#America&39;s Great Mistake

[jmreyes9]

A DELIGHTFUL SUMMER DAY IN DOWNTOWN CHICAGO

By Jesse Reyes

It was a pleasant late summer day in downtown Chicago, the temperatures hovering in the mid 70’s, not humid at all, the sun coming in and out of the cloud cover.  There was no gusty wind today in the “windy city” and poet Carl Sandburg’s “City of Big Shoulders” and “Hog Butcher for the World”—just a mild cool breeze coming from Lake Michigan.

We drove from the Chicago suburbs to downtown Chicago to have some documents authenticated at Consul General of the Philippines Generoso Calonge’s office in Michigan Avenue.  Actually there was no necessity in meeting the consul general himself but it’s nice to know his name in case a “trivial pursuit” nut asks me for this information in the future!  My daughter had accepted the driving honors, as she knew I dreaded driving in “the city” like I dreaded going on the “Screaming Eagle”, the heart-stopping, nerve-wrecking roller coaster in Six Flags Over Great America in Gurnee, IL, the rollercoaster which I had made the mistake of riding in when I was younger just to prove I wasn’t “spineless”.

We found a parking lot just a few minutes walk from the consulate office but ended up paying $40 as we had to park there for 4 hours.  We waited for about half-an-hour at the waiting area and when my number was called and after submitting the documents, we were told to come back at 3 pm.  So my daughter looked for a restaurant where we would eat lunch.  She found an Italian place which was supposedly a “short” walk away but we ended up walking 4 or 5 blocks slightly overshooting the place (and when you’re hungry, searching for the place seems like an eternity.)  I told myself as softly as I could, so my wife and daughter would not hear, that “this place better be good, for all the walking we did.”

The Trattoria #10 (I wondered where the other 9 trattorias were!) was located at the corner of Dearborn and Calhoun Streets.  We had to negotiate this semi-winding stairs that led to the basement.  When we went in, the elegant ambiance of the restaurant greeted us.  It was a cozy, dimly-lit place and the waiters/waitresses were very friendly (they usually are, knowing the amount of their tip was directly proportional to their nicety, courtesy and pleasantness.)  I ordered the grilled organic Amish chicken and my two female companions (my wife and daughter) ordered pastas (a dish which I don’t care for that much.)  Well, the tasty food met our gustatory expectations, hence our waiter received a “generous” tip. 

On the way back to the consul’s office, I noted the plethora of skyscrapers along Dearborn, State and Michigan Streets seemed taller, and there seemed to be more lawyers’ offices than before.  As we wanted to go to Monroe St., I recalled that the streets going east to west were named after US presidents.  We passed by a store selling bags in Michigan Avenue and entered they did, my two lady companions, as if sucked into the store by a strong vacuum.  I told them I preferred staying outside, for my interest in ladies’ bags was zilch, nada, zero! 

As I waited outside the store for the two “window shoppers only”, I marveled at the elegant architecture of the imposing skyscrapers along the northern side of Michigan Avenue towards Lake Michigan, mainly the Aon Center formerly the Standard Oil Building built in 1974, and has 83 stories and is 1,189 ft. high and the Crain Communications Building with its diamond-shaped top that is split in the middle, that has 49 stories, some of which have not yet been told! and is 582 feet high, built in 1990.  To the east of these skyscrapers was the Millennium Park.  I noticed a large head statue on the southern end of the park.  It turns out that this giant head statue standing at 39 feet tall was the work of Spanish sculptor Jaume Piensa and was brought from Barcelona in Spain and installed in Chicago on June 2014.

As we drove home, I thought of how one can enjoy the city of Chicago, especially on a nice and non-windy day, even just walking along the streets, admiring the majesty and architectural beauty of the towering skyscrapers. 

Written in 2016 and revised on March 13, 2017 in Chicago, IL.Posted in my blog 11/30/22. Other writings and poems of Jesse Reyes can be found in his blog: anadventurecalledlife.com.

[straightouttatshirt-blog]

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[bobbystompy]

91 Quotes I Enjoyed From 2020

Below are my favorite quotes from 2020. Though most occurred throughout the year, some took place before but were encountered during.

1) “You don’t have to be new to make new.” - Rick Rubin

2) “He put the beat on and go to sleep then wake up with a verse.” - The Lox

3) “Every opinion is bad.” - Blink-155

4)

(via Twitter)

5) “At the start of every disaster movie, there’s a scientist being ignored.”

6) “Be brave enough to suck at something new.”

7) “Comedy is the only job you can have where you can use everything you know” - Robin Williams via Dave Chappelle

8) “What’s the worst swear word where you live?” - Josiah Hughes

9) “Cookies are a really great way to get everybody to like you for a short period of time” - YSAC

10) “The worst dancer at a wedding is the one who’s not dancing.” - John Mulaney

11) “I never saw the end of the tunnel. I only saw myself running out of one." - Kobe Bryant

12) "A good movie begins as you're walking out of the theater" - Ethan Hawke

13) “When I was young and starting in cinema, there was a saying that I carved deep into my heart which is, 'The most personal is the most creative.’ That quote was from our great Martin Scorsese.” - Bong Joon-ho

14) “Run to the rescue with love, and peace will follow” - River Phoenix via Joaquin Phoenix

15) “Thank you -- I will drink until next morning.” - Bong Joon-ho

16) “Men will bury their emotions for decades and then take it all out on children tubing while they drive the boat.” - @krauter_

17) “They help you with the dumb face stuff, but they don’t tell you how to fix it” - Adam (Nate’s friend), on having older sisters

18) “We all had our connections, but it’s not the details themselves that matter, it’s the feeling behind them. There are a million coming-of-age tales. Lady Bird’s secret sauce is how deeply its creator gave a shit. The older I get, the less I care about anything but the sense of a filmmaker’s personal connection to the material. It doesn’t matter what it’s about, what genre it is, or whether it’s genre at all. I only really care that it feels like something the filmmaker had to tell me, and that it was that filmmaker in particular who had to tell it. It has to answer the ‘why are you telling me this’ question, and not just why are you telling me, but why are you telling me.

Lady Bird is a movie that feels like only Greta Gerwig could’ve made. And it’s only because it’s so specific to her that it can be so meaningful to so many people.” - Vince Mancini

19) "I have cast some lonely votes, fought some lonely fights, mounted some lonely campaigns. But I do not feel lonely now.” - Bernie Sanders

20) “Ever hear a Beatles song you haven’t heard before?”

21) “Drinking is an emotional thing. It joggles you out of the standardism of everyday life, out of everything being the same. It yanks you out of your body and your mind and throws you against the wall. I have the feeling that drinking is a form of suicide where you're allowed to return to life and begin all over the next day. It's like killing yourself, and then you're reborn. I guess I've lived about ten or fifteen thousand lives now.” - Charles Bukowski

22) “You shouldn’t have to hear a band to know if they’re good or not” - Josiah Hughes

23) “I was raised by OGs.  Some of you were raised by IG.  I understand.” - Ice-T

* * *

[Here is where I note the line of demarcation that was the COVID-19 pandemic hitting the US, pushed forward by Tom Hanks’ announcement, the NBA and NCAA shutting down, and, then, the nation itself.]

