#5 star country house hotels

[rosemaryhelenxo]

Alice In Wonderland Afternoon Tea at Bartley Lodge, New Forest | Review - Press Event

“If you’re a fan of Alice in Wonderland and enjoy indulging in a traditional British afternoon tea, then Bartley Lodge in the beautiful New Forest is the perfect place for you!“ With an invitation extended to attend the Mad Hatter’s tea party, this Alice in Wonderland themed afternoon tea will transport you to a whimsical world of delicious treats and charming décor. I recently had the pleasure…

[vox-anglosphere]

An ancient castle transformed into an upscale country house hotel

Ashford Castle /Ireland (by Kuba Cieloch).

[zoesblogsposts]

o 625 words to know in your target language o

There is a really interesting blog called "Fluent Forever" that aids foreign language learners in tricks, tips and techniques to guide them to achieving fluency "quickly" and efficiently. One of the tricks is to learn these 625 vocab words in your target language, that way you have a basis to start delving into grammar with ease as you can understand a lot of vocab right off the bat. Plus this list of words are common across the world and will aid you in whatever language you are learning. Here is the list in thematic order

• Animal: dog, cat, fish, bird, cow, pig, mouse, horse, wing, animal

• Transportation: train, plane, car, truck, bicycle, bus, boat, ship, tire, gasoline, engine, (train) ticket, transportation

• Location: city, house, apartment, street/road, airport, train station, bridge hotel, restaurant, farm, court, school, office, room, town, university, club, bar, park, camp, store/shop, theater, library, hospital, church, market, country (USA,

France, etc.), building, ground, space (outer space), bank, location

• Clothing: hat, dress, suit, skirt, shirt, T-shirt, pants, shoes, pocket, coat, stain, clothing

• Color: red, green, blue (light/dark), yellow, brown, pink, orange, black, white, gray, color

• People: son, daughter, mother, father, parent (= mother/father), baby, man, woman, brother, sister, family, grandfather, grandmother, husband, wife, king, queen, president, neighbor, boy, girl, child (= boy/girl), adult (= man/woman), human (# animal), friend (Add a friend's name), victim, player, fan, crowd, person

• Job: Teacher, student, lawyer, doctor, patient, waiter, secretary, priest, police, army, soldier, artist, author, manager, reporter, actor, job

• Society: religion, heaven, hell, death, medicine, money, dollar, bill, marriage, wedding, team, race (ethnicity), sex (the act), sex (gender), murder, prison, technology, energy, war, peace, attack, election, magazine, newspaper, poison, gun, sport, race (sport), exercise, ball, game, price, contract, drug, sign, science, God

• Art. band, song, instrument (musical), music, movie, art

• Beverages: coffee, tea, wine, beer, juice, water, milk, beverage

• Food: egg, cheese, bread, soup, cake, chicken, pork, beef, apple, banana orange, lemon, corn, rice, oil, seed, knife, spoon, fork, plate, cup, breakfast, lunch, dinner, sugar, salt, bottle, food

• Home: table, chair, bed, dream, window, door, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, pencil, pen, photograph, soap, book, page, key, paint, letter, note, wall, paper, floor, ceiling, roof, pool, lock, telephone, garden, yard, needle, bag, box, gift, card, ring, tool

• Electronics: clock, lamp, fan, cell phone, network, computer, program (computer), laptop, screen, camera, television, radio

• Body: head, neck, face, beard, hair, eye, mouth, lip, nose, tooth, ear, tear (drop), tongue, back, toe, finger, foot, hand, leg, arm, shoulder, heart, blood, brain, knee, sweat, disease, bone, voice, skin, body

• Nature: sea, ocean, river, mountain, rain, snow, tree, sun, moon, world, Earth, forest, sky, plant, wind, soil/earth, flower, valley, root, lake, star, grass, leaf, air, sand, beach, wave, fire, ice, island, hill, heat, nature

• Materials: glass, metal, plastic, wood, stone, diamond, clay, dust, gold, copper, silver, material

• Math/Measurements: meter, centimeter, kilogram, inch, foot, pound, half, circle, square, temperature, date, weight, edge, corner

• Misc Nouns: map, dot, consonant, vowel, light, sound, yes, no, piece, pain, injury, hole, image, pattern, noun, verb, adjective

• Directions: top, bottom, side, front, back, outside, inside, up, down, left, right, straight, north, south, east, west, direction

• Seasons: Summer, Spring, Winter, Fall, season

• Numbers: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 21, 22, 30, 31, 32, 40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52, 60, 61, 62, 70, 71, 72, 80, 81, 82, 90, 91, 92, 100, 101, 102, 110, 111, 1000, 1001, 10000, 100000, million, billion, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, number

• Months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

• Days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

• Time: year, month, week, day, hour, minute, second, morning, afternoon, evening, night, time

• Verbs: work, play, walk, run, drive, fly, swim, go, stop, follow, think, speak/say, eat, drink, kill, die, smile, laugh, cry, buy, pay, sell, shoot(a gun), learn, jump, smell, hear (a sound), listen (music), taste, touch, see (a bird), watch (TV), kiss, burn, melt, dig, explode, sit, stand, love, pass by, cut, fight, lie down, dance, sleep, wake up, sing, count, marry, pray, win, lose, mix/stir, bend, wash, cook, open, close, write, call, turn, build, teach, grow, draw, feed, catch, throw, clean, find, fall, push, pull, carry, break, wear, hang, shake, sign, beat, lift

• Adjectives: long, short (long), tall, short (vs tall), wide, narrow, big/large, small/little, slow, fast, hot, cold, warm, cool, new, old (new), young, old (young), weak, dead, alive, heavy, light (heavy), dark, light (dark), nuclear, famous

[darling-deerest-dead]

Clock

Read on AO3

Tick tock, tick tock. James Potter's life has always been lived to the countdown of a clock. From a young age he was always acutely aware that his parents weren't like other people's parents.

"And this is my grandson, he's 5."

"Why, just the same as you Jamie! Why don't you boys go and have some fun." And that was a dismissal to run off and try to puzzle out what new game to play, with children that might or might not share a language with James. It never took long, however, because they all shared the common love of play which needed no words, only the willingness to join in.

Sometimes he'd overhear snippets of adult conversation, bits and pieces of "Oh, Euphemia but he's so little!" or "You're so brave, I could never do that again at this age!" or "But what will happen if you die?"

Old people, James had found, did not always possess filters between their cynical minds and loose tongues.

James parents weren't like other people's parents. They were more like grandparents and were constantly on the move from country to country, living in rented houses or hotel rooms for months and months on end. They were always showing James things, pointing out buildings and creatures or landmarks and stars. Telling him of shoes and ships and ceiling wax, of cabbages and kings.

"Here, little Oyster," his father would laugh, "Tell me what this says?" James learned to read from signboards and maps, he learned to ask directions of strangers in strange hats. All the natural timidity of childhood he gradually learned to discard, as his parents guided him through more new and strange tasks in lands more exotic than the other.

Much later he realised, this was his parents' last desperate attempt to introduce him to the world, while they themselves went on a farewell tour.

"Charlus, Dorea, Ralston! Merry Christmas, it's so good to see you." Christmastime was always spent in England. The village of Godric's Hollow lay under a blanket of snow that always made James wish for places like Bombay, Kuala Lumpur, or São Paulo where it was warm and sunny. He dreamed of drinking water from coconuts and swimming in the sea while he lived in a present that was enveloped by cold and frost.

"Don't be like that," his much older cousin Ralston would always tell him, "Come on, let's go build a snowman." And he'd bundle James up warmly and cast heating charms on their robes before dragging him out the door by the hand. Before long, it'd devolve into a snowball fight that Ralston always let him win.

Ralston was his appointed guardian if anything happened to both his parents. James knew this, so he tried to get along with Ralston as best as possible. Not that it was too hard, James was used to being charming and Ralston was a lot of fun.

He was not the same as James' parents.

Sometimes, he'd crawl into bed between them, terrified that today would be the day where the only stable pillars of his life left him all alone in the world.

It was irrational; their folk lived a long time.

But James had always lived in the shadow of the sound of the countdown of a clock.

That went tick tock, tick tock, before it chimed.

And then he grew up and there was a war going on, and the ticking of the clock grew louder and louder.

3, it took his parents.

2, it took his friends.

1, it took his wife.

0 —

[elisysd]

Best Days - Alessia Cara

Masterlist - Previously - Next Chapter

But the hardest pill to swallow is the meantime Are the best days just the ones that we survive?

Charles had been apprehensive about New Year's Eve with Lyanna's family, given the way the introductions had gone the last time he had been here. Yet he had been warmly welcomed and included in the Michel's family traditions, playing cards with Lyanna's grandfather and uncles, a piano session with her aunt, passionate and exciting discussions about the future of motor sport... he felt at home with her family. Welcomed. And it was with emotion that he joined Lyanna on the first-floor balcony of her grandparents' house.

“Thank you for letting me come.” He said to her.

