earning her the Peabody Award in 1965 and an Emmy in 1966. Several public television shows and numerous cookbooks followed. She died in 2004.

Alex Prud’homme, Paul Child’s grandnephew, is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Time, and People. He is the author of The Cell Game and the co-author (with Michael Cherkasky) of Forewarned. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, New York.

[rockislandadultreads]

Biographies: noteworthy titles you need to read ASAP

One Life by Megan Rapinoe

Megan Rapinoe is one of the world's most talented athletes. But beyond her massive professional success on the soccer field, Rapinoe has become an icon and ally to millions, boldly speaking out on the issues that matter most. In recent years, she's become one of the faces of the equal pay movement and her tireless activism for LGBTQ rights has earned her global support. In One Life, Rapinoe embarks on a thoughtful and unapologetic discussion of social justice and politics. Raised in a conservative small town in northern California, the youngest of six, Rapinoe was four years old when she kicked her first soccer ball. Her parents encouraged her love for the game, but also urged her to volunteer at homeless shelters and food banks. Her passion for community engagement never wavered through high school or college, all the way up to 2016, when she took a knee during the national anthem in solidarity with former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, to protest racial injustice and police brutality - the first high-profile white athlete to do so. The backlash was immediate, but it couldn't compare to the overwhelming support. Rapinoe became a force of social change, both on and off the field. Using anecdotes from her own life and career, from suing the United States Soccer Federation alongside her teammates over gender discrimination to her widely publicized refusal to visit the White House, Rapinoe discusses the obligation we all have to speak up, and reveals the impact each of us can have on our communities. As she declared during the soccer team's victory parade in New York in 2019, "[T]his is everybody's responsibility, every single person here, every single person who is not here, every single person who doesn't want to be here, every single person who agrees and doesn't agree.... It takes everybody. This is my charge to everybody. Do what you can. Do what you have to do. Step outside yourself. Be more. Be better. Be bigger than you've ever been before."

Frontier Follies: Adventures in Marriage & Motherhood in the Middle of Nowhere by Ree Drummond

From her beginnings as an early blogger, Ree Drummond has become a household name with a passionate following of devoted fans. On her blog, in her magazine, and on her cooking show, Ree shares recipes, tales of her adventures in the country, and stories of everyday life with her four children and cowboy/rancher husband. In this down-to-earth and charming book, Ree shares real-life anecdotes about parenting from her own unique vantage point. While her busy life is constantly full of new surprises, what's most important to her is family. Over the years she's learned a few things about balancing motherhood with a million other things, and now she offers the wisdom of her experiences; the ups, the downs, the bumps in the road, the laughter and the tears; in stories brimming with the relatable wit and humor found in her cookbooks and her bestselling love story, The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels.

Blackout: How Black America Can Make Its Second Escape from the Democrat Plantation by Candace Owens

Political activist and social media star Candace Owens explains all the reasons how the Democratic Party policies hurt, rather than help, the African American community, and why she and many others are turning right. What do you have to lose? This question, posed by then-presidential candidate Donald Trump to potential black voters, was mocked and dismissed by the mainstream media. But for Candace Owens and many others, it was a wake-up call. A staunch Democrat for all of her life, she began to question the left’s policies toward black Americans, and investigate the harm they inflict on the community. In Blackout, social media star and conservative commentator Owens addresses the many ways that liberal policies and ideals are actually harmful to African Americans and hinder their ability to rise above poverty, live independent and successful lives, and be an active part of the American Dream. Weaving in her personal story that brought her from the projects to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, she demonstrates how she overcame her setbacks and challenges despite the cultural expectation that she should embrace a victim mentality. Owens argues that government assistance is a double-edged sword, that the left dismisses the faith so important to the black community, that Democratic permissiveness toward abortion disproportionately affects the black babies, that the #MeToo movement hurts black men, and much more. Well-researched and intelligently argued, Blackout lays bare the myth that all black people should vote Democrat—and shows why turning to the right will leave them happier, more successful, and more self-sufficient.