* * *

24) “There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen.” - Vladimir Lenin

25) "Taken together, this is a massive failure in leadership that stems from a massive defect in character. Trump is such a habitual liar that he is incapable of being honest, even when being honest would serve his interests. He is so impulsive, shortsighted, and undisciplined that he is unable to plan or even think beyond the moment. He is such a divisive and polarizing figure that he long ago lost the ability to unite the nation under any circumstances and for any cause. And he is so narcissistic and unreflective that he is completely incapable of learning from his mistakes. The president’s disordered personality makes him as ill-equipped to deal with a crisis as any president has ever been. With few exceptions, what Trump has said is not just useless; it is downright injurious." - Peter Wehner

26) "Epidemics have a way of revealing underlying truths about the societies they impact." - Anne Applebaum

27) “A funny thing about quarantining is hearing your partner in full work mode for the first time. Like, I’m married to a ‘let’s circle back’ guy — who knew?” - Laura Norkin

28) 

(Jojo Rabbit)

29) “The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. - Deadwood: The Movie

30) “All bleeding stops eventually.” - Deadwood: The Movie

31) “Our Father, which art in heaven… / Let him fucking stay there” - Deadwood: The Movie

32) “It’s like a power outage, but we still have power” - Ryen Russillo, on the pandemic

33) “Whenever Sox baseball returns, it’ll be weird to not have Farmer on the call any more. The relationship between a fan and longtime announcer is always built in the little moments. One afternoon, he’s the soundtrack as you clean the garage. On another night, he’s your bookmark for the game as you stand in line for churros or walk down the ramps at Sox Park to try for better seats in the 100 level. A voice like Farmer’s becomes so familiar that you only really notice when it’s no longer there.” - Kevin Kaduk, on the passing of Ed Farmer

34) 

(via Twitter)

35) “In my songs, I try to look through someone else’s eyes, and I want to give the audience a feeling more than a message” - John Prine

36) “Observe everything. Admire nothing.” - Generation Kill

37) “Trump, by that definition, has always been a wartime president -- always willing to sacrifice people he doesn’t know to things he only sort of cares about” - David Roth

38) "Whenever they speak Michael Jordan, they should speak Scottie Pippen." - Michael Jordan

39) "Fiction is a bridge to the truth that journalism can't reach." - Hunter S. Thompson

40) “Airlines sending me “we’re in this together” emails. When my suitcase was 52 pounds I was on my own.” - Mike Dentale

41) “Sometimes you can be the worst source of your own story” - Ryen Russillo

42) “Family is not necessarily blood, but instead who you would bleed for.”

43)

(via Twitter)

44) "This is the deal that Jordan made, knowingly or unknowingly — that he would trade everything he had for everything he wanted. And then, when he won all those things, he found that he had nothing but that.” - David Roth

45) “I’m brand loyal, but the brand doesn’t matter” - Caitie Miller, on why she doesn’t like generic peanut butter

46) “NOBODY shitposts Gene Hackman!!” - Mark Dehlinger

47) “When a man concludes that any stick is good enough to beat his foe with—that is when he picks up a boomerang.” - G.K. Chesterton

48) “You can be appalled forever, but shocked only once.” - Jeff Weiss, on early Eminem

49) “Whether I’m pessimistic or optimistic, the fight’s the same” - David Simon

50) “Freedom can never be completely won, but it can be lost.” - Bernard Simon

51) “Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you’re choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands.” -Kareem Abdul Jabbar

52) “In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist -- we must be anti-racist.” - Angela Davis

53) “Start as close to the end as possible” - Kurt Vonnegut, on creative writing

54) “You can’t stay woke all the time — that’s insomnia.” - Dr. Cornel West

55) “No, I get it. I’ve dated a lot of Geminis.”

56) “The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” - John Krakauer, Into The Wild (via Tyler Keller)

57) "I couldn't show them my For You because it's pretty much just lesbian stuff and depression memes" - Maggie Loesch, on showing TikTok to her coworkers

58) "It's 1 a.m. in Slovakia and I've already had one bottle of wine and I don't know how long this press conference will go, so good luck to me." - Marian Hossa, following his NHL Hall of Fame announcement

59) “All I want in life is to go on an Anguilla group trip” - Mandy Gilkes

60) “You miss old friends when you don’t see them, but you miss them more when you do.” - Chuck Klosterman

61) “The only way to appreciate the present is to pretend it’s already the past.” - Chuck Klosterman

62) Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth, oh, never mind You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth Until they've faded, but trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back At photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now How much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked

(”Everybody's Free [To Wear Sunscreen]”)

Second time that essay’s been quoted on this list.

64) "I mean, it's just human nature to suck up to the people above you, crap on those beneath you, and undercut your equals” - Brian, Family Guy

65) “You never quit a job. You quit a manager.” - Brian Bedford

66) “All the pictures in my house are of people I’m not friends with” - Tracy Cunningham

67) “In order to leave something behind, you have to leave.” - Dr. Herman, Grey’s Anatomy

68) 

(via Twitter)

69) “You can obsess about death if you don’t have to obsess about dying.” - Brendan Kelly via “White Noise”

70) “If it’s right to do, it’s wrong to wait.” - Andy, doorman 

71)

72) “When I'm sometimes asked when will there be enough [women on the Supreme Court] and I say, 'When there are nine,' people are shocked. But there'd been nine men, and nobody's ever raised a question about that.” - Ruth Bader Ginsburg

73) "America is mostly people who’ve never left their state saying we have the best country in the world." - Billy Wayne Davis

74) “A writer is someone who knows at least 80% of their writing sucks.” - Gabe Hudson

75) 

(via Twitter)

76) “You’re dead twice” - Brendan Kelly

77) “Perfect is the enemy of good” - Voltaire (via Zach Lowe)

78) “I don’t want to be a savior, I want to be a mirror.” - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

79) “I get bad Twitter FOMO but not real life FOMO. That just goes to show I need to get off the Internet.” - Josh Thomas

80) “Is there anything you love in life that you engage with seriously that you don't also engage with humor?" - Sam Sutherland, on his relationship with Blink-182

81) “My favorite genre of music is my friends' bands" - Josiah Hughes

82) “Let’s fall in love like both our parents aren’t divorced.”

83) “Seabiscuit may be the only earthling that was on both sides of the stamp.” - Brendan Kelly

84) “There’s no shame in coming in second, except in, like, wars.” - Family Guy

85) “I feel like I experience writer’s block 100% of the time, and when I do write, I have impostor syndrome.” - Phoebe Bridgers

86) “We teach based on what we most need to learn.” - psychologist on Grey’s Anatomy

87) “Having too many choices is the leading cause of stress” - Grey’s Anatomy

88) “I think we've all gravely underestimated the extent to which this year has changed all of us, permanently” - Kelli Maria Korducki

89) 

(via Twitter)

90) “I wonder if people understand why they don’t have polio” - Sandra E. Garcia

91) “Ending songs is terrible, so let’s keep singing” - Dave Hernandez

[gigisterlinghearts]