“You’re my family now, I couldn’t see myself spending that important moment without you.”

Midnight was approaching. He put an arm around her shoulders to hold her close, placing a kiss on her forehead and pressing his cheek against it. Lyanna gave a contented sigh before slipping her cold hands under the Monegasque's jacket. They stayed awhile like that, just enjoying each other presence and company. On the ground floor, they could hear the countdown and when 2024 finally arrived and the fireworks began to appear in the sky, Lyanna turned to Charles.

“Well, happy New Year, my love. I hope this year will be filled with success for you and you’ll finally get what you have been running after for so long…”

“You know, I have already everything that I ever wished for. I have you and somehow, it’s enough for me.” He confessed.

He took her face in his hands and placed his lips on hers. Lyanna stood up on tiptoe and put her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss.

“I love you so much, Charles.” She whispered when they finally let go of each other.

Shortly after the New Year, they were due to travel to Rome for the FIA gala. It was an opportunity to honour Max, who had brilliantly won the 2023 season, but also to put Charles in the spotlight, as it was planned to present him with a trophy of honour to welcome him back to the top category of motor sport. Charles agreed willingly on condition that Lyanna was present at his side. He hated this kind of ceremony and even more hated being given a trophy just for getting out of the crash alive.

“I want a trophy because I won the championship, not because they’re pitying me.” He had said.

So it was in a magnificent room in a 5-star hotel in the heart of Rome that they had arrived a few hours earlier. Lyanna was immediately taken aside by the make-up artist and hairdresser, while Charles was requisitioned to fetch the young woman's dress. Charles had been impressed by the speed with which the actress had organised the preparations. A phone call to Sophia and that was it.

“Sophia knows many people; she has her own emergency glam team in every country of the globe. It saved my ass more than once.” She had explained when Charles questioned her.

As for Charles, being personally sponsored by Armani, he didn't really have much choice about his outfit. A black suit and white shirt would do the trick, not forgetting the Ferrari logo embroidered on the left-hand side. As for Lyanna, she had also opted for an Italian brand: Versace. The dress was simple in appearance: draped black with no frills. But when she turned around and Charles saw the young woman's entire bare back and the slit at the bottom of the dress, he thought he'd lost his composure.

“I swear if I had no obligations to be there tonight, I would have pretended to be sick just to keep you in this hotel room. This dress is driving me crazy. You are driving me crazy.”

“Yeah? You like it? I thought that it was a little too much…” said Lyanna completely oblivious to the current state of her boyfriend.

“I like it a little too much, Lya, that’s the thing.”

“It’s a nice dress, for sure? I love it. It’s just the right mix of classy and sexy.”

“You’re killing me, you know that?” he said, grabbing her by the hips and pulling her tight to his chest.

Charles continued to place light kisses on her neck before slipping his hand through the opening in the young woman's dress, drawing a sigh of pleasure from her and bringing a cocky smile to the pilot's lips.

“Lya, love? Do I feel that right? No underwear? Are you really trying to drive me crazy?”

“Have you seen the dress, Charles? I can’t wear anything under it!”

Charles breathed hard into her neck as he closed his eyes, trying to pull himself together.

As the minutes ticked by, they finally left the room, but Charles promised Lyanna that as soon as they got back the young woman would quickly understand how much he loved her dress.

Photographers lined the red carpet and Lyanna was blinded by the lights. It was a strange experience for her, a red carpet where people weren't shouting her name to get her attention, but one where all eyes were on Charles. They posed confidently for the cameras and Lyanna could feel her boyfriend's firm hand on her hip, as if looking for support. After many long minutes, they finally entered the room where a hostess greeted them and led them to their table. Charles was surprised to see them assigned to the same table as Max, Checo and Fernando. He hadn't won anything and knowing that he was sitting with the 2023 podium finishers made him uncomfortable. He felt illegitimate. Seeing Charles' discomfort, Lyanna took his hand and shook it. Charles turned to her and gave her a slight smile as Max and Kelly, his partner, arrived together.

“Charles, it’s good to see you!” greeted him Max as he was shaking Charles’ hand and patting his shoulder.

“Hey. Congrats again, I didn’t have the occasion to tell you that. How does it feel to be third time world champion?”

“Oh you know, it’s weird. It’s not like I had much competition anyway. I hope you’ll get a nice car this season so we can fight. I miss that.”

Then he turned to Lyanna, who was sitting sipping her glass of champagne.

“I don’t think I had the pleasure of meeting your girlfriend, yet?”

“True. Max, this is Lyanna. Lyanna, this is Max.”

“Nice to meet you. It’s always a pleasure to meet Charles’ friends.” She said politely.

“I wouldn’t go as far as saying we’re friends, but let’s say that we have a friendly rivalry.” Corrected her Max as Charles shrugged.

Everyone finally sat down as Max began to tell Charles in detail about the races he had missed. Lyanna tried to keep up with the conversation, asking a few questions from time to time, which resulted in a new explanation from Max that lost Lyanna more than it enlightened her. She eventually lost interest in the conversation and tried to chat with Kelly, but quickly gave up when she realised that she didn't feel like talking to her. She stayed on her phone most of the time, seeming completely disinterested and only joining in the conversation at rare moments. Lyanna couldn't help thinking that she and Max really did make an odd couple. A little later Checo and his wife arrived, followed by Fernando, who was running a little late.  

Finally, the ceremony began. Lyanna couldn't help but find it extremely long and had to restrain herself from yawning more than once out of politeness. Charles also seemed to want to be anywhere but here and Max was beginning to fidget in his seat in impatience. Finally, the part about Charles began. Lyanna didn't know what to expect but one thing was certain, it certainly wasn't what was now projected on the big screen. Images of the accident with epic music, the reaction of the commentators in several languages, the reaction of the drivers and the people present. Lyanna suddenly felt ill; she hadn't been prepared to relive the nightmarish minutes that sometimes still haunted her nights. She glanced at Charles, who wasn't doing too well either. He was staring at the floor, his fingers playing with his watch. Lyanna grabbed his hand and squeezed it to try to get his attention. Charles looked at her and smiled shyly. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the video stopped and the room fell into a stunned silence. Nobody really knew how to react.

The presenter returned to the stage as if nothing had happened and called Charles to award him his trophy of honour. With the cameras now focused on him, Charles stood up, adjusted his jacket, and winked at them, before trotting back to the stage. He shook hands with the host and the President of the FIA, who was presenting him with the trophy, and handed him the microphone. 

“Charles, it’s good to have you back! How are you doing?”

“I’m great thanks. And it’s nice to be there as well. Thanks for the invite and the trophy.”

“A few words to the audience maybe?”

“I just want to thanks everyone for the kind words I received during my recovery, and I also want to thanks my family and my girlfriend that is there tonight for their unconditional support. I can’t wait to be back on tracks this season and hopefully have great fights wot Max and Red Bull. I’m looking forward to that.”

As Charles spoke these words, the camera focused on Lyanna, who gave an embarrassed smile and a slight wave of her hand. After that, the ceremony quickly came to an end with prize-giving for Max, Checo and Fernando, and soon Charles and Lyanna were on their way back to the hotel. As soon as he was through the door, Charles stripped off his shoes as well as his jacket, and as Lyanna headed for the bathroom, Charles grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him.

“You don’t think that I have forgotten about what I promised you earlier, love?”

“All I can see is that your all talk and no actions mister Leclerc.” She teased him while looking at him deeply in the eyes.

That was just what Charles needed to kiss her hard and lift her onto the bed.

A few days later, Lyanna was on her way to Los Angeles to meet Michael Mann and Adam Driver for a few camera tests and to discuss the project in more detail. She wasn't surprised that everything went well. After all, she had taken the time to study the project carefully and seeing the director's passion and the way he talked about the film was enough to convince her. Filming would start at the end of February and Lyanna would finish around the end of May if all went well. The actress took the opportunity to raise the question of the film's marketing and took the time to make it clear that she did not want her relationship with Charles to be used for the film's publicity, which was accepted. So it was with a light heart and a certain excitement that she boarded her plane for London to sort out the details of her move and say goodbye to Sophia.

When she walked through the door of her flat, she was not shocked to see it empty, Sophia having taken care of packing up her things and sending them off to her new flat in Nice. But all the same, it gave her a twinge of sadness. So many memories, both good and bad, belonged to this place. Soon the owner arrived to check out the apartment and Lyanna felt a tear roll down her cheek as she handed him back the key. Then her legs took her towards Sophia's office, where she was waiting.

“So, how does it feel to leave? How do you feel?” she asked her.

“Weird, to be honest. It’s like closing a big chapter of my life. If you had told me that it would happen six months ago, I would have laughed. But here we are.”

“I’m not saying it often but, I’m proud of you Lya. I'm proud of the progress you've made and of the woman you've become. You grew up a lot. I’m happy for you. Really. And I know that it’s just the beginning for you, so many great things are still ahead of you. It’s a pleasure to work with you.”

