#//if we want to be technical bottled water started popping up in the 80s

[outofthiisworld]

🐰// Arlo can seem like a true 90s kid despite being from the 70s (turns out there’s a lot of overlap between 70s and 90s lingo)— but one can be easily reminded he’s out of his time when face to face with some modern day marvels.

IE. Arlo was perplexed that bottled water is so popular and common. ‘Did something happen to the water?’ <-(plastic water bottles did not gain popularity until the 90s in the US)

“Why CAN’T I drink water right out of the hose? Thats how we always did it …”

[wordynerdygurl]

Best Laid Plans

Author's Note: I hope you all enjoy this one! Please post comments and feel free to share!

Summary: You plan a perfectly romantic night in with Loki, but even the best laid plans go awry.

Pairing: Loki x reader

Warnings: SMUT, Masterbation, Denial, dom/sub in a committed relationship

"Ok! Ok... first things first. Music. Yes. Then food, then shower." You ran over your to do list, out loud, to no one but yourself. The plan was to have dinner on its way to ready in thirty minutes so that you could get changed and be gorgeous by the time Loki was expected home. Then, a romantic meal, some wine and if things went well, sexy time.

You felt a hot blush pink your cheeks. Just thinking about Loki in your bed made you flustered. It was distracting you from the pasta water and backing up your time line. "Get it together, girl.", you checked yourself.

Since you'd been planning this little evening for a week now you had already created a playlist for dinner music. Soft, sweet and sensual tunes to inspire hand holding by candlelight made up most of the mix. But for getting ready? No, you needed moving and shaking music. "80's pop. Yup yup!" And with a click The Cars started telling you about thier best friend's girlfriend.

Tomatoes, garlic, onions, herbs and cheese, the sauce was starting to smell amazing. Water was almost boiling, steamy tendrils rising from the surface, telling you that it was getting hot in there. Putting the garlic toast in the oven, you sighed.

"Now, to shower!"

The warm stream felt heavenly and you lingered a little longer than necessary under the calming spray. You were squeaky clean from your head to your shaved legs, smooth with exfoliators and moisturizing body wash, scented with vanilla and lavender by the time you shut off the faucet.

You wrapped your towel around your chest and added some mousse spray to your hair. Makeup and styling would be next to last on the finished list. But you brushed your teeth and gargled with mouthwash, even though it burned like fire.

Dinner is progressing nicely so you run to the bedroom. "Time check!" You sing this outloud, excitement growing at your possibility of actually pulling this plan of yours off. There's still plenty of time before Loki gets here.

Tearing into the paper shopping bag you remove your new emerald green push up bra. It has this edge of black lace and when you saw it all you could picture was Loki licking along the skin that would be exposed by the form fitting cups. You gulped hard and fastened the snaps happily.

The matching panties were, well, almost absurd. Technically it was two black string ties and a very, very narrow strip of green material, again, accented with lace. You could have worn nothing and felt less vulnerable but it was a matched set and you knew your mischief maker was going to enjoy taking it off of you.

There was a knock at your door which had you jumping out of your skin. "What in the world? It's too early to be Loki, right?" You slipped your thin robe over your underwear and moved towards the door. Peeping around the curtain you saw Loki standing on your stoop, bottle of wine in hand, smile on his face.

"You are early!" Swinging open the door, you flash him a frazzled grin as you pull your robe tighter and motion him inside. Before you can say anything else the smoke alarm starts to cry.

"SHIT!" Racing into the kitchen you can tell the garlic bread is cremated just from the smell. You curse again, flick off the oven and open it slowly as black smoke billows out. "Can you crack that window, babe?" Loki lifts the pane as you fan the air, trying desperately to clear the odor of burnt toast from the place.

"At least the pasta and sauce are ok." You're less enthusiastic than earlier. You're also almost shouting over Van Halen since you're 'getting ready' playlist was in full swing. Clicking the music off, your place is plunged into eerily silence.

Leaning on the kitchen island, already set for dinner, you gripe, "You're early. I'm not even dressed yet. And dinner... well. There's no bread now."

Cooly setting down the bottle he's carrying, Loki's been watching you with his side eyed stare. "Not that I mind in the least... but tell me darling, what are you up to?"

"I...I'm trying to seduce you." Throwing your hands in the air you flop into your kitchen chair, suddenly exhausted by all your efforts. Embarrassed and deflated, you hide your eyes, willing the welling tears not to fall.

Loki starts kneading your neck erasing the knots he finds there with firm pressure. His strong hands rub over your shoulders before saying, "Sorry to tell you this dearest, but I don't need you to seduce me." You felt your heart drop to your toes. "I find you so alluring already."

Sitting up, you start to turn towards him, but Loki's fantastic fingers hold you still. Your robe has slipped to puddle around your elbows. Those capable hands of his work the tendons connected to your collarbone from behind you. You sigh with contentment when they slide under the thin straps of your new bra.

"All of this for me? How romantic..." Loki's words are embers, his hands fire, igniting your body's desire. Under the fabric of your push up, his hands cup your breasts, palms pushing against your hardening nipples. Squeezing your full flesh roughly forces a moan out of you.

"Stand up, turn around. I want to see my seductress." You feel his grip leave your skin and do as he asks, rising without questioning his order, keen to have his hands on you once more.

"I think we can lose the robe, don't you?" Numbly you nod in agreement. Loki reaches for the belt knotted at your waist and yanks it free. With only gravity to help, the thin fabric pools on the kitchen floor.

Eyes widening, Loki drinks in your lingerie. You watch him nod, more to himself than anything else, and he husks at you, "Don't move."

"O...ok."

Loki is magic and you feel that truth through your lusty haze since you are now entirely under his spell. Your gaze follows him as he opens a couple of your drawers, looking and digging, until triumphantly brandishing your wine opener. With little work he pops the cork, red wine ready to pour. Next you hear him turning the knobs of your stove, closing the burners, and you start to protest.