100 Questions

1. What is you middle name? Elise 2. How old are you? 23 3. When is your birthday? February 13 4. What is your zodiac sign? Aquarius  5. What is your favorite color? Pink 6. What’s your lucky number? 3  7. Do you have any pets? Not here with me. My family has a dog, though. Her name is Panda, a Shih-Tzu. 8. Where are you from? Colorado  9. How tall are you? 5′5″  10. What shoe size are you? 6 11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? I don’t know, like...15?  12. What was your last dream about? Dancing. Dance.    13. What talents do you have? Have you met me? I’m just kidding- dance primarily. I can sing. Play piano. I write decently, I think.  14. Are you psychic in any way? I might just be.  15. Favorite song? C’mon- Kesha  16. Favorite movie? Legally Blonde. Come for me, I dare you.   17. Who would be your ideal partner? Oh, I don’t know. Someone who actually gets me. Who actually tries. Someone not psycho. Take your pick.    18. Do you want children? That’s a question.  19. Do you want a church wedding? If I were to ever be married, nah.  20. Are you religious? Not really.  21. Have you ever been to the hospital? A couple of times. Not recently, though.   22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? Ha. About that...  23. Have you ever met any celebrities? Sure have.  24. Baths or showers? It depends on my mood. What my day has been like. How much time I have. There are a lot of factors that go into that decision.  25. What color socks are you wearing? I’m not, I’m wearing slippers.   26. Have you ever been famous? I guess that depends on what you’d consider famous. Maybe I kind of am?  27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? I’ve already got enough problems with the ‘fame’ I do have, thanks.  28. What type of music do you like? Anything, really. Whatever strikes my fancy.  29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? Hell yes.   30. How many pillows do you sleep with? Like 5.  31. What position do you usually sleep in? Usually on my back.  32. How big is your house? How big is yours?  33. What do you typically have for breakfast? If I eat breakfast, it’s usually cereal or oatmeal.  34. Have you ever fired a gun? Absolutely not.  35. Have you ever tried archery? What is this, the 1700′s?  36. Favorite clean word? Snicklefritz.  37. Favorite swear word? Fuck. Fucked. Fucking. Fucker. Fucks. Any derivative of the word, really.  38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep? Three days.  39. Do you have any scars? Sure do. 40. Have you ever had a secret admirer? Probably? Maybe not? I don’t know?41. Are you a good liar? Shhhh.  42. Are you a good judge of character? When I want to be.  43. Can you do any other accents other than your own? I don’t know, I’ve never really tried.  44. Do you have a strong accent? I don’t think so.  45. What is your favorite accent? Australian. Just...Oof.  46. What is your personality type? I’ll say...Eclectic.  47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? A Gucci evening dress.  48. Can you curl your tongue? Sure can. Why? Want to see?  49. Are you an innie or an outie? Outie.  50. Left or right handed? Left handed.  51. Are you scared of spiders? Depends. If they jump up on me, yes. Otherwise, no.  52. Favorite food? Chinese.   53. Favorite foreign food? Oh, shit. Oh well, it’s still Chinese.  54. Are you a clean or messy person? I like to think of myself as the ‘organized chaos’ type.  55. Most used phrased? Who knows? I surprise myself most of the time.  56. Most used word? Awesome, probably.  57. How long does it take for you to get ready? Again, that depends on where I’m going. Anywhere from 30 minutes-2 hours.  58. Do you have much of an ego? I try not to, but...  59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? Suck, of course.  60. Do you talk to yourself? All the time. 61. Do you sing to yourself? Sure do.  62. Are you a good singer? I’ve heard I am. I’ve been trained, anyway.  63. Biggest Fear? Normal shit, I guess. Being buried alive. Dying alone. That kind of thing.  64. Are you a gossip? Surprisingly, no.  65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen? Planet Earth.  66. Do you like long or short hair? A little below the shoulders so...Medium, really.  67. Can you name all 50 states of America? I’d like to think I could.  68. Favorite school subject? Music.  69. Extrovert or Introvert? Extrovert.  70. Have you ever been scuba diving? Yes, I have.    71. What makes you nervous? Not very much, to be honest.  72. Are you scared of the dark? ...Sometimes.  73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? Depends on the mistake and the situation.  74. Are you ticklish? ...  75. Have you ever started a rumor? Maybe.    76. Have you ever been in a position of authority? Me? I guess, kind of.   77. Have you ever drank underage? Me? Of course not, never, under no circumstances! How dare you even ask! ;)  78. Have you ever done drugs? Have you? 79. Who was your first real crush? Brian from The Backstreet Boys. Unless that’s not what you mean, in which case probably Mark from third grade.  80. How many piercings do you have? My ears are triple pierced, and my bellybutton is pierced.  81. Can you roll your Rs? I can.  82. How fast can you type? Faster than the speed of lightening.  83. How fast can you run? I don’t run.  84. What color is your hair? Dirty Blonde.   85. What color is your eyes?  Brown 86. What are you allergic to? Strawberries.   87. Do you keep a journal? I do, yes.   88. What do your parents do? My mother is a Museum Curator and my father is in politics.   89. What is your career/daily life? Whatever I want it to be. No, but...For real. I have a degree in Dance and Music Theory. Who knows what I’ll do with it? Maybe I’ll teach.    90. What makes you angry? Judgmental people.    91. Do you like your own name? It’s pretty nifty I guess.   92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? I haven’t thought about that, no.    93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child? I’d love a girl, if it ever happened. Either though, I guess. I’ve heard you love your kids no matter what, or some shit like that.   94. What are you strengths? Funny, intelligent, loyal. Man, I sound like a poodle.   95. What are your weaknesses? I guess I self-isolate. I’m not great at asking for help, or letting people in.  96. How did you get your name? From my great-grandmother.  97. Were your ancestors royalty?  I don’t believe so.   98. Do you have any scars? I do.   99. Color of your bedspread? Pink   100. Color of your room? Here? White.

[ageofevermore]

1-100 baby, let’s do this!

1. What is you middle name?

Mackenze (mackenzie not fucking mackenz ro)

2. How old are you?

16 (almost 17)

3. When is your birthday?

December 26

4. What is your zodiac sign?

Capricorn 

5. What is your favorite color?

Purple

6. What’s your lucky number?

2

7. Do you have any pets?

No

8. Where are you from?

New Jersey (i mean i’m african america + german + irish)

9. How tall are you?

4’11

10. What shoe size are you?

9 ½ 

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

Over 17 ...

12. What was your last dream about?

i have the weirdest fucking dreams ever, but im pretty sure it had something to do with my going back to in person school but ending up at ikea and then their was a Princess bounce house and i saw a little girl i know but then i ran away because i missed my marketing class and cried bc we were drawing octopuses and i got an F... like what the hell is that?!

13. What talents do you have?

none :)

14. Are you psychic in any way?

i mean i have been known to predict a pregnancy... 

15. Favorite song?

WAP? (i have a lot man)

16. Favorite movie?

I HATE movies, but like anything Marvel 

17. Who would be your ideal partner?

Idk man, Tom Holland?

18. Do you want children?

Yes, 100%

19. Do you want a church wedding?

Lol, no thanks 

20. Are you religious?

Nope

21. Have you ever been to the hospital?

Yes! It’ s one of my favorite places (that sounds horrible but like, i’ve just always enjoyed it their and find it mesmerizing? Also Greys..)

22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law?

No

23. Have you ever met any celebrities?

Yes, but like really old ones who i don’t even know the name of, oh and the cop from one of the Spiderman movies :)

24. Baths or showers?

Showers

25. What color socks are you wearing?

I’m not wearing socks

26. Have you ever been famous?

Nope

27. Would you like to be a big celebrity?

Yeah

28. What type of music do you like?

Country, Showtunes, Pop, some Rap, Alternative 

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping?