“Stop it, you’re going to make me cry. And we’re still working together! I’m just going to annoy you a lot less now that I won’t be around.”

“And as weird as it sounds, I’m going to miss that.”

In the meantime, Charles spent his days in Maranello working on the simulator or talking to the teams about the new season and how they would approach it. As he was making himself a coffee from the machine in the break room, he was approached by Carlos, who asked him if it would be possible for them to talk, to which Charles agreed.

“I have something to tell you.” Carlos announced.

Feeling that the conversation was going to be serious, Charles settled into a chair.

“2024 at Ferrari will be my last season.”

“What? Why? Where are you going?”

“It’s not public yet, but Valtteri is going to retire at the end of the season and they are looking for a driver to replace him. Especially since they want to prepare the merging with Audi. They want me as first driver and it’s an opportunity that I can’t refuse. And we both know that here, I’m not their first choice. If they had to choose between you and me, they would choose you. I need to secure my future in F1 and Audi might be my best shot.”

“Well that comes as a surprise, I’m not going to lie. But I’m happy for you. If they can give you what we couldn’t and you think you’ll be happier there, then I’m happy for you Carlos.”

“Thank you, Charles. Despite everything that happened between us on tracks, I’m glad to be able to call you my friend.”

“You know what? Let’s make this season one will never forget. In honor of what we have both been through with Ferrari, let’s make the most out if it.  This our year.”

It wasn't just talk to Charles; it was a promise. And one he intended to keep.

=================

author's note: 2024 is here!!! And let me tell you that's gonna be a hell of year for Charles and Lya and I'm waiting for your predictions about the final chapters because yes, we are entering in the last part of Cruel Summer with only 10 chapters remaining... I'm sad. But let's not cry now, there is still a lot to tell! Let me know your thoughts on this chapter and don't forget to like/comment/reblog. Don't be a ghost reader. 😊💛🌸 taglist:

@zendayabelova @purplephantomwolf @ru-kru @dakotali @blueflorals @aundercover @ruleroftheuniverse @fangirlika @writerscurse @elijahmikaelsonbitch @leclerc13 @karmabyfernando @stargaryenx @pitlanebabe @boiohboii @reengard

If you are tagged but did not receive any notifications, please check your settings because it means that Tumblr didn't let me tag you.

[youremyheaven]

we’ve touched on wealth indicators in the chart before but i was wondering if you had any thoughts on indicators for financially struggling in life? personally i’ve observed ketu in the 2nd house of the d1 of ppl with these circumstances but of course i don’t want to fear monger and say you’re doomed for certain if you have this but this is personally what i’ve seen reoccurring. do you have any observations on this?

this may be a bit obvious or ridiculous but Claire mentioned how naks like Jyeshta, Mula (or Ketu naks in general) are internally scarce and come from a place of lack so they work reallyyyy hard to accumulate wealth and I can see the logic in it but I also feel like sometimes the themes of naks manifest very literally and many of these individuals struggle with their finances a lot.

All of the Jyeshtas I know irl have had a really broke phase or have struggled with money their whole life.

I don't think the presence of one nak alone can impact whether or not you'll be rich or poor bc your whole chart has to be balanced to accumulate wealth but I feel like Lunar individuals also struggle with money, work, motivation etc because they lack that internal hunger/fire to make shit happen.

Also its imp to understand that "wealth" is a relative concept. I guess we can technically say that if someone's a millionaire, then they're wealthy but I have a Jyeshta uncle who never finished his education, never had a real job and still lives comfortably. He is by no means RICH but he has most of what he needs (from his generational inheritance).

Before you say that "okay anyone can live off of their family's money" I promise you, thats not true. You have to have a really strong chart to "enjoy" wealth, whether its inherited or accumulated. The people who make $10 million a year but work 100+ hours a week aren't "enjoying" their wealth,, many children born into wealthy families often end up not finishing their education, addicted to substances, going broke, not having a good relationship with their family etc,, not everybody who is born into money can or will benefit from it.

So making money/coming from money ≠ to "enjoying" the benefits and privileges of it.

I have some relatives who are immensely rich, they own commercial properties that are leased to 5 star hotels all over India, they own residential buildings, they make more money than some small countries lol but of their 3 children, one of them died of an overdose in college, their only daughter is a manglik whose fiancee and brother died in a car crash and she's now in her late 40s and has no contact with the outside world and has completely devoted herself to religion, and their last son is a flop actor who starred in some D list films.

Karma and destiny etc are very interesting. What guarantees wealth does not guarantee its enjoyment or a good quality of life. Blessed are those who live with contentment and have all their needs and indulgences met and have peace of mind.

[lazzarella]

Top 10 Things

For some reason, I've decided to compile lists of my various top ten things, a completely pointless venture because I highly doubt anyone will read it, and I already know what they are, but I'm doing it anyway! lol

(I've included: bands; solo artists; albums; books; poems; graphic novels/comics; tv shows; BL series; murder mystery shows; movies; actors; actresses; directors; musicals)

BANDS

The Beatles

ABBA

Belle and Sebastian

Led Zeppelin

The Raveonettes

The Decemberists

Ramones

Blondie

Sparks

Judas Priest

SOLO ARTISTS

John Grant

Rufus Wainwright

Connie Francis

Kylie Minogue

Angel Olsen

Prince

Sufjan Stevens

Kate Bush

David Bowie

Keaton Henson

ALBUMS

Queen of Denmark by John Grant

69 Love Songs by The Magnetic Fields

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel

Rubber Soul by The Beatles

Picaresque by The Decemberists

Houses of the Holy by Led Zeppelin

You Could Have It So Much Better by Franz Ferdinand

Purple Rain by Prince

Transformer by Lou Reed

If You're Feeling Sinister by Belle and Sebastian

BOOKS

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Grief is the Thing With Feathers by Max Porter

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter

The Charioteer by Mary Renault

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

POEMS

Having a Coke With You by Frank O'Hara

Every poem in Crush by Richard Siken

The Second Coming by WB Yeats (alternatively, The Mermaid)

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. S. Eliot

Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen

Love Sonnet XI by Pablo Neruda

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond by e.e. cummings

Wild Geese by Mary Oliver

Tired by Langston Hughes

Perhaps the World Ends Here by Joy Harjo

GRAPHIC NOVELS/COMICS

Paper Girls

Ghost World

Persepolis

Bandette series

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant + sequels

The Fade Out

The Case of the Missing Men

The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal

It's a Good Life, If You Don't Weaken

Nimona

TV SHOWS (that are not BLs or murder mysteries XD)

Spaced

Supernatural

The Hour

Buffy

Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes

This is England 86/88/90

I Love Lucy

Pushing Daisies

Dark

In the Flesh OR The Young Ones OR Xena (I was going to choose but meh)

(A full list of my favourite TV shows on Serializd)

BL SERIES (MASTERLIST HERE)

Moonlight Chicken

My Personal Weatherman

KinnPorsche

Cherry Magic (Thailand)

Century of Love

Wandee Goodday

Old Fashion Cupcake

A Tale of Thousand Stars

Only Friends

Jack O'Frost

(I have a feeling Kidnap is going to take the place of one of these though)

MURDER MYSTERY SHOWS

Poirot

Marple

Rosemary and Thyme

Twin Peaks (it counts XD)

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

Endeavour

Beyond Evil

Murder, She Wrote

Jonathan Creek

George Gently

MOVIES

(if I do subcategories for this, we'd be here all day! But ftr my favourite genres are film noir, musicals, rom-coms, horror—mostly slashers and gialli, 50s/60s sci-fi...)

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Clue

Strictly Ballroom

Charade

Velvet Goldmine

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Call Me By Your Name

God's Own Country

Secretary

That Thing You Do!

(A full list of my favourite films on Letterboxd)

ACTORS

Robert Redford

Colin Farrell

James Spader

Keanu Reeves

Danny Kaye

Humphrey Bogart

Dirk Bogarde

Frank Sinatra

Jack Lemmon

Ben Whishaw

ACTRESSES

(only separating by gender to get more in XD)

Doris Day

Audrey Hepburn

Amy Adams

Lucille Ball

Jane Fonda

Kirsten Dunst

Marilyn Monroe

Nicole Kidman

Michelle Williams

Cate Blanchett

DIRECTORS

Gregg Araki

Alfred Hitchcock

John Waters

Sofia Coppola

Agnès Varda

Wes Anderson

Billy Wilder

Pedro Almodóvar

Stanley Donen

Dario Argento

MUSICALS

(only counting ones I've seen productions of myself)

The Rocky Horror Show

Little Shop of Horrors

Aladdin

Matilda

Cats

Chicago

Hairspray

Wicked

Singin' in the Rain

9 to 5 tied with Priscilla: Queen of the Desert

[charadriusnivosus]

Can you tell us about the recruitment process to be a Michelin inspector?