"No. Never mind that. Bedroom. Now, please." Loki's orders are polite but firm and you pad to your room, nervous and a little aroused.

"Loki? I..." Shushing you, he commands, "Drink this." Placing a glass of wine to your lips, Loki tips the liquid down your throat, so close to you without touching. You feel a little dribble snake over your chin and drip onto your chest.

Loki licks its track from the crease of your mouth, down over your jaw. The spot above your bra line is where Loki sucks your skin free of the stain, leaving a beautiful merlot colored bruise there for tomorrow. Melding your mouths together, his tongue exploring you deeply, Loki pauses to tease, "Hmmm... a tasty vintage."

Loki's eyes never leave yours as he paces around you endlessly, scrutinizing you, surveying your barely concealed body. He's still fully dressed in that classical casual way of his. A black fitted t-shirt tucked into dark jeans. A jacket, also black, hugging his shoulders. Boots that make every step he takes sound important. Fully clothed, he's long and lethal while you're practically nude and naive.

"This outfit is quite revealing, my dove. What made you choose it?" Standing in front of you finally, he crosses his arms over his chest. His right hand stroking his chin, the way a judgemental professor might, ready to weigh your words.

Loki's dominance of the situation dampens the minuscule fabric running between your legs. Hadn't you wanted tonight to be about seduction, after all? About Loki and you coming undone together. Sure, it's not exactly what you had planned, but damn, is it sexy. There's nothing to be ashamed about here. You lift your eyes to his and square your shoulders.

"At first, the color. Your colors."

Arching an eyebrow, Loki prods, "At first?"

Swallowing roughly, voice soft but strong, you continue, "Yes. But then I thought about you taking it off of me and how happy that would make you. It does, right? Please you, I mean?"

"Sounds like it would be pleasing to you, dear. Be honest now, because I will know if you aren't." Stepping into your space, crowding you against the bed, Loki's voice was barely a whisper but it carried the promise of venom. "You wanted me to see you like this... barely covered by useless under garments, flushed in anticipation of my taking your body, eager to give yourself to me so that you could be pleasured. That was your plan all along, correct?"

You nod, agreeing, hypnotized by Loki's dark words and his deep cadence. Louder now, Loki chides, "I didn't hear you. Wasn't that your plan?"

"Yes... yes, Loki.", you stammer like a repentant child. He smiles that leviathan smile fully aware of the sway he has over you now.

Reaching for the front of your bra, Loki murmurs, "None of this is for me, is it?" And you gasp, scandalized, as he breaks the elasticized straps holding the emerald band in place. His rough hands roam over your silken skin shooting an electric charge through you. It creates liquid heat in the lowest part of your belly and you flex your thighs together to relieve the building tension.

"What a selfish slut you are... so needy, so desperate that you'll do whatever I say, whatever I want, to get your release. I'll bet those tiny knickers of yours are sodden, aren't they pet?"

Knowing now that he wants to hear your voice, you exhale gently and agree, "Yes. Yes, sir."

He's standing as close to you as possible without touching your enflamed skin. You can feel Loki's breath fan over you as he charges, "Give them to me."

You're unable to tear your eyes from Loki's. An out of control heat, cold blue, burns there ready to set your soul on fire. It's exhilarating and still scares the shit out of you.

Without looking away you hook the filmsy strings under your thumbs. You lift one leg, then the other, until the glorified scrap was balled in your fist. Mortified at the moisture you felt on the fabric, you dropped the small bundle into Loki's open hand.

"The top. Lose it." With shaking hands you unhook the ripped and ruined garment freeing your heavy breasts to the cool air. Reflexively your nipples pucker from exposure, something that is not lost on Loki. You watch him lick his bottom lip in hunger.

But he still hasn't put a hand on you yet.

"Look at you now, my would be seducer. Naked, whimpering in lust, wet and ready to do whatever you must in order to climax. If good women think only of their lover's desires then what does that make you?" Loki wraps spun silk words around you, just like a spider might.

"Bad... Selfish." It's an admission you made from guilt. He was right. You were very bad.

"Yes. Selfish. Thoughtless. Wanton and greedy. And you will pay for it." Each word was flung at you ferociously with a stinging bite.

Shoving you, Loki forces you down on top of your freshly made bed. The downy softness caresses your bare back, a comfort, as you aren't sure what Loki has in mind as a form of repayment.

Quietly Loki starts giving you directions. "Lie back all the way. Spread your legs... Wider." He watches you from the foot of your bed, eyes savoring the lewd display of your form, drinking in the details of your debasement.

Swallowing the remaining wine from your glass, Loki orders, "I want to see all of you, my pet." And you want to show Loki your dripping body, aching for his attention. You need him to see how far your knees will part, how open and available you are for him. It's his praise you are keen to earn. To be considered Loki's good girl, worthy of his love, that was what you had to prove.

"Touch yourself." There's no room for debate in his whispered edict. Nervous now, you search his eyes, hopeful of finding some understanding there. You see only Loki's crystalline blue depths as you hear a second command, edged in acid, at your delay. "I told you to touch youself."

"Wh... what?"

"Use your hands. Just like you would do in the deep dark of night, darling." Lowering his tone to a carnal croon, Loki added, "Make yourself cum... for me."

Loki watches you nod gently, chewing on your bottom lip, as your lacquered nails graze over your extended neck. Wishing it was the hands of your lover on you, you palmed your breasts before pinching your tightening nipples. A pleasant sigh floated out of you as you tugged and twisted on your hardened buds.

"Hmmm... tell me, dove, what are you thinking about?"

"You... your mouth, Loki... the way you suck on me until it hurts so good. Ah!" Fluttering closed, you shut your eyes against the rising pressure of pleasure inside you.

"You look so scrumptious. Like a saucy little cake just calling out to be devoured... hmm... keep going." Loki's voice, normally so fluid and formal, is dusky with desire. Uneven breaths punctuate his sentences and somehow that pushes your own flames higher.