No

30. How many pillows do you sleep with?

I don’t own real pillows, but i do have a body pillow and like a throw pillow...

31. What position do you usually sleep in?

On my side of my stomach

32. How big is your house?

It’s a ranch, not that big. 3 bedroom, 1 ½ bath

33. What do you typically have for breakfast?

I don’t eat breakfast 

34. Have you ever fired a gun?

A nerf gun...

35. Have you ever tried archery?

Nope

36. Favorite clean word?

Orgasmic 

37. Favorite swear word?

Twatwaffle, Cuntasaurous, Bitch, Dick, Pussy, Fuck

38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep?

Around 48 hours

39. Do you have any scars?

Yup (my favorite ones my boob one bc its the only one i got and it wasn’t because i was being a complete idiot…)

40. Have you ever had a secret admirer?

It wasn’t a fucking secret this boy is obvious as all hell

41. Are you a good liar?

Yes

42. Are you a good judge of character?

Yeah

43. Can you do any other accents other than your own?

Yup

44. Do you have a strong accent?

I don’t think so

45. What is your favorite accent?

British 

46. What is your personality type?

Mediator INFP-T (mind 64% introverted, energy 63% intuitive, nature 63% feeling, tactics 75% prospecting, identity 75% turbulent)

47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing?

idk

48. Can you curl your tongue?

Yes

49. Are you an innie or an outie?

Middle! 

50. Left or right handed?

Right 

51. Are you scared of spiders?

Yes, get the fuck away from me demons 

52. Favorite food?

PASTA 

53. Favorite foreign food?

chinese ..?

54. Are you a clean or messy person?

Messy and i hate it

55. Most used phrased?

The fuck?

56. Most used word?

Fuck

57. How long does it take for you to get ready?

Could take 5 minutes could take 2 ½ hours, and i never wear makeup so don’t even try to start with me about how it takes hours to do makeup, i just genuinely enjoy sitting under blazing hot water in the shower 

58. Do you have much of an ego?

I mean, i dont think so?

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops?

Suck

60. Do you talk to yourself?

yes , i have like two irls and they never wanna hang our already have plans so im my own company 97% of the time

61. Do you sing to yourself?

ALL THE TIME

62. Are you a good singer?

No, i mean i’m good, but i’m also nowhere near professional 

63. Biggest Fear?

Being alone, being rejected...

64. Are you a gossip?

I mean, i do enjoy some tea time, but i also feel anxious half the time when tea is being spilled lol

65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen?

...American Assassin? Is that dramatic? Endgame? Whats a dramatic movie?!

66. Do you like long or short hair?

LONG LONG LONG 

67. Can you name all 50 states of America?

Bitch, i can’t even name like 12

68. Favorite school subject?

English

69. Extrovert or Introvert?

Extroverted Introvert 

70. Have you ever been scuba diving?

No

71. What makes you nervous?

People...

72. Are you scared of the dark?

Yes, tf, if you aren’t I don’t trust you 

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes?

No, if i did I would be correcting people 73 times a day when they say my name 

74. Are you ticklish?

Sometimes, in some places. I can turn it off

75. Have you ever started a rumor?

No

76. Have you ever been in a position of authority?

Lol, i mean, maybe?

77. Have you ever drank underage?

I am the queen of drinking at family parties 

78. Have you ever done drugs?

No, but i wanna get high. 

79. Who was your first real crush?

Justin Bieber, but like Harry Styles was two weeks later...i was 6

80. How many piercings do you have?

5 technically 

81. Can you roll your Rs?“

Yes 

82. How fast can you type?

Yes 

83. How fast can you run?

I don’t run, tf

84. What color is your hair?

Brown

85. What color is your eyes?

Idk, they were blue, then they were green, then they were hazel, now i think they’re just brown :(

86. What are you allergic to?

Human interaction… but no my favorite flowers, Lilly’s 

87. Do you keep a journal?

No

88. What do your parents do?

My mom was a teacher, and my dad used to work at the DMV

89. Do you like your age?

No, you don’t understand how badly i want to vote 

90. What makes you angry?

Ignorance and Selfishness 

91. Do you like your own name?

No, but it’s been growing on my ig 

92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they?

Yes! I have two lists, one of names I love and another of names i’d be willing to agree to if my partner doesn’t like my favorites. 

Girls; Olivia, Amelia, Hazel, Leila, Charlotte, Cove

Boys: Brett, Lincoln, Landon

Unisex; Anderson, Montgomery, Maverick, Ocean, Blake 

93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child?

Girl

94. What are you strengths?

Avoiding my problems like they don’t exist 

95. What are your weaknesses?

ADD, anxiety, depression, i mean sorta PTSD i guess surrounding some situations

96. How did you get your name?

My dad named me after Kirsten Dunst (Kyrstin), and my middle name is Mackenze bc Marie is a family name but my mom said ‘lets be original’ bc literally like 6 girls in my family have the middle name Marie

97. Were your ancestors royalty?

No, but my great great great great great grandfather created the brick press

98. Do you have any scars?

Yes 

99. Color of your bedspread?

Pink

100. Color of your room?

Grey

[raccoon-necromancer]

All of them. Answer. All. Of. Them.

Thank you my love for making this difficult.

1. What is you middle name?

Jessica

2. How old are you?

19

3. When is your birthday?

[Private information redacted]

4. What is your zodiac sign?

Leo

5. What is your favorite color?

Purple

6. What’s your lucky number?

12, I decided when I was 11 that 2012 was gonna be a good year because I had decided 12 was my lucky number. It was not a good year but the lucky number stuck.

7. Do you have any pets?

Yes. 3 cats 1 dog.

8. Where are you from?

[Private information redacted]

9. How tall are you?

No idea, probably 6 foot ish

10. What shoe size are you?

9ish

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

One

12. What was your last dream about?

A culinary version of the necronomican that was used to create storage space and other stuff useful on a cruise ship for cooking. This unleashed something called “The contagion” that fucked everyone who went into the doorways summoned by the culinary necronomicon. Had to go into the fucked up looking flesh door way to stop it.

13. What talents do you have?

I have a good ability to remember what people say.

14. Are you psychic in any way?

Sometimes I have dreams that are memories from the future. Either a neurological issue or a useless form of psychicness.

15. Favorite song?

RN she wolf by shakira in general Medusa by Kailee Mourge

16. Favorite movie?

Megamind. I cry everytime  I watch it

17. Who would be your ideal partner?

Ariel

18. Do you want children?

Possibly

19. Do you want a church wedding?

Not really but i’d be happy getting married anywhere

20. Are you religious?

[Private information redacted]

21. Have you ever been to the hospital?

Yeah, I had eye surgery at age 3 and had a lump on my throat at age twelve that had to get looked at in case it was cancer.

22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law?

No

23. Have you ever met any celebrities?

I don’t believe in celebrities

24. Baths or showers?

Showers unless it’s a bubble bath then only after or before a shower. Baths do not get you clean.

25. What color socks are you wearing?

I am not currently wearing socks, but I only own 3 colors of socks, brown, tan, and black.

26. Have you ever been famous?

I briefly ran a very popular rp blog on tumblr. I do not know why I started it I do not like rp.

27. Would you like to be a big celebrity?

I do not believe in celebrities.

28. What type of music do you like?

Punk, cowboy, and most other music.

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping?