It started with an interview process, which was gruelling, around 150-200 questions about food, answers should be written down in one and a half hours. Then, an interview with the deputy editor and various other staff and then the final kind of blessing, you go for lunch with the editor. We went to “La Tante Claire” which was Pierre Koffmann’s three-star restaurant, two-stars at that time. So you are asked questions during lunch, it was daunting, but I got through it.

You don’t get rich when you are a Michelin inspector, obviously, it’s about quality of life and the experience. The average length of stay in the position is 5 years, very few do more than that. Largely your seniority comes from length of service, you join as an inspector, you leave as an inspector. But your opinions and the restaurants you visit, you gain more experience and you get better restaurants to go to, or have more complicated decisions to take. I did about 4.5 years, after that time you’ve nearly reached the end.

What does an inspector’s schedule look like?

The schedule is very tight. You have to do largely two weeks away per month, with almost no weekends. If you go to Ireland or Channel islands, those are expected to be three-week trips. three weeks alone, with probably the only highlight, in the middle of your trip – you will do a Michelin star restaurant in your region, and one of the other inspectors will come and join you. Usually, I had to dine alone, for breakfast, lunch and dinner…

And the restaurants you would go, are not the most fabulous as we all imagine…

There are many good restaurants without a star which you are quite happy to go to. And there are great opportunities, you go and stay in country house hotels, small establishments, where the room, in those days (20 years ago) was 150-200 pounds a night, these days 500-600 pounds a night. You are staying there, your expenses covered with “American Express”. My expenses were 2000-3000 pounds per month, my salary was 600-700 pounds. You are kind of in a different world, it’s truly a fabulous experience!

What people don’t understand fully, your 10 meals a week, you are probably lucky to get one starred restaurant a week or a star contender, and the other meals are pretty mediocre. And that’s kind of a drudge. And you get into awkward situations, when at the end of you finishing your region, you have an extra restaurant to go to where you haven’t factored it in. So you do dinner at 6 pm, and you do another dinner at 8 pm. So it’s lunch, dinner and dinner. I have done it a couple of times. You know, you are careful, you eat half of the dessert, you eat sensibly. I’m not talking about eating at Michelin starred restaurants twice in a row, usually, these are fairly ordinary restaurants.

Yes, it was a lot of food. Obviously, when you are younger, you don’t feel it as much. I know older inspectors who were mentoring me, because you are not allowed to go alone for the first 6 months, you always go with two or three different ones. And the older guys who are more senior, you know, when you are over say 35 years old, it’s harder to shed the weight. In those days, drink and driving wasn’t a factor, so half a bottle of wine with dinner every night, and if you have a sexy restaurant for lunch the next day, you have something similar there…

What makes a difference for Michelin to award one, two or three stars?You enter a restaurant which you don’t know, and what is the most important for a Michelin inspector? What do you look at first?

Of course, over the years Michelin has spoken more and more about the fact that the stars are a reflection of the cuisine, not the service, it’s all about what is on the plate. However, I would kind of temper that, because what they say, they do, because there are, for example, pubs who have one or two stars. It is about what is on the plate. Even nowadays and equally 20 years ago, chefs built their resumes, and if they acquired stars before or were in “50 Best ”, they would doubtless end up in a high calibre restaurant. So of course, you kind of know when you are visiting a brand new restaurant. You have done your homework and what calibre is the chef, where he came from. But still, the most important thing is what is on the plate. And yes, trends come and go, to be classic or the more modern approach, like Heston Blumenthal’s style. You know, when I met Heston, “Fat Duck” was a pub serving steak and chips, later he moved in a different direction, to much more modern techniques. But it’s still all about what is on the plate.

One star restaurant versus no star restaurant, you know one star restaurant carefully uses produce, that should be seasonal. It’s not about sustainability (that is a different topic), it’s about what is the best available locally. Being in London you can of course, use Scottish langoustine. In London, for a pseudo-French style restaurant, I don’t think it would be appropriate to use a Japanese fish. But simply put, it’s expected in Japanese restaurants in London to use Japanese fish. I think over the years the Guide has become much more receptive to not just European cooking but also tried to highlight the best Indian, the best Thai, the best Chinese, the best Japanese. 20 years ago it was all a little bit more limited.

So just in short, what does it take to get one, two or three stars?

For one star, definitely should use local products, care, good depth of flavour in the sauces, careful presentation and service that matches.

Two stars is a step up, you are looking for more complexity in a dish. You’re looking for sometimes multiple ingredients, or techniques that are very difficult to do: make something that is incredibly complex, but that looks incredibly simple. Taste and balance. I look at the difference between the sauce of a one-star dish and the sauce of a two star dish. Nothing is ever written in stone. When you or I go for dinner, the difference between a one-star dish and two-star dish, when you look at it, you can look at the plate and say wow! At one star you don’t necessarily say that. Secondly, saucewise, when you taste the sauce at a one star, it should be deep, clearly identified taste, good flavour, umami. In a two star dish, it should have multilayers, you should be tasting different components, there should be an aftertaste, which was not there in perhaps the one star dish. It is a little difficult to answer. In short, it should be a more complex dish.

Three stars, for me… I still travel a lot and eat at two or three star restaurants on a regular basis. For me, three stars is all about consistency. Of course, getting three stars for a simple rustic pub – no, they are not gonna do that. It’s the grand class, Crillon, Tour d’Argent, Bocuse, Hotel de Paris,… I don’t think rustic pubs are ready to get three stars. But then again, you look at the French guide, issued very recently, there is Alexandre Mazzia, that is a good example. There is always an exception, I think you always have to look to a guide, which has to evolve, like the first vegan star… They have to keep up to date, the green award, the green star… I think they are recognizing sustainability, they have to keep pace, at the end of the day there is a huge population of vegans and vegetarians. Now all serious restaurants offer vegetarian menus, before, if you are a vegetarian, you would be happy to get an omelette. So I think the whole world is changing and a Guide must adapt to the trends.

The challenge is getting a third star. Between one and two is very easy to identify from a diner’s perspective, in my opinion. Where there are much more complex dishes, a much more elevated experience, more complicated, more depth. It’s all about cooking. The difference between two stars and three stars, for me, is about consistency, for most, menus themselves don’t change very much. If you look at the restaurants who are awarded three stars it’s all about consistency, between two and three stars. It’s faultless, absolutely faultless, all the time.

[zlitbtrwel]

What do you love most?

Myself.

Sun. Sky. Stars. Clouds. Weather. Ocean. Wind. Trees. Dirt. Lakes. Streams. Rivers. Rain.

Museums. Art galleries. Aquariums. Planetariums. Zoos. Gas stations. The beach. Public parks. Golf courses. Country clubs.

Birds. Bugs. Fish. Aquatic mammals & other non-fish sea life. Hands. Friends. Planes. Space. Boats. Cityscapes. A room with a view. Room service.

Algebra. Geometry. Philosophy. Psychology. History. U.S. Military.

Ferrari. Porsche. Tesla. Maserati. Lexus. Hyundai. Nissan.

Oil painting. Photography. Ballet. Short and easy hikes. Writing. Drawing. Yoga. Pilates. Knife throwing. Floor laying. Showering for far too long. Weekly massages. Laundry. Tidy home. Cooking. Baking. Inventing recipes. Traveling. Car-living. Organizing. Color coding. Alphabetizing. Observing. Dissecting. Tea parties. Pickle ball. Creating. Tarot reading.

iPad. Procreate. Books. Blue ray DVD’s. Sketch books. Cute notes. Flowers. Sailor Moon Monopoly. Game boy. Switch. Legos. Stuffed bunny. Rose oil. Mini projector. White Reeboks. Bumble bee Gucci’s. Tennis skirts with pockets. Hotel pillows. Z flip 5. Digital camera. Camcorder.

Sushi. Pork burritos. Cheesecake. Fried pickles. Grilled shrimp. Salmon. Tilapia. French fries in fish burritos. Ramen. Fried eggs. Salt and pepper chips. Jalapeño cheddar Cheetos. Annie Chuns. Calpico strawberry. Calpico peach. Aloe Vera juice. Coconut water. Steak. Fettuccine Alfredo. Pesto. Panini. Turkey sandwiches. Hot sandwiches. Ranch. House made dill pickle spears. Fish tacos. Siracha mayo. Chamberlain Coffee Matcha. Strawberry oatmeal. Konjac Jelly. Tteokbokki. Pasta. Sparking cider. Sparkling grape juice. Peach juice. Watermelon juice. Lime juice. Pineapple juice. Pickle juice.

Go Fish. Phase 10. Spit. Uno. Skip Bo. Funky puzzles.

Mario Kart. Barbie groovy games. Hello kitty happy party pals. Minecraft. Scooby doo. Frogger. Fruit ninja.

F1. Basketball. Baseball. Football (American). Tennis. Sometimes golf. Horse racing.

Pretty nails. Jewel tones. Tatcha. Pan Oxyl. Face masks. Burt’s bees. L’Oréal Paris. Snail mucin. Pureology (blue). Okay firming lotion. Okay beauty bar. Florida water soap bar. Wax strips. Exfoliating gloves. Lume.