Bucking your hips under your open palms, you try to touch every inch of skin available to you. You slow down over the satin of your thighs. Eagerly driven to bring yourself off, you battle internally, knowing full well Loki wants this to drag on as long as possible.

Your hands close in on your succulent center. Cupping over your core, the moan you release is ragged and raw. You drag a finger through your slick slit, gathering the evidence of your excitement and spreading it up over your clit.

Tipping your head back, you inhale sharply when you make contact with your straining bundle of nerves. The firm pad of your finger circles the sensitive skin and you shudder. Into the game of self pleasure now, your right hand continues what you were ordered to start, your left has found its way to your chest and your abandoned nipples.

"Loki... Ah... babe... I... I..." You could hardly form words around the swelling steam of your arousal. Feeling the velvet walls inside of you pulse, desperate for the filling pressure of Loki's body, your orgasm was close. Eyes shut, finger moving over your bud in frantic patterns, you were seconds away from shattering.

Loki, wrapping a capable hand around your ankle and one over your hip, pulled you to the edge of the bed with one jerk. For a moment you panicked, arms lifting off of your blushing body to grip the sheets, trying to hold onto the satisfaction that nearly was yours. Anticipating your movements, Loki lifted your knees to wrap around his waist, his throbbing member teasing at your inflamed entrance.

"Look at me, little dove. You've earned your gratification. Now I am going to take mine as well."

Groaning with the force of his thrust, Loki collapses into you, your well oiled body accepting him greedily. His heavy presence alone is enough to trip your bliss and he sees your eyes widen as pleasure spasms through you. Snapping your head back in a soundless scream, you feel your body gripping Loki's, pulling his release from him as your limbs tug him closer to you.

His left hand tightens around your exposed throat, his power over you complete, as his right clamps onto the swell of your hip. "Where shall I cum, darling? On your magnificent breasts?" He rakes his nails across those bouncing orbs of flesh in ownership. "Or maybe on your soft stomach?" Trailing his fingers over your abdomen and circling your bellybutton for emphasis. "Or shall I cum deep inside of you? Filling you until your body overflows?"

Barely recovered from your first orgasm, Loki's graphic language and savage intent have you moaning. Your body is already gathering the ingredients of another climax from your over sensitized sexual system. "Inside me, please Loki. I want to feel you!" It's desperate and deliciously wicked to admit, but it is also honest.

"My dulcet darling!" Loki snarls as he drops his forehead to yours and drives into you harder than ever. You respond with a delayed groan of pleasure, your peak pulling Loki deeper, as he ruts against your womb. True to his filthy words, Loki's release is long and bottomless. His mouth finds you in a hungry rush, his firm tongue twisting with yours as thoroughly as your bodies were entwined.

Tangling his hands in your hair, Loki kisses your brow then down your flushed cheek and across the bridge of your nose. "You're going to have to let go of me, dearest.", Loki chuckles softly in your ear.

"Oh god, I didn't realize..." Clinging to his hard body like a barnacle post coital, you unwrap your arms first, shaking the feeling back into your limp muscles. Loki continues to kiss down your torso until he's kneeling between your legs. Looking down at the mess he's made of you, Loki hums, "So beautiful... so sinful. So mine."

Smiling ruefully, you tell him, "This isn't how I thought tonight would go...I had it all planned. And I am mortified about dinner. Turns out I am not so good at seduction after all."

Lifting a brow Loki answers, "You are more seductive than your realize. It's what made tonight's... pleasure possible. And dinner is easy enough to manage."

Your doorbell rings, surprising you. Loki raises a hand saying, "Allow me." So smoothly, he slips on his pants, heading towards your front door. You can hear a soft exchange, words of thanks, then the clink of glasses.

"I didn't think I could love you anymore." It tumbles out of your mouth thoughtlessly at the amazing sight before you. Loki is holding the bottle of wine, two goblets and a freshly delivered pizza. You sit up in bed reaching for the box, suddenly famished. Loki pours out two glasses of wine before joining you in bed.

"Tonight has been spectacular!" Loki toasts you as he pulls out a slice for himself. "Thank the Gods you burned the garlic toast!"

[fuckyeahevanrwood]

Evan Rachel Wood: Rock Star Rebel

She is undoubtedly one of the most talented actors of her generation, possessing an uncanny ability to effortlessly inhabit a wide range of characters. Although she is currently most famous for her role on HBO’s smash hit Westworld, every character in her oeuvre is real, honest, and brimming with emotion, whether or not the project meets her talent. So it shouldn’t come as such a surprise that Evan Rachel Wood has slid so gracefully into her latest role…as a rock star.

Last year, Wood formed the group Rebel and a Basketcase with her fiancee and artistic abettor, Zach Villa, and I have been invited to meet the two at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego. With its sleek interior, lively atmosphere, and ample music memorabilia, the hotel is the perfect place to encounter a rock star power couple for the first time. The duo is there to perform a special concert to celebrate the launch of Hard Rock’s new WAX program, which allows each guest to have a Crosley record player and a basket of vinyl delivered to their room upon request. It’s a very cool, very Hard Rock program, and I couldn’t think of two more appropriate ambassadors than Wood and Villa.

The Rebel and a Basketcase experience is both auditory and visual, with striking pastel images that recall vintage Bowie and music that is a beautiful, freeing assault incorporating an array of genres as disparate as the characters in Wood’s filmography. (Electronic Pop, 80s Glam Rock, Contemporary Alternative…there is a lot to feast on here.) Lyrically it’s a little easier to characterize. The unifying theme of songs like “Today” and “Oh Yeah” is one of freedom — freedom of expression, freedom from inhibition, freedom from dogmatic gender roles. “Why can’t I just be me?” Wood asks repeatedly on the latter track, a single from last year. If you’ve been following her career, you would know that she is not one to readily conform.