No

30. How many pillows do you sleep with?

2. 1 for my head 1 for between my knees

31. What position do you usually sleep in?

fetal position, soldier, and on my stomach

32. How big is your house?

4 bedroom 2 and one half bathroom.

33. What do you typically have for breakfast?

Waffles

34. Have you ever fired a gun?

Several times

35. Have you ever tried archery?

yes

36. Favorite clean word?

Lovely

37. Favorite swear word?

Bastard

38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep?

probably 50 hours, maybe more idk.

39. Do you have any scars?

A lot, I am not a smart woman. Notably I have 2 circular scars on my knees from falling on a treadmill and just hanging on to the console letting my knees be scraped away.

40. Have you ever had a secret admirer?

Not that I know of

41. Are you a good liar?

I can be

42. Are you a good judge of character?

No

43. Can you do any other accents other than your own?

No, but people thought I was british as a child which was awful

44. Do you have a strong accent?

Everyone has a strong accent if they go far enough away from home.

45. What is your favorite accent?

Women

46. What is your personality type?

I don’t really believe in personality types but I’d say a mixture of all of them. I’d go so far as to say everyone is a mixture of all of them.

47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing?

My good flannels, which cost 45 dollars a piece. Perhaps my boots but those were hand me downs.

48. Can you curl your tongue?

Yes

50. Left or right handed?

Right handed

51. Are you scared of spiders?

Sorta, if I see one unexpectedly i’d certainly scream but I can pick them up if i know they are there.

52. Favorite food?

Calamari

53. Favorite foreign food?

What the hell is a foreign food

54. Are you a clean or messy person?

Disorganized

55. Most used phrased?

I suppose so

56. Most used word?

Bastard

57. How long does it take for you to get ready?

10 minutes

58. Do you have much of an ego?

Probably

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops?

Crunch

60. Do you talk to yourself?

Yes

61. Do you sing to yourself?

Sometimes

62. Are you a good singer?

I’ve been told I’m a good singer and also told I am a very bad singer so somewhere between the two.

63. Biggest Fear?

Honestly? Clowns

64. Are you a gossip?

I like to hear drama

65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen?

Megamind

66. Do you like long or short hair?

Hair is hair

67. Can you name all 50 states of America?

Probably but i’m not gonna try

68. Favorite school subject?

Science or choir

69. Extrovert or Introvert?

I don’t believe in this

70. Have you ever been scuba diving?

No

71. What makes you nervous?

Clowns, being in cars, being places

72. Are you scared of the dark?

No

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes?

Depends what the mistake is.

74. Are you ticklish?

Very 75. Have you ever started a rumor?

Yes, I don;t remember what it was but I think it was about myself

76. Have you ever been in a position of authority?

Yes, I have younger cousins

77. Have you ever drank underage?

Yes

78. Have you ever done drugs?

No

79. Who was your first real crush?

[Private information redacted]

80. How many piercings do you have?

None

81. Can you roll your Rs?“

Nope

82. How fast can you type?

200 ish

83. How fast can you run?

Haven;t ran fast in a while but i’m certainly no slowpoke

84. What color is your hair?

Brown or Dirty blonde, depends who you ask.

85. What color is your eyes?

Brown

86. What are you allergic to?

Shellfish sensitivity.

87. Do you keep a journal?

No

88. What do your parents do?

Vet and IT at a college campus

89. Do you like your age?

What does that mean?

90. What makes you angry?

Stuff

91. Do you like your own name?

I chose it so yes

92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they?

United States Of America Penny 97.5% Zinc    2.5% Copper

93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child?

Sex is not a real thing.

94. What are you strengths?

I am an epic gamer

95. What are your weaknesses?

I am an epic gamer

96. How did you get your name?

I do not know.

97. Were your ancestors royalty?

Unsure, the [Last Name Redacted]s had a family crest but besides my great  great grandpa who escaped Germany they died in the holocaust. He then converted to Catholic and my actual grandpa won’t tell us anything else. In fact my grandpa didn’t tell us we had family in the holocaust or that our great great grandpa was Jewish until about 2 years ago. I don’t know about the other side of my family.

98. Do you have any scars?

Answered earlier in this post.

99. Color of your bedspread?

Gray

100. Color of your room?

White

[guernsey-island]