Silk & satin. High thread counts. Soft skin. Clear skin. Happy eyes. Well-rested. Good-humored. Fresh breath. Clean white teeth. Physically fit. Good health.

Zendaya. Beyoncé. Boyfriend. Blonde friend. Brunette friend. Grandma. Grandpa. Assistant. Accountants. Business Manager. Lawyers. Anne Hathaway. Anna-Taylor Joy. Carlos Sainz. Lewis Hamilton. Kardashians. Camille Rowe. Lando Norris. Oscar Piastri. Dove Cameron. Max Verstappen. Fernando Alonso. Emma Watson. Margot Robbie. Cher. Alex Albon. Sabrina Carpenter. Victoria Beckham. Lily James. Elle Fanning. Angelina Jolie. George Russell. Rihanna. Olivia Rodrigo. Jenna Ortega. Kaya Scodelario. Dylan O’Brien. Barbra Palvin Sprouse. Dylan Sprouse. Shuang Hu. Seo Yeaji. Kim Soohyun. All BTS members. Logan Lerman. Alexandra Daddario. Uma Therman. Natalia Dyer. Dacre Montgomery. Jackson Wang.

Starfire. Kate Sharma. Jeremiah (tatbilb). Shawn Spencer. Gus TT Showbiz. Juliette Ohera Spencer. Percy Jackson. Robin (teen titans). HeKate. Persephone. Venus. Aria (PLL).

Individuality. Confidence. Kindness. Unorthodox solutions. Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency. Exclusivity. Loyalty. Honesty.

The list goes on, and on, forever. . .

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

[Dan Piraro]

* * * *

A watershed moment for the truth.

February 16, 2024

ROBERT B. HUBBELL

On a day bristling with important news, the criminal indictment of the “star” witness against President Biden and Hunter Biden in the impeachment inquiry was a watershed moment for the truth. Per the indictment, the GOP’s primary source of allegations of corruption against President Biden lied to FBI agents, concocting a fiction for MAGA media outlets and politicians eager to spread slanderous statements.

The revelation that the “impeachment inquiry” against Biden was built on a house of lies comes hard on the heels of an admission from one of the primary proponents of the 2020 election fraud conspiracy theory that it has no evidence to support its allegations of widespread fraud!

Together, the false stories of “Biden’s corruption” and “election fraud” were major components of the GOP playbook in the 2024 presidential election. Those narratives have now collapsed in a spectacular implosion. That collapse is good for President Biden politically—but the immediate political ramification is not the most important point.

The major takeaway is this: The Republican party is built on lies and sustains itself through lies. They know it. We know it. The media knows it. But now, we have proof that the bad-faith headlines, breathless “whataboutism,” and lazy “both-siderism” of the media are part of a disinformation campaign that must stop.

These twin developments are a watershed moment for the truth.

Let’s take a look.

DOJ indicts FBI informant who was the primary source for allegations of corruption against Joe Biden.

The House “impeachment” inquiry has been a conspiracy theory in search of evidence from the start. House Oversight Chair James Comer took testimony from disgruntled IRS agents with no personal knowledge (but plenty of opinions) and from Hunter Biden’s business partner, who said Joe Biden never participated in his son’s business dealings.

Desperate for proof, Republicans turned to a confidential source, Alexander Smirnov, who claimed to have personal knowledge of alleged bribery ($5 million) by then former Vice President Biden arising from Hunter Biden’s involvement in a Ukrainian energy company (“Burisma”).

On Thursday, a grand jury in the Central District of California issued an indictment against Smirnov for lying to the FBI. The indictment is here: US v. Smirnov | Indictment No. 2:24-CR-00091-ODW. For a summary of the indictment and related details, see NYTimes, Ex-F.B.I. Informant Is Charged With Lying Over Bidens’ Role in Ukraine Business.

Per the Times,

The longtime informant, Alexander Smirnov, 43, is accused of falsely telling the F.B.I. that Hunter Biden, then a paid board member of the energy giant Burisma, demanded the money to protect the company from an investigation by the country’s prosecutor general at the time.

Importantly, the indictment alleges a political motivation for Smirnov to lie about Biden:

Mr. Smirnov’s motivation for lying, prosecutors wrote, appears to have been political. During the 2020 campaign, he sent his F.B.I. handler “a series of messages expressing bias” against Joseph R. Biden Jr., including texts, replete with typos and misspellings, boasting that he had information that would put him in jail.

Smirnov’s allegations were demonstrably false, as explained by the Times:

In 2015 or 2016, Hunter Biden promised to protect the company “through his dad, from all kinds of problems,” Mr. Smirnov falsely claimed to his bureau handler in 2020, according to Mr. Weiss, who has charged the president’s son twice over the past year on tax and gun charges. This claim was easily disproved, prosecutors said: Mr. Smirnov was only in contact with Burisma executives in 2017, after Mr. Biden left office — when he “had no ability to influence U.S. policy.” Mr. Smirnov told F.B.I. investigators that he had seen footage of Hunter Biden entering a hotel in Kyiv, Ukraine, that was “wired” by the Russians, suggesting that Russia may have recorded phone calls made by Mr. Biden from the hotel, according to the indictment.

But Mr. Biden had never been to Ukraine, let alone that hotel, prosecutors wrote.

Importantly, the indictment was obtained by special counsel David C. Weiss, who was appointed by Merrick Garland to investigate Hunter Biden. Weiss—who was first appointed as a US Attorney by Donald Trump—has obtained two indictments against Hunter Biden for gun possession and tax evasion charges.

The fact that Smirnov was indicted by the special counsel appointed to investigate Hunter Biden rebuts any notion that the indictment is politically motivated.

Smirnov’s false statements provided the only substantive allegations in the sham “impeachment inquiry” in the House and received massive coverage by an eager news media (especially on Fox News). Those news organizations should retract or correct their previous reporting. It is not enough to report on the indictment of Smirnov.

The most important point is that the GOP’s narrative of a “Biden crime family” is a fiction based on perjured statements provided to the FBI! Tell a friend!

[MORE]

[lil-gingerbread-queen]

Some olympian athletes (young, probably first olympic, often usamericans) complain like a spoiled brat about the Olympic Village, and how it's not a 5 stars hotel, as if that's not how the athletes have ALWAYS been treated at the Games, because it's not 20 teams of 40 players and their staffs that are being housed (to compare it to world championships for football or rugby), but hundred of athletes (more than 2000 athletes officially) and their staffs from hundred of countries. And the hotels are for tourists, for spectators, or do you not want people to not come to the games? These games are extremely expensive, let's not make them more because you are a lil baby that need staff to make your bed. The cardboard beds exist to not create more waste than what the games already produce (imagine buying more than 2000 beds to only be used for a month and than discarded... Every 2 years...) THEY ARE ATHLETES WHO HAVE RUN WITH NO SHOES, AND YOU ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT BUYING TOILET PAPER?! And I have seen so many comments saying awful shit about how 3rd world countries shouldn't participate so the lil usamericans can have a better treatment, and that's unacceptable. The games are about unity between the nations, the goal is not to win, it's to participate. To be together. It is always beautiful to see these countries being able to send their athletes to compete. They deserve their place here as much as any 1st world countries' athletes, they have work so hard to be here. Their whole fucking country gave money sometimes to help them have the equipment for the games. You're so spoiled you cannot even comprehend how privileged you are. "This is cheating to make France wins!" I literally know a French olympian. She has the same age as me, she is the daughter of an ex-colleague of my mother, so I saw her grow up and train to be an olympian. I know how French athletes are treated, and it's not good. What you are getting rn at the Olympic is better than what they get all year long. Damn, one of our best athletes who got multiple olympic medals in his career RAN NAKED IN THE STREET to find a sponsor so he could continue to be an athlete, because he had no money.

I am SO mad because, as a French, I know the REAL issues with these games. But will they talk about them? NO. It's only about their ass and being like "I deserve better because I'm an Olympian, I'm better than everyone!". DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY STUDENTS WERE KICKED OUT TO HOUSE COPS FOR THIS EVENT? Where are they suppose to go when everything cost all your organs rn in Paris? DO YOU KNOW HOW EXPENSIVE PARIS IS FOR PARISIANS DURING THIS EVENT? It cost more than 100€ every week for a parisian to go to work by metro rn. DO YOU KNOW PARISIANS DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO GO WHEREVER THEY PLEASE IN THEIR OWN CITY FOR THIS EVENT? They have to ask for a pass and it can be refused. They were asked to not leave their house as much as possible. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE KICKED OUT SO THEIR LANDLORDS COULD RENT THEIR PLACE ON AIRBNB FOR AN EXPENSIVE ASS PRICE FOR THIS EVENT? Same as the students, where do they go? DO YOU KNOW THEY DEPORTED HOMELESS PEOPLE, WHICH MEANS CHILDREN BECAUSE WE HAVE HOMELESS CHILDREN, OUT OF PARIS FOR THIS EVENT? They forced them into bus to other cities, so Paris could be "clean". No, they are not housed, they are still homeless. DO YOU KNOW SOME SHOPS WERE FORCED TO CLOSE FOR THIS EVENT BECAUSE THEY WERE JUDGED NOT "GOOD ENOUGH" FOR THE EVENT? This includes the small book stores at the edges of the Seine selling vintage books, which is one of the most classic thing about Paris. How are these people suppose to survive without making a dime for a whole month? DO YOU KNOW THAT CORALS WERE DESTROYED FOR THIS EVENT? DO YOU KNOW THAT FACIAL RECOGNITION CAMERAS HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE FOR THIS EVENT? DO YOU KNOW MOST OF THE STAFF FOR THE EVENT ARE VOLUNTEERS, WICH MEANS THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE PAID A DIME AND WORK AWFUL HOURS, ALL BECAUSE THEY WERE MANIPULATED? DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE POVERTY CRISIS WE ARE GOING THROUGH IN FRANCE RN WHILE THEY PLANNED OLYMPIC GAMES FOR THE RICH ONLY?