It may sound like a cliché, but Wood literally has been acting her entire life. She grew up in North Carolina amongst a family of thespians and film professionals. Her father was the director of a local theatre company where as an infant she first appeared in a production of A Christmas Carol, and throughout her childhood honed her skills. By the time she was a teenager, Wood had already appeared in films alongside the likes of Al Pacino and Nicole Kidman, and at the age of fourteen, she earned her first of three Golden Globe nominations for playing a troubled teenager in the controversial movie Thirteen. Both the film and Wood’s performance felt like a revelation.

Wood quickly developed a knack for stealing scenes. She was riveting as Mickey Rourke’s estranged daughter in The Wrestler and heartbreaking as a tragically naive intern who falls for George Clooney in The Ides of March. But it wasn’t until Westworld that she had another front-and-center starring showcase with the kind of widespread attention as Thirteen. The sci-fi series debuted last fall as the biggest new show in HBO history (yes, even bigger than Game of Thrones), and was just awarded an astounding 22 Emmy nominations, including one for Wood (her second) for her lead role as android “host” Dolores Abernathy. Her character’s journey was tragic, heartrending, and profoundly cathartic. In a cast that included titans like Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris, Wood shone brightest.

To a different degree, the same might be said about her performance at the Hard Rock. Despite some minor technical difficulties and obvious growing pains (it’s only the band’s second or third show with this lineup), Rebel and a Basketcase pulsate with vibrant energy and emotion. While Villa is clearly a seasoned pro, flashing classic guitar god poise, Wood is far less polished, far less calculating, and, just as she is on-screen, undeniably captivating. Towards the end of the show, she boldly stage dives head-first into the crowd. “That was my first time crowd surfing!” she exclaims enthusiastically afterward. One gets the sense that Wood might be having the most fun of her entire life in these performances.

It is only fitting that someone who grew up acting in plays would meet her fiancee on-stage in front of a crowd, but that is exactly how Wood and Villa came together. In a meet-cute maybe even too far fetched for Hollywood, the couple first laid eyes upon one another while acting in John Hughes Cabaret with the theatre company For the Record. Both were playing characters from Hughes’  Breakfast Club: Villa the Judd Nelson role (“Rebel”), and Wood the Ally Sheedy character (“Basketcase”). The creative chemistry was immediate, the rest is history.

As a musician, Villa is self-taught, and one senses he has to work very hard to get to where he is today. And while he surely wouldn’t deny that her fame has given the band instant credibility and a platform on which to stand, after spending time with the two, it is not painfully obvious they are very madly in love, but also that they compliment one another very well both domestically and creatively. Villa seems like a calming, grounding force in the hectic life of a young actress and mother, and both describe their professional relationship as utterly symbiotic.

Both write, produce, and conceptualize visuals. Both collaborated to direct their new, blithely 80s video for “Today.” After a while, I get a strong feeling that Wood is the unbridled id — all raw inherent talent — whereas Villa is her more calculated left-brain counterpart.There are certain things he hears that I just don’t,” she tells me, “he’s really good at fine-tuning the sounds and the instruments; he gets into the minutia where I am like ‘this is so out of my realm.’ Yet she goes on to say: “But then I will come in with these big stupid ideas — ‘it needs an Enya chorus!’ — that somehow work.” It’s “macro/micro,” Villa says.

After the performance, I walk “backstage” to discover Wood sipping colored water out of an Evian bottle (“I just thought it looked cool”) and tell her that I was genuinely impressed by the performance. “Thank you!” she says with earnest enthusiasm. I say “I wasn’t expecting it to be so…” “Powerful?” she asks. “Yes.” It is precisely the word. “Yeah, we get that a lot,” she says earnestly, “people are usually taken off guard.” Not the least bit surprised by the performance are the scores of fans that have gathered on the other side of the velvet rope. Many of them have driven down from LA, or further, and they have band t-shirts and pictures from famous photo shoots Wood has done, like an incredibly striking one with Terry Richardson for GQ a few years back.

She quickly walks over and greets them with hugs, spending the next 20 to 30 minutes leisurely posing for selfies and having moments with each of them. Eventually, someone brings out a tray of absurdly large shots of Clase Azul tequila and I find myself in the surreal, very Almost Famous situation of huddling for a group chant with the band before toasting and downing the shots. Afterward, Wood and Villa proceed to hang out with the fans, dancing goofily to a remix of Oasis’ “Wonderwall.”

“She loves them,” Villa later tells me about the fans, “they’re very important to her.” As we sit in a booth after the bar has cleared out, he goes on to say: “She has the weight of the world on her shoulders…and she handles it magnificently.” While I am sure a lot that weight comes from being a mother to her nearly four-year-old son and simply being a young actress in Hollywood, there is obvious inherent pressure in being on a massive hit like Westworld.

The doesn’t return until some time next year, and while plot details are scarce — “I literally know as much as you,” Wood jokes — one thing we do know is that it would be unwise for her character to not have a central role again. The success of the show’s brilliant, labyrinthine first season hinged primarily on the strength of her performance. Delores was the perfect stand-in for the audience. She personified our confusion. And it was because Wood made this inhuman character so utterly compelling, so feeling, and inexorably human, that the entire journey was so emotional.

When I ask her about the heart-wrenching moment when (spoiler alert!) Dolores finally reaches the end of “the maze” and learns the truth about her existence, she reveals that she bawled her eyes out on set that day. “That was tough,” she confesses. Aside from Westworld, both Wood and Villa assure me that a full-length album should be out “very soon,” and Wood admits she wants to start transitioning more into writing and directing. She has a script she co-wrote with Jenny Slate (Obvious Child), a dramedy she hopes will be “kind of revolutionary for women,” and intends to direct in the immediate future. Later I candidly ask Villa if he thinks she can pull it off. “Yes,” he says without hesitation. “She can do anything.”

[toast-connoisseur]

All the weird asks

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans? -I love coffee mugs, tea cups, and wine glasses even though I don’t drink any of those drinks lol

2. chocolate bars or lollipops? -Chocolate bars!

3. bubblegum or cotton candy? -Cotton candy

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you? -“a pleasure to have in class” of course!