Please answer 1-98 >:3

Weird asks that say a lot

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans?      water bottles 2. chocolate bars or lollipops?      chocolate bars 3. bubblegum or cotton candy?      cotton candy, though I don't like either very much 4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?      I don't know 5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?      plastic cups??? 6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?      sportswear I guess 7. earbuds or headphones?      I only have earbuds right now, but I like both 8. movies or tv shows?      tv shows, but that doesn't mean I don't like movies too 9. favorite smell in the summer?      the ocean 10. game you were best at in p.e.?      capture the flag 11. what you have for breakfast on an average day?      whatever I can find 12. name of your favorite playlist?      "Good Songs :D" 13. lanyard or key ring?      key ring 14. favorite non-chocolate candy?      I don't particularly like any non-chocolate candy. Too artificial and sweet :/ 15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?      Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes 16. most comfortable position to sit in?      leaning back and with my legs out 17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?      white converse 18. ideal weather?      raining or a mild temperature like 80 degrees F paired with high humidity 19. sleeping position?      I fall asleep on my side and wake up on my back 20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?      Google docs heheh 21. obsession from childhood?      I was one of those warrior cats kids (no, I didn't pretend to be warrior cats at recess) 22. role model?      Snickers 23. strange habits?      popping my back, checking sunset/sunrise times 24. favorite crystal?     all crystals are great 25. first song you remember hearing?      Counting Stars by OneRepublic 26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?      hiking 27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?      reading 28. five songs to describe you?      Modern Loneliness- Lauv // Scared of Heights- Loving Caliber // backpack- slchld // By Now- Will Jay // Come True- khai dreams, Forrest., Biskwiq 29. best way to bond with you?      don't annoy me 30. places that you find sacred?      the beach when no one is there or deep in the mountains 31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names?      ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 32. top five favorite vines?      road work ahead, jared 19, damn daniel, 2 bros chillin in a hot tub, x files theme 33. most used phrase in your phone?      probably >:3 34. advertisements you have stuck in your head?      that spotify ad about peter and jumping/skipping rope. IF you knew what an 8track tape was!! 35. average time you fall asleep?      ~2:30am 36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing?      the pepe the frog memes 37. suitcase or duffel bag?      suitcase 38. lemonade or tea?      lemonade but tea is also superb 39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?      lemon cake bc I've never had lemon meringue pie 40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?      I don't really remember. Let's go with Mr. Rightmyer and Mr. Mikow in general (ig matrix_multiplication). or maybe the time Sami put a lamp on her head and pretended to be Shaggy 41. last person you texted?      Snickers 42. jacket pockets or pants pockets?      jacket pockets 43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?      hoodie 44. favorite scent for soap?      hmmm something tropical 45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero?      sci-fi 46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?      clothing 47. favorite type of cheese?      swiss or colby jack or parmigiano-reggiano 48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?      peaches bc they're the best fruit 49. what saying or quote do you live by?      "you become what you think about" "success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal"- Earl Nightingale "the opposite of courage is not cowardice, it is conformity" "sanity and happiness are an impossible combination"- Mark Twain "If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading"- Lao Tzu "failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough" - Og Mandino 50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?      let's go with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TilHylia7rE and more recently, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voncdcV648g 51. current stresses?      upcoming exams, writing essays 52. favorite font?      My current favorites are Frank Ruhl Libre, Overlock, and Rajdhani 53. what is the current state of your hands?      good, though I perpetually have a bump on one finger from writing too much 54. what did you learn from your first job?      job?? what job? 55. favorite fairy tale?      three little pigs 56. favorite tradition?      sleeping 57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome?      I don't know 58. four talents you’re proud of having?      Freestyling (ground moves and juggling), shooting knuckleballs, popping my back really well, running a 5-6 minute mile 59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?      I don’t know what my catchphrase would be 60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?      a shonen where the protagonist is trying to survive in a crazy world, become the best at something, or master some special power (examples: tower of god or solo leveling if it was an anime) OR something with a mafia 61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?      "Well, if you only knew how little I really know about the things that matter"- Elio in cmbyn the movie (think about this quote all the time) "Let us cultivate our garden"-Candide in Candide by Voltaire “The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world. The bird flies to God. That God's name is Abraxas.”- Sinclair in Demian by Hermann Hesse “I wanted only to live in accord with the promptings which came from my true self. Why was that so very difficult?”- Sinclair in Demain by Hermann Hesse “Know yourself and go in swinging.”- More than this by Patrick Ness “Just leave me alone. I’m not myself. I’m falling apart, and I don’t want you here.”- Charlie in Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes Tons of quotes and references from Arthur, httyd, and other media 62. seven characters you relate to?      Lance (vld), zuko (atla), okonkwo (things fall apart), nwoye (things fall apart), bokuto (haikyuu), sinclair (demian), hiccup (httyd) 63. five songs that would play in your club?      Wednesday Girl- Elijah Who, Aso, Peachy!, Kudasaibeats, slchld // Way Back Home- SHAUN, Conor Maynard, Sam Feldt // Let Me Down Slow (Acoustic)- New Hope Club // Crush Culture- Conan Gray // All Night Long- TAEYEON, LUCAS 64. favorite website from your childhood?      animal jam 65. any permanent scars?      I have a ton of scars on my legs and knees. I ran into a cart at staples once and have a big scar from that. I have a few scars on my elbows too 66. favorite flower(s)?      columbine (CO state flower) 67. good luck charms?      none 68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?      I have no idea 69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned?      I don’t know 70. left or right handed?       right 71. least favorite pattern?      cheetah or zebra print 72. worst subject?      hmmm biology but only bc I don't put in the effort 73. favorite weird flavor combo?      I don't know. I like food 74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen?      I don't think I've experienced enough pain to accurately answer this question. I've only taken ibuprofen once (when I got my wisdom teeth taken out), but I didn't think it was that necessary to take 75. when did you lose your first tooth?      probably when I was six 76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?      scalloped potatoes, hash browns, Spanish tortillas, potato salad, mashed potatoes 77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?      aloe vera 78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?      sushi from a grocery store 79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo?      school ID 80. earth tones or jewel tones?      earth tones 81. fireflies or lightning bugs?      they're called fireflies 82. pc or console?      pc 83. writing or drawing?      writing 84. podcasts or talk radio?      podcasts 84. barbie or polly pocket?      no 85. fairy tales or mythology?      mythology 86. cookies or cupcakes?      cookies 87. your greatest fear?      Accidentally biting off my tongue and then choking on it, seeing things in mirrors, being stabbed with a knife as I enter a hotel elevator, receiving emails 88. your greatest wish?      Happiness??? I don’t know 89. who would you put before everyone else?      Snickers 90. luckiest mistake?      I don't know 91. boxes or bags?      boxes 92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?      sunlight 93. nicknames?      let's not talk abt that,,, 94. favorite season?      spring or summer 95. favorite app on your phone?      google play books, goodreads, tumblr, kakaotalk, spotify, google keep 96. desktop background?      it's a slideshow. the background at the moment is a photo of Manarola, Italy taken by Peter Hegedus. It's one of my favorite photographs of all time 97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized?      three not including 911 (so four) 98. favorite historical era?     1300s in the Mongol empire or around when the spice trade was at its peak, 1800s in America during westward expansion, 1920s, ancient egypt, Harlem Renaissance 

[diplacesims]

1. What is you middle name? Kay

2. How old are you? 59

3. When is your birthday? 8-1-1960

4. What is your zodiac sign? Leo

5. What is your favorite color? Red

6. What’s your lucky number? None

7. Do you have any pets? Yes

8. Where are you from? Texas

9. How tall are you? 5’5”

10. What shoe size are you? 8

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? Not sure

12. What was your last dream about? Snakes, ewwww!

13. What talents do you have? Knitting

14. Are you psychic in any way? Yes

15. Favorite song? Fancy by Reba McEntire

16. Favorite movie? Twister

17. Who would be your ideal partner? Im married to him already

18. Do you want children? Have 3 children, 10 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren

19. Do you want a church wedding? Didn’t have church wedding

20. Are you religious? Yes

21. Have you ever been to the hospital? Yes

22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? No

23. Have you ever met any celebrities? Yes

24. Baths or showers? Shower

25. What color socks are you wearing? Beige

26. Have you ever been famous? No

27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? No

28. What type of music do you like? 70’s disco, country, southern rock

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? No

30. How many pillows do you sleep with? 1

31. What position do you usually sleep in? On side

32. How big is your house? Too big

33. What do you typically have for breakfast? Love eggs

34. Have you ever fired a gun? Yes

35. Have you ever tried archery? No

36. Favorite clean word? ????

37. Favorite swear word? ????

38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep? Not sure

39. Do you have any scars? Too many

40. Have you ever had a secret admirer? No

41. Are you a good liar? No

42. Are you a good judge of character? Try

43. Can you do any other accents other than your own? No, my accent is hard enough to understand

44. Do you have a strong accent? Yes

45. What is your favorite accent? English

46. What is your personality type? Outgoing

47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? Shoes

48. Can you curl your tongue? Yes

49. Are you an innie or an outie? Innie

50. Left or right handed? Right

51. Are you scared of spiders? No

52. Favorite food? Sea food

53. Favorite foreign food? Tex-mex

54. Are you a clean or messy person? Clean

55. Most used phrased? N/A

56. Most used word? N/A

57. How long does it take for you to get ready? As long as it takes

58. Do you have much of an ego? No

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? Cant eat

60. Do you talk to yourself? All the time

61. Do you sing to yourself? I sing

62. Are you a good singer? No

63. Biggest Fear? Snakes

64. Are you a gossip? Try not to be

65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen? Don’t like dramas

66. Do you like long or short hair? Short

67. Can you name all 50 states of America? If I try

68. Favorite school subject? Didn’t have one

69. Extrovert or Introvert? Extrovert

70. Have you ever been scuba diving? No

71. What makes you nervous? I’m a nervous person, nothing in particular

72. Are you scared of the dark? Not the dark but whats in the dark

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? Unfortunately yes

74. Are you ticklish? Yes

75. Have you ever started a rumor? No

76. Have you ever been in a position of authority? Yes

77. Have you ever drank underage? Yes

78. Have you ever done drugs? Yes

79. Who was your first real crush? Didn’t have one

80. How many piercings do you have? Too many to count

81. Can you roll your Rs? no

82. How fast can you type? Not very fast

83. How fast can you run? Not any more

84. What color is your hair? Light brown and white

85. What color is your eyes? Brown

86. What are you allergic to? Everything outside my front doors lol

87. Do you keep a journal? No

88. What do your parents do? Passed away

89. Do you like your age? Can’t wait till I turn 60

90. What makes you angry? Sometimes life

91. Do you like your own name? Love it

92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? Past that job

93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child? Have both

94. What are you strengths? ?

95. What are your weaknesses? ?

96. How did you get your name? My parents

97. Were your ancestors royalty? Yes, English Knights

98. Do you have any scars? Yes

99. Color of your bedspread? Brown

100. Color of your room? Green

[jmreyes9]

A DELIGHTFUL SUMMER DAY IN DOWNTOWN CHICAGO

By Jesse Reyes

It was a pleasant late summer day in downtown Chicago, the temperatures hovering in the mid 70’s, not humid at all, the sun coming in and out of the cloud cover.  There was no gusty wind today in the “windy city” and poet Carl Sandburg’s “City of Big Shoulders” and “Hog Butcher for the World”—just a mild cool breeze coming from Lake Michigan.