They only give a fuck about shaming France to their own benefit, they never give a fuck about the people. We are going to ruin these games, and we do not feel bad for y'all ass. Cry about the cardboard beds, see how you manage the trash cans not being emptied (garbage collectors are on strike during the event, so nobody is going to do that) and people launching pavement, our national sport since 1789.

[z45capp]

July 18 - Taipei; Fort San Domingo

Well, the start of my day was interesting to say the least. This day actually started last night with a bar crawl through three different bars and ending at the nightclub, Ruff. The bar crawl was okay, I’m not much of a drinker, so I just sampled the drinks that were given to us and then gave the rest  to someone else. The club was a bit more fun until a police raid occurred and we had to show them our passports. Thankfully, everyone in the group was okay and nothing happened during the raid. The raid pretty much cemented my decision to leave since I was already tired and not feeling well. I made it back to the hotel safely, but I did get a weird look from my Uber driver, he was looking at me through the rearview mirror, with pretty much just his eyes. I’m not exactly sure why, but I think it could be because I had called my mom and was speaking in English. I also think he may have taken me a bit less direct way, so that he could charge me more as a foreigner. Not the worst Uber ever, but I definitely could have done without the look; I still gave him 5 stars.  

Anyways, the rest of the day was full of activities. Running on 5ish hours of sleep, I showered, got breakfast, and went on my first solo excursion. My friend Megan recommended that I go to the Miniatures Museum of Taiwan if I had time, so that’s what I did. Pleasantly, the Museum was a short walk from the hotel only about 10 minutes; it was nice to have somewhere I could walk to instead of having to take the metro. Once I arrived at the building, I did get a little lost. Megan had warned me that the Museum was in the downstairs of an office building, so I tried going downstairs, but I must have gone into the wrong entrance because I did not see the Museum. At least, I found myself in an office space where I got the attention of one of the workers, told her 我迷路了, and asked her how to get to the Museum. I think she must have been asked that before because once she confirmed that was where I wanted to go, she said to follow her and took me to the entrance of the Museum. The Museum itself was a lot of fun and I was surprised at just how big some of the miniatures were. Don’t get me wrong, they were miniature versions of  iconic buildings and some truly were miniatures, but I imagined the scale of the bigger displays to be smaller than they were. It took me about 40 mins to get through the Museum, but by the end of it, my brain was so tired of reading the descriptions that I was ready to go. My phone too as it went from 90% battery to 72%. I had a lot of fun at the Museum and would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in miniatures or just has some free time and wants to spend it in air conditioning. 

The afternoon brought us to Fort San Domingo and old Danshui. The Fort is situated in a very interesting place, with Oxford College being built right next to it. But the convenience of walking to the university gave me a sense of home as soon as I stepped foot onto the campus, the feeling of “Yep, I’m back at college” hit me as I looked around at the buildings. Even in another country, a college campus is a college campus. At the Fort, an automatic coffee-maker amazed and entertained us in the heat. My friend Iris got a coffee and we had fun watching the machine grind the beans, brew the coffee in an already provided cup, and when it was finished attach a lid before being presented. I have definitely not seen a coffee-machine like that, but it was very fun to see, and I took some photos of Iris with it and her coffee. We then took the ferry to old Danshui, a very cute sort of beachy street market. Because of the early hours, some vendors weren’t open yet, but the ones that were did have some patronage. After half an hour at old Danshui, we mercifully called it a night and headed back to the hotel.

Academic Reflection

Sadly, the Little White House we were supposed to tour today was closed, but even without this stop, I learned a lot about Fort San Domingo. The Fort has a very long and complex history, with eight countries having played a part in some way or another, the countries are each represented by a flag flying outside of the fort. The first country was Spain, who built the original fort in 1642. The fort was built using wood and stood until 1644 when the Dutch built a more permanent structure, naming it Fort San Antonio.  Fort San Antonio is the structure that is standing to this day. It was definitely harder to pick out the Spanish influences, given that there is no structure to be seen on-site. The Dutch were then driven out by the Qing Dynasty, who then opened trade to foreign countries and leased the adjacent building to the British. Dutch influences can be seen in the building material of bricks, as they introduced their use. The Qing Dynasty is not seen as much either. British influence is not only seen in the consular building, but also in an antique stroller that was found in a servant’s quarter. Japan then became the owners of the Fort after the first Sino-Japanese War, and the British then leased with the Japanese. After WWII, the British completely left Fort San Domingo and transferred the consulate to Australia, who then transferred it to the United States, who finally transferred it back to Taiwan. With most of the later transfers lasting for a fraction of the time the British lease lasted, it was not surprising to see that the British continue to have the most lasting impact on the building and surrounding area. The assigned reading touched upon the impact each country had on Fort San Domingo, but going in person and having Peter explain the impact cemented the history of the Fort much more. 

The adjacent consular building to the Fort was also very interesting to explore. It did not exactly match up with the reading as the reading talked about the political history of the consular building and what I saw was how the building was lived in. In the reading, the ownership of the building bounced around depending on WWII, political ties with China and Hong Kong, and the sovereignty of the Taiwanese government. I did not really experience this while touring the consular building. I did see, however, the dining room table set in the British fashion for receiving guests, the nanny’s bedroom, the master and children’s bedrooms, and the downstairs sitting room. Still, seeing a house set up in the Victorian British fashion in a foreign country just showed more the scope of the British Empire. The article did mention that Aletheia University, also called Oxford College, was interested in purchasing the Fort for their use, which does make sense as to why the Fort and the College are so close in distance. 

[loquaciousquark]

In early 2020, @mystery-moose decided my cinematic education could no longer be allowed to persist with such egregious holes. He and I and @eponymous-rose and @silksieve and @fistfulofgammarays started a discord server to watch movies every Saturday night, and shortly after came @probablylostrightnow and @servantofclio and @jadesabre301 and @annalyia and @bettydice, and suddenly we had something like bottled lightning held in a jar in our hands.

It couldn't have come at a better time--the pandemic struck about a month later--and what started as a way to expand my our horizons has become a precious thing. We've watched movies together, celebrated birthdays together, and we've traveled together too, to Colorado and Chicago and the Grand Canyon and a half-dozen other little gatherings across the entire country.

It's not an easy thing for a bunch of 30-40+'s to get together every week. But we make the time, rain or shine, only missing one single week where all but one of us were traveling, and the joy it's brought me (along with the knowledge of the greatest movie of all time, Kung Fu Hustle) is comparable to nothing else. Today is our slightly delayed three-year anniversary celebration.

Happy movie night anniversary, ya pineapples!

Complete list of movies watched under the cut.