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups? -Nothing beats bottled soda from Mexico!

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear? -I guess I’m a bit of goth and tomboy mixed? I don’t think any of these really describe me, I’m more into the retro/rockabilly style.

7. earbuds or headphones? -Earbuds for the most part.

8. movies or tv shows? -Movies!

9. favorite smell in the summer? -Chlorine in pool water.

10. game you were best at in p.e.? -The “soy down and chit chat” we’d play on a rainy day indoors.

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day? -Egg and a slice of toast!

12. name of your favorite playlist? -I made my best friend a “From Hot Girl Summer to Thotumn” and it’s pretty lit.

13. lanyard or key ring? -Both? Lanyards are cool though.

14. favorite non-chocolate candy? -Anything with tamarindo!

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment? -Rosemary’s Baby although i technically got to pick it for my assignment.

16. most comfortable position to sit in? -I switch a lot because of my back pain but I usually like when my legs are raised.

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes? -My chucks!

18. ideal weather? -Sunny with a slight breeze so it’s not hot.

19. sleeping position? -Half on my side. I sleep odd because I want to sleep on my stomach but my boobs won’t let me.

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)? -Post it’s and laptop!

21. obsession from childhood? -Stickersss

22. role model? -Dita Von Teese

23. strange habits? -I tend to chew on the side of my tongue while I concentrate. I’ve been told it makes me look stupid.

24. favorite crystal? -Green Aventurine

25. first song you remember hearing? -Something by Shakira probably

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather? -Beach!

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather? -Cuddle up and watch movies!

28. five songs to describe you? -Dancing Queen (ABBA), Don’t Stop Me Now (Queen), Flawless Remix (Beyoncé ft. Nicki Minaj), Kiss My Sass (Cobra Starship), and Act Up (City Girls)

29. best way to bond with you? -Tell me a secret and I’ll tell you one of mine

30. places that you find sacred? -None now tbh

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names? -Uhh a band shirt and leggings? Idk lmao

32. top five favorite vines? -How? I’d have to write all the lines down or hunt links on YouTube lmao

33. most used phrase in your phone? -TEAAA

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head? -1 800-588-2300 Empiiiiire TODAY

35. average time you fall asleep? -M-F around 10ish or earlier and weekends I try to sleep late!

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing? -The “forever alone” ones lol

37. suitcase or duffel bag? -Depends on where I’m going and for how long.

38. lemonade or tea? -Lemonade

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie? -Ohh this one is tough... umm pie?

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school? -We always had riots and brawls but one time the way it started in one corner of the school and made it all the way to the other end was funny because you could see how the riot spread.

41. last person you texted? -My sister!

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets? -Jacket!

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket? -Jean jacket!

44. favorite scent for soap? -For body soap, I like a soft clean scent and for hand soap I like eucalyptus mint.

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero? -Sci-Fi!

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in? -Pj pants/shorts and a tank top!

47. favorite type of cheese? -Provolone

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be? -An Orange, you gotta peel off the layers before you get to the sweet stuff!

49. what saying or quote do you live by? “Life sucks and then you die” -My senior year government teacher

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have? -Literal nonsense my friends and I come up with.

51. current stresses? -Work, school, family, the virus... should I continue?

52. favorite font? -I’m honestly so used to Times New Roman that I forget others exist.

53. what is the current state of your hands? -Washed and clean!!

54. what did you learn from your first job? -Kids are fun, adults suck

55. favorite fairy tale? -Cinderella!

56. favorite tradition? -My family doesn’t have any so I’m hoping I’ll have some someday with someone.

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome? -All of 2018. Finding a home within a week, keeping a full time job even though I’m exhausted, finishing college

58. four talents you’re proud of having? -I give really good hugs, I’m good at helping people, I’m a self-starter, and I’m very organized

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be? -Yiiiikes

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be? -I know nothing about anime

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.? -“The greatest thing you will ever learn is just to love, and be loved in return.” -Moulin Rouge (2001)

62. seven characters you relate to? -None, really. Which is a good thing considering I mostly read stories about murder mysteries and I am in fact, not a murderer.

63. five songs that would play in your club? -Act Up (City Girls), I Want it That Way (Backstreet Boys), Bye Bye Bye (NSYNC), Shake That Monkey (Too $hort), Oye Mi Amor (Maná)

64. favorite website from your childhood? -Neopets!

65. any permanent scars? -On my pinky from a cut with glass and on my eyebrow from stitches I got

66. favorite flower(s)? -Recently? Peonies

67. good luck charms? -Just the number 17 really

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried? -Sea urchin

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned? -All leaves have symmetry!

70. left or right handed? -I’m right handed for writing, left for everything else really

71. least favorite pattern? -I love all patterns!

72. worst subject? -Math, but I like it?

73. favorite weird flavor combo? -Certain cereals with chocolate milk lol

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen? -10

75. when did you lose your first tooth? -I have no idea. All mine fell out early on.

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?’ -Potatoes are my favorite! I’d go with french fries though

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill? -The one you can grow out of a little bean lol

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store? -Always sushi

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo? -School ID

80. earth tones or jewel tones? -Both but I like the pop of jewel tones!

81. fireflies or lightning bugs? -“You would not believe your eyes, if 10 million fireflies...”

82. pc or console? -Console

83. writing or drawing? -Writing. I love to draw, but I’m shit at it

84. podcasts or talk radio? -Podcasts

84. barbie or polly pocket? -Barbieee

85. fairy tales or mythology? -Mythology

86. cookies or cupcakes? -Por que no los dos? Umm cookies!

87. your greatest fear? -Being buried alive

88. your greatest wish? -To be happy

89. who would you put before everyone else? -My nephew

90. luckiest mistake? -Interviewing for an entry level position and getting hired for something higher up

91. boxes or bags? -Depends on what I’m transporting

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights? -Sunlight in the morning, fairy lights at night

93. nicknames? -Barbie, Barbz, Dumb Bitch

94. favorite season? -Spring

95. favorite app on your phone? -IG

96. desktop background? -The moon

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized? -All my family and I used to have my best friends numbers too but then they switched their numbers and I never re-learned them

98. favorite historical era? -The Modern Era? Minus the racism.