We drove from the Chicago suburbs to downtown Chicago to have some documents authenticated at Consul General of the Philippines Generoso Calonge’s office in Michigan Avenue.  Actually there was no necessity in meeting the consul general himself but it’s nice to know his name in case a “trivial pursuit” nut asks me for this information in the future!  My daughter had accepted the driving honors, as she knew I dreaded driving in “the city” like I dreaded going on the “Screaming Eagle”, the heart-stopping, nerve-wrecking roller coaster in Six Flags Over Great America in Gurnee, IL, the rollercoaster which I had made the mistake of riding in when I was younger just to prove I wasn’t “spineless”.

We found a parking lot just a few minutes walk from the consulate office but ended up paying $40 as we had to park there for 4 hours.  We waited for about half-an-hour at the waiting area and when my number was called and after submitting the documents, we were told to come back at 3 pm.  So my daughter looked for a restaurant where we would eat lunch.  She found an Italian place which was supposedly a “short” walk away but we ended up walking 4 or 5 blocks slightly overshooting the place (and when you’re hungry, searching for the place seems like an eternity.)  I told myself as softly as I could, so my wife and daughter would not hear, that “this place better be good, for all the walking we did.”

The Trattoria #10 (I wondered where the other 9 trattorias were!) was located at the corner of Dearborn and Calhoun Streets.  We had to negotiate this semi-winding stairs that led to the basement.  When we went in, the elegant ambiance of the restaurant greeted us.  It was a cozy, dimly-lit place and the waiters/waitresses were very friendly (they usually are, knowing the amount of their tip was directly proportional to their nicety, courtesy and pleasantness.)  I ordered the grilled organic Amish chicken and my two female companions (my wife and daughter) ordered pastas (a dish which I don’t care for that much.)  Well, the tasty food met our gustatory expectations, hence our waiter received a “generous” tip. 

On the way back to the consul’s office, I noted the plethora of skyscrapers along Dearborn, State and Michigan Streets seemed taller, and there seemed to be more lawyers’ offices than before.  As we wanted to go to Monroe St., I recalled that the streets going east to west were named after US presidents.  We passed by a store selling bags in Michigan Avenue and entered they did, my two lady companions, as if sucked into the store by a strong vacuum.  I told them I preferred staying outside, for my interest in ladies’ bags was zilch, nada, zero! 

As I waited outside the store for the two “window shoppers only”, I marveled at the elegant architecture of the imposing skyscrapers along the northern side of Michigan Avenue towards Lake Michigan, mainly the Aon Center formerly the Standard Oil Building built in 1974, and has 83 stories and is 1,189 ft. high and the Crain Communications Building with its diamond-shaped top that is split in the middle, that has 49 stories, some of which have not yet been told! and IS 582 feet high, built in 1990.  To the east of these skyscrapers was the Millennium Park.  I noticed a large head statue on the southern end of the park.  It turns out that this giant head statue standing at 39 feet tall was the work of Spanish sculptor Jaume Piensa and was brought from Barcelona in Spain and installed in Chicago on June 2014.

As we drove home, I thought of how one can enjoy the city of Chicago, especially on a nice and non-windy day, even just walking along the streets, admiring the majesty and architectural beauty of the towering skyscrapers. 

Written in 2016 and revised on March 13, 2017 in Chicago, IL.Posted in my blog 11/30/22. 

[straightouttatshirt-blog]

http://straightouttatshirt.com/straight-outta-wildwood-cool-t-shirt Straight Outta Wildwood – Cool T-Shirt !!! – STRAIGHT OUTTA T-SHIRTS HOODIES

[ludicrousperson]

Get To Know Me Questions (Very long)

thanks for tagging me bubs @meeresnaechte <3

1. What is your first name? Michelle

2. What is your nickname? Michi, Ischi, E.T., Valera

3. What is your zodiac sign? Aries

4. What is your favorite book series? Definitely the Harry Potter Book Series

5. Do you believe in aliens or ghosts? I believe in ghosts but not really in aliens? The term ‘aliens’ is so stigmatized, that I don’t support this term and it’s definition. But somehow I slightly believe that humans are not the only ones in space.

6. Who is your favorite author? Haruki Murakami

7. What is your favorite radio station? I don’t really listen to radio, but when I do, I skip along through every station while driving car.

8. What is your favorite flavor of anything? I love to try the variety of all the flavors, but my go to flavor is definitely chocolate hehe.

9. What word would you use often to describe something great or wonderful? Lovely or Cute/Adorable. I love it when something or someone is just themselves and it’s so pure and lovely and I want to give it/them all my heart.

10. What is your current favorite song? Don’t Settle - Ben Kyle

11. What is your favorite word? It may seem so casual but the word ‘Thanks’ or ‘Thank you’ (‘Danke’ in German) holds so much power and lots meaning. For me it is another way to express my thankfulness and love I hold for my friends and family. ‘Thank you for seeing me’, ‘Thank you for making me laugh’, ‘Thank you.’.

12. What was the last song you listened to? I am You - Stray Kids

13. What TV show would you recommend for everybody to watch? Breaking Bad, Narcos, Stranger Things & Goblin (KDrama).

14. What is your favorite movie to watch when you’re feeling down? Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban & Therapie (by DieAussenseiter, German Youtuber).

15. Do you play video games? Currently I play ‘The Last of Us’. But rather than playing I really loooove to watch Let’s Plays of for example ‘Detroit: Become Human’, ‘Resident Evil’ aaand so on.

16. What is your biggest fear? Darkness & Loneliness. 

17. What is your best quality, in your opinion? I can be really spontaneous and would steal a car to drive to the ocean just for one hour so we can watch the sunset. Also I am really honest. You did something bad that’s not quite acceptable? Let’s talk it out and I will stay by your side to help you change your thinking/behavior or simply your mistake (vice versa counts for me).

18. What is your worst quality, in your opinion? My mind. I get nervous and tell myself that I am weird and that I am just annoying. That happens even when I am with my closest friends. Plus, I am sometimes very hot tempered. In a conflict I want to understand what my opposite thinks and what their opinion is, but it turns into me shouting quite fast.