COMPLETE Parasite — 2/17/20 Hot Fuzz — 2/22/20 Airplane! — 2/22/20 Arrival — 2/29/20 Yojimbo — 3/8/20 The Guard — 3/8/20 The Mummy — 3/14/20 Rush Hour — 3/21/20 Rumble in the Bronx — 3/21/20 Edge of Tomorrow — 3/28/20 What We Do In The Shadows — 3/28/20 Twister — 4/4/20 The Matrix — 4/11/20 Haywire — 4/11/20 Rear Window — 4/18/20 The Grand Budapest Hotel — 4/18/20 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon — 4/24/20 Reign of Assassins — 4/25/20 Operation Condor — 4/25/20 Master and Commander — 5/2/20 Kung Fu Hustle — 5/2/20 GAME NIGHT: Betrayal at House on the Hill — 5/9/20 O Brother, Where Art Thou? — 5/16/20 The Fall — 5/24/20 John Wick — 5/30/20 Spider-Man — 5/30/20 Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse — 6/6/20 John Wick 2 — 6/13/20 John Wick 3 — 6/20/20 Annihilation — 6/27/20 Rebecca — 7/4/20 Commando — 7/4/20 Clue — 7/11/20 The Princess Bride — 7/11/20 The Terminator — 7/18/20 Terminator 2: Judgment Day — 7/18/20 The Old Guard — 7/24/20 The Mark of Zorro — 7/24/20 Seven Samurai — 8/1/20 Speed — 8/8/20 Kung Fu Hustle (again) — 8/8/20 The Fifth Element — 8/15/20 Shin Godzilla — 8/15/20 Murder by Death — 8/22/20 Brick — 8/22/20 Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure — 8/29/20 Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey — 8/29/20 Bill and Ted Face the Music — 8/29/20 Black Panther — 9/5/20 The Mandalorian, season one — 9/6/20 Blade Runner — 9/12/20 Blade Runner 2049 — 9/12/20 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang — 9/19/20 Shanghai Noon — 9/19/20 Princess Mononoke — 9/26/20 Blazing Saddles — 9/26/20 Army of Darkness — 10/3/20 Shanghai Knights — 10/3/20 Alien — 10/10/20 Aliens — 10/10/20 Young Frankenstein — 10/17/20 Silent Movie — 10/17/20 One Cut of the Dead — 10/24/20 One Cut of the Dead: Mission: Remote! — 10/25/20 The Shining — 10/31/20 The Village — 10/31/20 Castle in the Sky — 11/7/20 Kiki’s Delivery Service — 11/7/20 RoboCop — 11/14/20 Constantine — 11/14/20 Red Cliff I/II — 11/21/20 Eraser — 11/28/20 Jingle All the Way — 11/28/20 Scrooged — 12/5/20 The Long Kiss Goodnight — 12/5/20 Die Hard — 12/12/20 Galaxy Quest — 12/12/20 Muppet Christmas Carol — 12/19/20 Trapped in Paradise — 12/19/20 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — 12/26/20 The Shop Around the Corner — 12/26/20 The Mandalorian, season two — 12/27/20-1/1/21 Michael Clayton — 1/2/21 The Thing — 1/2/21 Out of Sight — 1/9/21 Star Trek IV: The One With The Whales — 1/9/21 Inside Man — 1/16/21 Johnny Mnemonic — 1/17/21 The Hunt for Red October — 1/23/21 The Iron Giant — 1/23/21 Rise of the Planet of the Apes — 1/30/21 Premium Rush — 1/30/21 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes — 2/6/21 The Blues Brothers — 2/6/21 War for the Planet of the Apes — 2/13/21 Sense and Sensibility — 2/13/21 Parasite (again) — 2/20/21 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Rashomon — 2/27/21 Frequency — 2/27/21 Tron — 3/6/21 Tron Legacy — 3/6/21 Casablanca — 3/13/21 Singin�� in the Rain — 3/13/21 Hard Boiled — 3/20/21 Supercop — 3/20/21 Jaws — 3/27/21 Aquaman — 3/27/21 Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind — 4/3/21 Godzilla vs Kong — 4/3/21 Kong: Skull Island — 4/10/21 Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby — 4/10/21 Point Break — 4/17/21 Liar Liar — 4/17/21 Mortal Kombat (1995) — 4/24/21 Mortal Kombat (2021) — 4/24/21 Much Ado About Nothing — 5/1/21 Tremors — 5/1/21 Star Trek Beyond — 5/8/21 Dredd —5/8/21 A League of Their Own — 5/15/21 Spirited Away — 5/15/21 Tropic Thunder — 5/22/21 Police Story — 5/22/21 Ocean’s Eleven — 5/29/21 Catch Me If You Can — 5/29/21 Batman (Adam West) — 6/5/21 A Fish Called Wanda — 6/5/21 In the Heights — 6/12/21 Seven Brides for Seven Brothers — 6/12/21 School of Rock — 6/19/21 Horse Feathers — 6/19/21 Love and Monsters — 6/26/21 Duck Soup — 6/26/21 Independence Day — 7/3/21 Men in Black — 7/3/21 All About Eve — 7/10/21 Attack the Block — 7/10/21 Godzilla: Final Wars — 7/17/21 Speed Racer — 7/17/21 The Truman Show — 7/24/21 My Cousin Vinny — 7/24/21 The Mask of Zorro — 7/31/21 Pirates of the Caribbean — 7/31/21 A Knight’s Tale — 8/7/21 The Rocketeer — 8/7/21 The Suicide Squad — 8/14/21 Sing Street — 8/14/21 The Green Knight — 8/21/21 The Scarlet Pimpernel — 8/21/21 Cloud Atlas — 8/28/21 Ocean’s Thirteen — 9/4/21 The Birdcage — 9/4/21 Inception — 9/18/21 Bruce Almighty — 9/18/21 Atomic Blonde — 9/25/21 Signs — 9/25/21 Get Out — 10/2/21 Us — 10/2/21 Tucker and Dale vs Evil — 10/9/21 Shaun of the Dead — 10/9/21 Resolution — 10/16/21 The Endless — 10/16/21 Hocus Pocus — 10/23/21 The Invisible Man — 10/23/21 Bram Stoker’s Dracula — 10/30/21 Sleepy Hollow — 10/30/21 Dune — 11/6/21 Shang Chi and the Etc. — 11/13/21 Hero — 11/13/21 Mr. and Mrs. Smith — 11/20/21 Edge of Tomorrow (repeat) — 11/20/21 Tenet — 11/27/21 Primer — 11/27/21 Back to the Future — 12/4/21 Cowboy Bebop: The Movie — 12/4/21 The Lion in Winter — 12/11/21 Back to the Future Part 2 — 12/11/21 Home Alone — 12/18/21 Back to the Future Part 3 — 12/18/21 The Matrix Reloaded — 12/25/21 Fargo — 1/1/22 Strangers on a Train — 1/1/22 Birds of Prey — 1/8/22 Shazam! — 1/8/22 Howl’s Moving Castle — 1/15/22 Sneakers — 1/15/22 Rocky — 1/22/22 Rocky II — 1/22/22 The Best Years of Our Lives — 1/29/22 The Thin Man — 1/29/22 Groundhog Day — 2/5/22 Finding Forrester — 2/5/22 An Affair to Remember — 2/12/22 Sleepless in Seattle — 2/12/22 Snowpiercer — 2/19/22 (SECOND ANNIVERSARY!)

Stranger Than Fiction — 2/19/22 Moonstruck — 2/26/22 CODA — 3/5/22 Legally Blonde — 3/5/22 West Side Story — 3/12/22 Miss Congeniality — 3/12/22 Turning Red — 3/19/22 Demolition Man — 3/19/22 North by Northwest — 3/26/22 Collateral — 3/26/22 Spider-Man: No Way Home — 4/2/22 The Rock — 4/9/22 Moonstruck (Silk commentary) — 4/9/22 Batman (1989) — 4/16/22 Batman Returns — 4/16/22 The Batman — 4/23/22 Batman v. Superman Colon Dawn of Justice Colon Ultimate Edition — 4/30/22 Apollo 13 — 5/7/22 Jupiter Ascending — 5/7/22 The Martian — 5/14/22 Spy x Family (episode 1-4) — 5/14/22 Everything Everywhere All At Once — 5/21/22 Venom 2 — 5/21/22 Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022) — 5/28/22 (edited) Spy x Family (episode 8) — 5/29/22 To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar — 6/4/22 Fire Island — 6/4/22 Heat — 6/11/22 My Neighbor Totoro — 6/11/22 HIATUS FOR CHICAGO — 6/18/22 RRR — 6/25/22 Spy x Family (episode 12) — 6/25/22 National Treasure — 7/2/22 The Lost City — 7/2/22 Face/Off — 7/9/22 Twin Dragons — 7/9/22 Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes — 7/16/22 Mission: Impossible — 7/16/22 Detective Pikachu — 7/23/22 Crazy, Stupid, Love. — 7/23/22 Fateful Findings — 7/23/22 The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent — 7/30/22 Con Air — 7/30/22 12 Angry Men — 8/6/22 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington — 8/6/22 Prey — 8/13/22 Newsies — 8/13/22 The Godfather — 8/20/22 Analyze This — 8/20/22 Top Gun — 8/27/22 Bridesmaids — 8/27/22 Top Gun: Maverick — 9/3/22 Crazy Rich Asians — 9/3/22 Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol — 9/10/22 Booksmart — 9/10/22 Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation — 9/17/22 The Rescue — 9/17/22 Mission: Impossible - Fallout — 9/24/22 The Descent — 10/1/22 Hocus Pocus 2 — 10/8/22 How to Marry a Millionaire — 10/8/22 Beetlejuice — 10/15/22 Deadstream — 10/15/22 The Birds — 10/22/22 Arsenic and Old Lace — 10/22/22 It Follows — 10/29/22 It — 10/29/22 Godzilla 2000 — 11/5/22 Kung Fu Hustle (third time) — 11/5/22 Terminator: Dark Fate — 11/12/22 The Heroic Trio — 11/12/22 Raise the Red Lantern — 11/19/22 The Artist — 11/19/22 Knives Out (again) — 11/26/22 Muppet Treasure Island — 11/26/22 Titan A.E. — 11/26/22 Pacific Rim — 12/3/22 Hot Fuzz (again) — 12/10/22 Plan 9 From Outer Space — 12/10/22 Elf — 12/17/22 Spirited — 12/17/22 Violent Night — 12/24/22 The Muppet Christmas Carol (complete) — 12/24/22 Glass Onion — 12/31/22 Death on the Nile (1978) — 1/7/23 Who Framed Roger Rabbit? — 1/7/23 NOPE — 1/14/23 Treasure Planet — 1/14/23 Sabrina — 1/21/23 Tarzan — 1/21/23 Twister (happy birthday Meso!) — 1/28/23 Double Indemnity — 1/28/23 Tár — 2/4/23 Atlantis: The Lost Empire — 2/4/23 The Raid: Redemption — 2/11/23 Puss in Boots: The Last Wish — 2/11/23 The Passion of Joan of Arc —2/18/23 The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T — 2/18/23 Dangerous Liaisons — 2/25/23 Moulin Rouge! — 2/25/23

[nickypoppieandel]

Day “something!” I am unsure exactly how long we’ve been away!