Thanks Anon💕

[douglasconstruction]

7 Things I'm Totally Obsessed with This Month (August 2017 Edition)

These are thoughts, the artwork, the news stories, the tools, the food, the conversations, and whatever else we just can't get out of our heads this month.       

1. The Astronomical Event: The 2017 Solar Eclipse

A lot of people are talking about this today. Consider me among them. My house is only 45 minutes from the "path of totality," which means two things - 1) the epicenter of the event is extremely physically close and accessible (with planning) and 2) what I would have seen from my front yard is 99.3% of the real deal. Is that good enough?

In most situations, I'd say — yeah, 99.3% is as much as you can ask for. And you can avoid the crowds, the hassles, and the traffic jams. But, in this case, that .7% makes all the difference.

So, we headed out on Sunday, to Madras, Oregon, the premier place identified by experts to see the eclipse. (Dead center in the path of totality, and the least chance of clouds or other weather to obscure the sky.) Madras, where NASA itself decided to host its event. Madras, where teams of scientists from all over the the world set up their equipment to monitor the event.

Madras, which is accessible only by two-lane mountain pass state routes that were guaranteed to clog with traffic.

I'll share the details with you if you want. Email me. Yes, it was crowded, but not unbearably. Yes, I stood in line for an hour to use the filthiest portable bathroom I've ever been in. Yes, the traffic on the way out was truly ridiculous (though we arrived there with no problems). Yes, the volunteers running the thing had no idea what they were doing. Yes, my neck still hurts from sleeping in the car. 

But — and I have no other way of saying it — it was completely amazing and totally worth every, dust-covered second. The people their became a real community, they helped each other out, they bonded, they shared their supplies, telescopes, and food and water. I had a completely enjoyable hour long conversation while waiting for that bathroom with folks from all over the west. And. the. moon. covered. up. the. sun. entirely. for. more. than. two. minutes.

It came. Just like they said it would. The light was insane. The shadows unreal. I stared directly at the sun at 10:20 in the morning, and it was among the most beautiful things I've ever seen. 

The older I get, the more I struggle with the calculus about going to big, crowded events. Is that concert really worth $50 a ticket, plus fees? Do I really want to stand on my feet for six hours through two opening bands and not have the headliners start until after 11:00pm, meaning I don't get to bed until at least one or two on a work night?

But, when I go. I never regret it. I don't remember the traffic jams. I remember the event that I signed up to see. The eclipse reminded me that when I say yes, I always think it's worth it. 

Photo: Andy Whale/Courtesy of Faber & Faber

2. The Interview: Billy Bragg in conversation with Terry Gross

Here's my take on Billy Bragg before listening to this: I like him. He's really important to a certain lineage of roots music that I'm particularly interested in. I'm glad he's out there. He's had a thirty-plus year career and I'm familiar with some of his music, but I certainly haven't heard most of his catalog.

Here's my take on Billy Bragg after listening to this: Billy Bragg is the most fascinating, well-spoken musician of all time, and I should listen to him non-stop.

I exaggerate, but just a bit. The truth is: this is a great forty-five minute conversation. Bragg is incredibly evocative with his language, but always approachable and easy to listen to. Terry Gross is obviously charmed by him, and she's at her best when she lets her guard down a bit, and allows herself to become a bit giddy. 

Worth a listen, even if your not a huge fan of either Fresh Air or Billy Bragg. It's simply great audio, period. 

3. The Film: Beatriz at Dinner

This thing truly blew me away. It's one of the most interesting movies I've seen this year. 

Not a line in this movie is wasted. There's so much control present in the filmmaking here. Everything is intentional, purposeful, and contributes to the desired tone. Every actor delivers every single line exactly the way they should. Hayek and Lithgow get the biggest lines, but Connie Britton and Amy Landecker manage to pull up both a creepy/disgusting and yet sympathetic vibe that totally blew me away.

The reviews seem to think it's "pretty good," though users don't seem to give it as high praise of the critics. It might be because it was released the same year as "Get Out" They're great companion pieces, for sure.

Maybe it's because I've seen all of Miguel Arteta's previous movies, and liked them. I think Mike White is a particularly interesting screenwriter. Maybe it's because I was on a really nice date night with my wife, on our first evening out alone after having had house guests for nearly a month. It might have even been the two particularly good Oregon beers I sipped during the run time. But I really, really loved this as a piece of filmmaking, and an avenue for serious performers to be great. I think you should see it too.

Honorable mention: I watched Nocturnal Animals last night. I think it's pretty great, and worth a watch. It's streaming now on HBO if you have access. 

4. The Recipe: Big's Smoked Chicken

This is the dish I have been craving all summer. I made it early in the season, and many times since, and I'm certain it will become a go-to when having friends over for a grill night.

It's from a local Portland restaurant, that I have not been to, because, tragically, the building that housed it experienced an electrical fire a riff on Alabama-style barbecue chicken, meaning it comes with a white, mayo-based sauce which sounds crazy, but it amazing as it caramelizes and blackens over high heat at the last minute. (Mayo, is, basically just oil and eggs, so not that nuts.) I've made some adjustments to make it simpler to prepare on the regular in smaller batches. I'll use whatever fruitwood or hickory smoking woods I have on hand. I don't always do the Fresno pepper sauce, though I do like it, and sometimes I'll just brine or use a simpler rub to make it happen faster. 

But - it's good stuff, and anyone who eats meat will love this, we promise. Throw in a couple extra thighs or leg quarters to make sure you have plenty of leftovers to go with the sauce. 

5. The Podcast: Slate's Hit Parade

Here's why Hit Parade from Chris Molanphy is my podcast of summer: it's the exact right length. It gives you only as much details as you need to dig deep and understand what's happening, and spares you unnecessary details.