Didn't See That Coming: Putting Life Back Together When Your World Falls Apart by Rachel Hollis

Fear. Grief. Loss. Betrayal. Rachel Hollis has felt all those things. Now, she takes you to the other side. I want you to know that what’s been good will always be good: the smell of coconut sunblock, a five year old showing you the spot where his front tooth used to be, a home-cooked meal, when your love kisses that exact spot on your neck, a grandmother’s handwriting, a job well done, the kindness of strangers, the human spirit, an Appaloosa horse, the ritual of your faith, laughing until you pee your pants a little, holiday dessert tables, first birthday parties, a perfect cup of coffee. What’s good will always be good, and one of the most awful, beautiful things about the hard seasons is that unless we experience hardship, we’ll never truly appreciate the goodness. Rachel Hollis sees you. As the millions who read her #1 New York Times bestsellers Girl, Wash Your Face and Girl, Stop Apologizing, attend her RISE conferences and follow her on social media know, she also wants to see you transform. When it comes to the “hard seasons” of life—the death of a loved one, divorce, loss of a job—transformation seems impossible when grief and uncertainty dominate your days. Especially when, as Didn’t See that Coming reveals, no one asks to have their future completely rearranged for them. But, as Rachel writes, it is up to you how you come through your pain—you can come through changed for the better, having learned and grown, or stuck in place where your identity becomes rooted in what hurt you. With her signature humor, heartfelt honesty and true-life stories, in Didn’t See that Coming Rachel Hollis shares how to embrace the difficult moments in life for the learning experiences they are, and that a life well-lived is one of purpose and focused on the essentials. This is a small book about big feelings, inspirational, aspirational, and an anchor that shows that darkness can co-exist with the beautiful.

A Promised Land by Barack Obama

A riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making—from the president who inspired us to believe in the power of democracy. In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency—a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil. Obama takes readers on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the nation’s highest office. Reflecting on the presidency, he offers a unique and thoughtful exploration of both the awesome reach and the limits of presidential power, as well as singular insights into the dynamics of U.S. partisan politics and international diplomacy. Obama brings readers inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room, and to Moscow, Cairo, Beijing, and points beyond. We are privy to his thoughts as he assembles his cabinet, wrestles with a global financial crisis, takes the measure of Vladimir Putin, overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to secure passage of the Affordable Care Act, clashes with generals about U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, tackles Wall Street reform, responds to the devastating Deepwater Horizon blowout, and authorizes Operation Neptune’s Spear, which leads to the death of Osama bin Laden. A Promised Land is extraordinarily intimate and introspective—the story of one man’s bet with history, the faith of a community organizer tested on the world stage. Obama is candid about the balancing act of running for office as a Black American, bearing the expectations of a generation buoyed by messages of “hope and change,” and meeting the moral challenges of high-stakes decision-making. He is frank about the forces that opposed him at home and abroad, open about how living in the White House affected his wife and daughters, and unafraid to reveal self-doubt and disappointment. Yet he never wavers from his belief that inside the great, ongoing American experiment, progress is always possible. This beautifully written and powerful book captures Barack Obama’s conviction that democracy is not a gift from on high but something founded on empathy and common understanding and built together, day by day.

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

From the Academy Award®–winning actor, an unconventional memoir filled with raucous stories, outlaw wisdom, and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction I’ve been in this life for fifty years, been trying to work out its riddle for forty-two, and been keeping diaries of clues to that riddle for the last thirty-five. Notes about successes and failures, joys and sorrows, things that made me marvel, and things that made me laugh out loud. How to be fair. How to have less stress. How to have fun. How to hurt people less. How to get hurt less. How to be a good man. How to have meaning in life. How to be more me. Recently, I worked up the courage to sit down with those diaries. I found stories I experienced, lessons I learned and forgot, poems, prayers, prescriptions, beliefs about what matters, some great photographs, and a whole bunch of bumper stickers. I found a reliable theme, an approach to living that gave me more satisfaction, at the time, and still: If you know how, and when, to deal with life’s challenges—how to get relative with the inevitable—you can enjoy a state of success I call “catching greenlights.” So I took a one-way ticket to the desert and wrote this book: an album, a record, a story of my life so far. This is fifty years of my sights and seens, felts and figured-outs, cools and shamefuls. Graces, truths, and beauties of brutality. Getting away withs, getting caughts, and getting wets while trying to dance between the raindrops. Hopefully, it’s medicine that tastes good, a couple of aspirin instead of the infirmary, a spaceship to Mars without needing your pilot’s license, going to church without having to be born again, and laughing through the tears. It’s a love letter. To life. It’s also a guide to catching more greenlights—and to realizing that the yellows and reds eventually turn green too. Good luck.