We had a quick changeover at the BEAUTIFUL Helsinki airport this morning after a 14 hour flight from Tokyo. BUT!!! after getting into the booze and some little snacks on our 5 hour stopover, we jumped into the plane, made our chairs into beds and SLEPT!! I actually slept for 7 hours, which is a first for years. Lucky for us, Poppie is pushed everywhere and we follow along like loyal subjects and go to the top of every queue like film stars! Because all the previous flights were late, we would have missed this last flight if it weren’t for Poppie!

Norwegians are the friendliest people. We took a taxi ride from the airport to our hotel, in an electric powered Mercedes van. Our rooms weren’t going to be ready until at least 3 pm so we set off on a walking tour of places the really nice girl at the front door suggested. We had a staggered start because after 300m, we had to turn back because Poppie was wheezing gasping for breath as she’s forgotten to puff her puffer! (she wanted me to say that). Anyway, we set out again, this time taking an Uber to a central spot from where we wondered past a group of very old houses (pics included) that were the only houses that survived the Oslo fire in the 1600s. We then found a food market full of fish shops, butchers (selling absolutely every every part of an animal), deli type shops and cafes. On our way back to,catch the tram, we walked through beautiful parks and trees and passed a RAGING river (movie included). Found our way to the tram thanks to several extremely helpful Norwegians AND … a young girl from Serbia, who played (???) Tai Kwon Do for Serbia at the 2012 Olympics in London (pic coming!!). Norwegians are taught English at school, so everyone is very happy to help. Also the fact that Norway is close to the top both in quality of life and happiness, might have something to do with that! Our little tram trip was uneventful… with me, being a Virgo, double checking the map on my lap to make sure we were going passed all the right stations!! Poppie and Nicky very relaxed as they were “sure” we were on the right team!! The river that runs through Oslo is called the Akerselva River and starts right up North and goes all the way to the Oslo Fjord. Look it up! pour rooms were still not ready when we returned to the hotel so Nicky did some more exploration to discover where the pool is ($50 for a single visit!! Did I also say Norway was the most expensive city in the world, together with Tokyo and has now “dropped” to 4th place, together with Melbourne??!!) and Poppie and I sat back and had a glass of bubbles and solved the problems of the world.

We are now in our rooms, getting ready to meet the others in the group and have dinner together. One of the reasons the hotels are so busy is there is some famous American country and western singer in town! We don’t know who.

[rathmoyestate]

The Different Types of Bed and Breakfasts You Can Stay In

Bed and breakfasts are one of the most intimate types of lodge accommodations out there, and whether you’re taking a weekend break or searching for a home away from home for a longer time, these cozy establishments are a welcome reprieve from the old dusty trail.

While the name seems fairly straightforward, there are actually a few different types of bed and breakfasts. There are no rigid standards for what constitutes this type of establishment, and each B&B is as unique as the proprietor who owns it.

The Good Old Bed and Breakfast

Similar to a homestay, a bed and breakfast (referred to simply as a B&B) offers guests a home away from home feel, only with this type of accommodation the owner does not live on the property.

A B&B is often either the former home of the owners or a property purchased with the specific intent of converting it into a bed and breakfast. This type of bed and breakfast is a bit larger than the homestay as there is no one living in it full-time, so if you are travelling with a small group or a family you will have a bit more space to spread out and more privacy to boot.

Just like a homestay, breakfast is usually cooked up fresh each morning, and some bed and breakfasts offer additional services to guests like laundry or bicycle rentals.

Rural Bed and Breakfast

Also referred to as “country inns”, these B&Bs can be ideal for travellers seeking to connect with nature or local culture. Rural accommodations may include beaches, forests, deserts and more. Some rural B&Bs offer access to hiking trails and/or water activities.

Some rural B&Bs are difficult to access if you lack private transportation (but they usually provide on-site parking). Some are tucked in the mountainside or only accessible via worn coastal roads. In remote regions that receive few tourists, a rural B&B could be the only lodging option in the area.

Budget Bed and Breakfast

Budget bed and breakfasts aim to save you money. While B&Bs typically aren’t considered “cheap” or “budget accommodation”, some properties do offer low nightly rates. To do so, these B&Bs might offer few amenities, and “lesser” service, and may also forego “extras” (like no hired staff or guest kitchen). Additionally, budget B&Bs could serve smaller, less elaborate breakfasts or offer dorm bed options (rooms shared with other guests) in lower-priced rooms.

Luxury Bed And Breakfast

Luxury B&Bs focus on providing comfort to guests. 5-star luxury hotels often have large facilities (gym, pool, etc.), but luxury B&B properties are typically too small for these. For example, many hotels have 100+ guest rooms, while B&Bs rarely even have 10. Rather than large facilities, luxury B&Bs put more focus on finer details and services (silk sheets, robes, elaborate breakfast, private cottages, etc.).

Luxury B&Bs may include these luxury amenities in their nightly rate, or offer them as an add-on or part of a package. Stays are usually short (2-3 nights) and are often a weekend getaway. Luxury B&B rooms can cost as much as local 4 or 5-star hotel rooms. For example, bed and breakfasts in Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard rival 5-star hotels in amenities, facilities and layout.

Homestay Bed and Breakfast

When most people conjure up images of bed and breakfasts, they picture homey bedrooms, friendly hosts, and probably some eggs and bacon frying on the skillet when they wake each morning. If this is what you’re hoping for in a B&B, then a homestay is probably your best option.

This is the most traditional type of bed and breakfast, and you will stay right in the home of the proprietors. This type of accommodation is usually on the smaller side, with only a few rooms available as the rest of the house is frequented by its full-time residents. Homestays are truly a home away from home, and most hosts strive to make you feel like part of the family.

One of the benefits of staying in this type of bed and breakfast is that you will get a local’s perspective on the area you are staying in, and probably a few insider tips about the best restaurants and attractions nearby. The breakfast is usually great at these types of B&Bs, mostly because the hosts only need to cook for a small number of guests.

[claudia1829things]

Ranking of “WHITE HOUSE PLUMBERS” (2023) Episodes

Below is my ranking of the episodes from “WHITE HOUSE PLUMBERS”, the HBO adaptation of “Integrity”, Egil Krogh and Matthew Krogh’s 2007 book about Watergate.  Directed by David Mandel, the limited series starred Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux:

RANKING OF “WHITE HOUSE PLUMBERS” (2023) EPISODES

1.  (1.03) “Don’t Drink the Whiskey at the Watergate” - Nixon Administration “plumbers” led by E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy attempt to break into the Democratic National Committee offices at the Watergate Hotel to plant listening devices for the White House.

2.  (1.04) “The Writer’s Wife” - Reeling from the arrests at the Watergate, Hunt enlists his son Saint John's help to dispose of evidence, while Liddy warns the acting Attorney General that the burglaries can be tied back to President Nixon. Later, after returning from Paris, a livid Dorothy Hunt must take control to protect her family and the Liddys.

3.  (1.02) “Please Destroy This, Huh?” - While Hunt and Dorothy entertain Liddy and his wife Fran at their exclusive country club, their kids Lisa and Saint John paint a less-than-perfect portrait of the family.  On the outs with Nixon's Attorney General John Mitchell, Hunt and Liddy get a chance to redeem themselves when a leaked memo from Dita Beard puts Mitchell and the administration in legal jeopardy.

4.  (1.05) “True Believers” - Amid rumors of the White House's involvement, Liddy shares his concerns about Hunt's stability with White House Counsel John Dean and tries to make a deal. Hunt's daughter Kevan leverages a secret notebook to convince her father to come clean in his testimony to the U.S. Senate.

5.  (1.01) “The Beverly Hills Burglary” - A year before the infamous Watergate break-in, Hunt and Liddy are tasked with investigating the Pentagon Papers leak, gathering a team of Cubans - all Bay of Pigs veterans - to infiltrate whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office. Meanwhile, the Hunts get to know the Liddys.