What is it? It's a look at music chart history, and an exploration of the cultural context that surround pop music hits: four, so far. 

Here's what I don't like about it: it's hard to find. Technically, I think it lives in Slate's Culture Gabfest feed once a month, but it doesn't show up in my SlatePlus version, so I have to remember to look for it and manually track it down. It's worth it, but the info here is good enough to warrant its own URL. 

Here are the episodes so far. Please start in order, even though you don't think you can listen to forty minutes on UB40. You can.

6. The Chart: The Ultimate Single Malt Scotch Flavor Map

I love summer, like a lot. But when the weather starts to crisp and the days shorten a bit, I'll be plenty okay. I have my fall traditions, but the one I'm looking forward to the most is my annual indulgence bottle of whiskey purchase.

I actually don't spend much on liquor. People think I'm some connesieur, but I think I really just have an interest in learning. I like higher end stuff, but I really don't drink enough to justify the spending. I have a few sub $25 staples that I keep around, and that's usually it. 

But each October, I do treat myself to one $80 or $100 bottle to enjoy as the leaves change, and before the craziness of the holidays hit, and this graphic on Vinepair totally helps me understand why I like what I do. You better believe I'll be consulting it before I bust out the credit card. (Considering that Talisker 18...but it goes for $165 here. Maybe I should see if I can find a glass first. Anyone have any experience with it?)

7. The Good for You Habit: Stretching

I'm hesitant to give any sort of medical advice here, but I do want to share: this month, I have visited the chiropractor for the first time. I wanted to learn proper stretching technique to tackle specific issues, and its completely changed my life. I had no idea how few of my muscles I was using to support my back, and how limited the two activities I do most - road biking and working at a desk - keep me cramped up from the top of my head to the base of my feet. 

If you've never been, and your health insurance will make it affordable, I really do encourage you to try it. It's not just about cracking and adjusting, it's about learning lifestyle changes to keep you flexible for as long into life as possible. I'm sold. 

  Tagged:

Good Read by Source

[donuts-rule-everything-arou-blog]

Hey there folks!   Here is the first on many gravel routes originating from the Hamilton/Dundas area for your riding pleasure.  This route originally began with Jamie Murrays idea to go to Paris for some Apple Fritters and so forth thus “3 the Hard Way” evolved based on the fact we needed to stop at Monigrams for donuts as well. D.R.E.A.M Team reigns supreme! https://www.strava.com/routes/10047260 Okay first and foremost all rides start and end and Grupetto Cycling Cafe (64 Hatt Street) in beautiful downtown Dundas  That is our non written rule and we encourage you to do the same!  Unless of course clause “I need caffeine and nothing else is open” takes effect in which case it is Stabucks. Which is close in distance to Grupetto but a little further in taste.  Which of course falls under the elusive D.R.E.A.M Constitutional by-laws 

Okay so this is a big one and not for the faint of heart.  This loop is 53% road, 42% Gravel and 5% double track or “rough stuff”.  If you want something easy than I just suggest you take the easier rail trail route.  Now please listen carefully to these instructions as there are some sections you may wish to by-pass and there are some navigational instructions that are pretty crucial.  Also please take 3 bottles of water to start.  It is about 80 km before you have access to purchasing water.   Here is the legend  G= Gravel: Generally dirt roads and wider commuter paths like the rail trail   P= Pavement DT= Double Track :  The rough stuff that is mtb worthy  I have broken this down into sections based on the area and surface types. Please refer to the Strava route map for direction.  I will try to include any small details in terms of navigation that a GPS device wont help you with. A) P= A gradual climb up Wilson Street via Dundas and down into Sulphur Springs/ Mineral Springs Road.  **This is a very gradual climb but long and be prepared to stop just following the descent to enter the Headwaters Trail into the Dundas Valley.***   12 km with 172 m of elevation gain B) This has a little bit of everything in it.  You enter and climb up the Dundas Valley than descend back into it towards Middleton Road. Note there is some challenging gravel climbs in here! DT= Headwaters Trail to Martin Road:  **You take a right on the bridge than a left up a hill by an information sign than be prepared for a right turn in mid descent which takes you over a bridge and you should come out on Martin Road (the finish line of the P2A Race)**** 1.6 km with 46 meters of elevation gain. G= Martin Road to Jerseyville Road: This is the finish line for the Paris to Ancaster Race which is a fairly challenging gravel climb.  It brings you out behind the Ancaster Rotary Center which connects to Jerseyville Road. 0.5 km with 41 meters of elevation gain P= Jerseyville Road to Paddys Greene Road: Quick paved section 2.4 km with 23 meters of climbing G= Paddys Greene Road/Slote Road and Mineral Springs Road: A fast gravel section with little bit of climbing at the start.  Its fun to blast this 4.7 km with 42 meters of climbing P = Binkley Road:  Fast rolling paved section 1.1 km with 7 meters of elevation gain C) This is a fairly straight section that goes up Middleton Road to the bottom of the Lafarge 2000 Trail.  It starts off with a rough gravel descent and flattens out with some very fast rolling gravel and pavement sections. G= Middleton Road:  As you cross over Governors Road Binkley turns into Middleton Road.  You will know you are going in the right direction because the first part of the road is closed to cars and blocked off.  ***Be careful descending the road is super loose and often has washouts**** This is followed by a good sized climb that is  turns into pavement. 0.9 km with 44m of elevation gain. G & P= Middleton Road to Lafarge 2000 Trail:  This is a combination of pavement and crushed stone and gravel.  It starts with a fairly descent climb and than flattens out taking you to the bottom of Lafarge Trail. 9.1 km with 70 meters of elevation gain. D) Lafarge 2000 Trail:  This is double track with some really hard climbs, challenging, descents and has lots of potential washout spots and rough sections.  Use caution on this!  It starts at Concession 6 and ends at Gore Road.  The first section has some brutal climbs that realistically 95 % of people dont make it up because it is technical and requires some serious fitness.  There is no shame in running up many do.  If you wish to by pass this section of the trail do this ****turn right of Concession 6 than left of Brock Road than an other left of Safari Road which you turn right onto Middleton Road which turns back in to the trail.

DT= Lafarge 2000 Trail Concession 6 to Safari Road: This first section is better known as the “Drumlins of Death”If you have the technical skills to even get up as wash outs and loose gravel is a factor you better make sure you have the fitness and power.  There are some pretty twisty downhills of loose gravel. Please see by pass above ^. 2km with 75 meters of painful climbing P = Safari Road to Concession 8/Lafarge Trail: Rolling paved sections with a few climbs.  ***You take a quick right on Concession 8 than a the first left to re-enter the Lafarge Trail*** 2.3 km with 63 meters of elevation gain DT=  The next section of Lafarge is fairly fast ***minus the rock garden you roll down to access it***.  This is where tubeless tires are suggested “Pinch”.  Be careful on the line of choice. 1.8 km with 17 meters of elevation gain P= Just a quick connector section keep straight up the hill! .4 km with 16 m of elevation gain DT= This is the last part of Lafarge which is really beautiful ! It has some fairly twisty descents with possibility of having some washed-out sections.  Dont be too gun heavy!  It also has some climbs and crosses a marsh on a bridge.  You end up on Gore Road. 2.6 km with 57 meters of elevation gain E) This next section goes along Gore Road towards Cambridge with a few turn for some fairly fast rolling gravel roads.  There is a bit of climbing going up towards Concession 2 but you make up for it with the return to Gore Road via Side Road 10. P= Gore Road 3.4 km with 6 meters of elevation gain G= Concession 7 is a fast rolling gravel road with some climbing 4.3 km with 72 meters of climbing

P= Concession 2 is a relatively flat fast rolling paved section that goes along a construction quarry towards Cambridge 7.2 km with 28 meters of elevation gain G= Side Road 10 is a gravel road that has a gradual descent.  This is a great spot to try to make good time! 3.9 km with 3 meters of climbing

F) The next section is the biggest paved section of the ride which brings you into Cambridge for a rest stop and brings you to the start of a very fun fast gravel loop in the Cambridge/Paris area. Cambridge has two very nice coffee spots that are located very close to each other.  Monigrams ,16 Ainslie St. South, just before the bridge and Grand River and Grand Cafe, 18 Queens Square, just after the bridge.  Also stock up of water because after this you will be “out there” until you return to Dundas.  There are also a few hills to climb. Please refer to the Strava route for the specifics

21.5 km with 174 meters of elevation gain. G) This next section is a gravel route that we did on the “Tour de Grande”.  It has little bit of everything and tons of fun fast rolling gravel sections.   G= Brant/Waterloo and Shouldice Side Road is fast rolling quick gravel section 2.1 km with 4 meters of elevation gain P= Beke and Wrigley Road is a connecting pavement section that brings you to the start of a pretty epic gravel section. 6.6 km with 31 meters of climbing

G= This next gravel section which includes Reidsville Road, Brant/Waterloo, Nith Road, West Dumpfries Road and West River Road is so fun and beautiful it will make your head spin faster than your wheels.  It is has rolling hills with some climbing. 18.6 km with 140 meters of elevation gain P= Glen Morris Road brings you to the next epic gravel section it is slight downhill with a climb at the end. 3.4 km with 34 meter of elevation gain

H) Yet an other epic gravel section! Sorry to put you through such torture! P & G= Princess Street turns into McPherson School Road this involves some subtle climbing and rolling sections. 3.4 km with 39 meters of elevation gain

G= McLeans School Road is a rolling gravel road with some small climbs that tapers out to pavement before turning down Burts Road. 7.7 km with 56 meters of elevation gain P= McLeans Road a connecting flat section to Burts Road.

1 km 6 meters G= Burt's Road is a two part gravel section that goes from a gravel road to and blocked off fire road.  The first part is a quick gravel road with slight climb. 2.9 km with 20 meters of climbing. P= Just a quick left and right jaunt to connect Burts Road. 0.5 km DT- This section of Burts Road is only accessible by vehicle from the German School Road Side.  It is fairly technical as the only vehicles suggested on it would be off road vehicles and farm equipment. **As you descend down the entry road to Burts curb your speed wisely before the bottom for there is a connecting ditch to the bridge which I suggest taking a slow speed if you do not wish to crash.*** 2.2 km with 30 meters of climbing I) This next paved section return you to the Hamilton/Brantford Rail Trail via some flat and rolling paved sections

P= Please refer to the Strava map for more specif instructions. 13.1 km with 90 meters of elevation gain G= This section is the Rail Trail which is a gradual descent and can be taken quite fast but slow down for the gates please the last thing we want on the end of a ride is collide with a steel gate.  Do a quick turn onto Mineral Springs Road from the RT and one the right there is a climb up Gravel Pit Road which leads to an other climb (which is even harder hehehe).  If you have had enough at this point and you may have please just go straight on the Rail Trail and pop left down the Hill at Old Dundas Road to Grupetto where all rides end and start 14.3 km with 72 meters of elevation gain. DT = Off of Gravel Pit Road  it turns into Headwaters Trail.  You follow that and take the second right (the one without the “No Trespassing Sign”.  This is a brutal short climb at the top you may blow a top and following that a quick right takes you out to Powerline Road. 0.8 km with 72 meters of elevation gain G= This next section returns you to the Rail Trail via a well known local loop.  It has some nice gravel descents. Sulphur Springs Road brings you to the bottom of Weirs.  ***If you want to avoid this just stay on the Rail Trail as mentioned earlier.*** 6.8 km with 28 meters of elevation gain J) The final section is some of Dundas harder climbs and fast descents!  You came all this way so you need to go out with a bang! 

P= You climb Weirs and bomb Sydenham! Seems like the perfect combination!!

10.9 km with 174 meters of elevation gain Enjoy any questions please feel free to email me @ peterchanson77@gmail.com