19. Do you like cats or dogs better? Honestly I like both, but since I am allergic to cats, I love and praise doggos.

20. What is your favorite season? Spring Spring Spring and a bit of Autumn.

21. Are you in a relationship? No.

22. What is something you miss from your childhood? I miss that my parents never lived together and that I have never seen them together in one room.

23. Who is your best friend? I have 3. One I met through the Internet in 2013. One I met in school 4 years ago and that I didn’t like at the beginning and one who reached out to me in 2017.

24. What is your eye color? Brown

25. What is your hair color? Brown

26. Who is someone you love? My friends and my granny

27. Who is someone you trust? My friends

28. Who is someone you think about often? Someone who I can share my happiness with but haven’t met yet.

29. Are you currently excited about/for something? I am always excited for the little things. But right now I am lowkey excited for what this semester in University will gift me.

30. What is your biggest obsession? Music & Photography

31. What was your favorite TV show as a child? Spongebob and Disneys Recess

32. Who of the opposite gender can you tell anything to, if anyone? I have more male friends than female friends and I can talk as openly to them as to my female friends.

33. Are you superstitious? Slightly

34. Do you have any unusual phobias? I wouldn’t count it as a phobia but I get panicked as soon as I see too many people around me.

35. Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it? Behind it. I love to capture the pure beauty of the nature and of my friends being themselves. I want to capture their beauty forever, even when ways start to split. The memories won’t disappear.

36. What is your favorite hobby? Photography.

37. What was the last book you read? Ein Kind - Thomas Bernhard

38. What was the last movie you watched? Annabelle 3. Saturday at a drive-in cinema with my best friend and her friends.

39. What musical instruments do you play, if any? I can’t play one but I am trying to learn the piano.

40. What is your favorite animal? Whales, Koalas and Birds.

41. What are your top 5 favorite Tumblr blogs that you follow? Definitley @loewen-gebruell, kuss an dich

42. What superpower do you wish you had? Teleportation & Invisibility

43. When and where do you feel most at peace? At the ocean. Just watching the waves and the sun and the wind and the people. It feels like time stops while time is running by.

44. What makes you smile? When other people are happy, doesn’t matter if it’s because of me or because of something/someone else.

45. What sports do you play, if any? Zumba/Dancing, Handball and Badminton.

46. What is your favorite drink? Waaaaater

47. When was the last time you wrote a hand-written letter or note to somebody? For my best friend on her birthday as a present in May.

48. Are you afraid of heights? A bit, depends on my current anxiety level haha

49. What is your biggest pet peeve? Aggressiveness. I am so afraid if people get aggressive. 

50. Have you ever been to a concert? Yes. K.I.Z. in Essen & Monsta X in Berlin.

51. Are you vegan/vegetarian? No.

52. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? I always wanted to teach or help children. Now I am trying to fulfill my wish into becoming a psychotherapist.

53. What fictional world would you like to live in? Aaaaaall the way Hogwarts.

54. What is something you worry about? I worry about my own future and about my family.

55. Are you scared of the dark? I am literally so scared when it gets dark. I need someone by my side to keep calm.

56. Do you like to sing? I love to sing and I would have already become a popular singer but sike my voice sucks so bad I don’t even like to speak in general because of my voice.

57. Have you ever skipped school? Yes hehe

58. What is your favorite place on the planet? Wherever I know I am not going to stay forever.

59. Where would you like to live? I want to live in so many countries, but I am afraid to settle down somewhere for the rest of my life.

60. Do you have any pets? No.

61. Are you more of an early bird or a night owl? Early bird, but lately I am more a night owl uhu

62. Do you like sunrises or sunsets better? Sunrises. Even though I find sunsets so surprisingly beautiful, I cherish sunrises a lot more. My heart feels like ‘here we are, leave it behind, you had time, it is a new start, you can do it in your own pace’ and it just feels warm.

63. Do you know how to drive? Yes and it’s the only thing I am 100% confident in lol

64. Do you prefer earbuds or headphones? Earbuds.

65. Have you ever had braces? Yes I had and I plan on getting some again.

66. What is your favorite genre of music? Ballads & a mix of EDM and POP

67. Who is your hero? May I say ‘Gronkh’?. He is a Youtuber and I watch him and his videos since I am 12. He has been with me for all the past years and he is still with me even though I am 20. His words always gave me courage and gave me what I never received from anyone else. He has a strong Father Role in my eyes.

68. Do you read comic books? No.

69. What makes you the most angry? Lies

70. Do you prefer to read on an electronic device or with a real book? A real book.

71. What is your favorite subject in school? German & Chemics

72. Do you have any siblings? Yes, 4 Half-Siblings, all younger than me.

73. What was the last thing you bought? A hoodie for the drive-in cinema at night.

74. How tall are you? 170 cm

75. Can you cook? Since I live on my own I cook a lot and I didn’t get food poisoned yet so I think I can cook.

76. What are three things that you love? Late Nights, Spontaneous Roadtrips & Laughs.

77. What are three things that you hate? Toxicity, Self-Centered People & Hate in general. 

78. Do you have more female friends or more male friends? More male friends.

79. What is your sexual orientation? Straight by now but I don’t care who I am going to fall in love with.

80. Where do you currently live? In Austria for my studies.

81. Who was the last person you texted? My bestie @meeresnaechte

82. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday night.

83. Who is your favorite YouTuber? Gronkh.

84. Do you like to take selfies? Depends if I need a new profilepic.

85. What is your favorite app? Spotify & Tumblr

86. What is your relationship with your parent(s) like? Not good at all. My father disappoints me and breaks my trust to him everytime I visit him and my mother tries to be my best friend since she can’t act as a mother.

87. What is your favorite foreign accent? Slavik and Australian.

88. What is a place that you’ve never been to, but you want to visit? Mongolia, Southern America and Antarctica.

89. What is your favorite number? 16

90. Can you juggle? No

91. Are you religious? I have been raised strongly catholic but I got myself out of this close minded thinking. Even though I don’t practice any religious “doings”, I try to compare my experiences with the religions opinion.

92. Do you find outer space or the deep ocean to be more interesting? The deep ocean. The deep ocean is all around us and is covering 71% of the world we live on. So many lives live deep down in the ocean we have never seen and it’s the most undiscovered place on earth.

93. Do you consider yourself to be a daredevil? No.

94. Are you allergic to anything? Cats, Dust & Wheat

95. Can you curl your tongue? No

96. Can you wiggle your ears? No

97. How often do you admit that you were wrong about something? 60% wrong, because I always try to see the good in someone and while not only hurting myself because of another disappointment, I hurt my closest friends as well.

98. Do you prefer the forest or the beach? The beach. But the forest has something magical that will always leave me stunned.

99. What is your favorite piece of advice that anyone has ever given you? “Do what makes you happy.”.

100. Are you a good liar? No and I don’t want to be.

101. What is your Hogwarts House? Hufflepuff

102. Do you talk to yourself? Most of the time since I live alone uhm

103. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? I am a situational extrovert.

104. Do you keep a journal/diary? No, my Tumblr Blog is my diary since 2013.

105. Do you believe in second chances? Yes.

106. If you found a wallet full of money on the ground, what would you do? Search for an ID and try to reach out to the person who lost it or give it straight to the owner of the place where I found the wallet or give it to the nearest police station.

107. Do you believe that people are capable of change? I have split opinions on it.

108. Are you ticklish? Yes.

109. Have you ever been on a plane? Yes.

110. Do you have any piercings? Yes, recently got a helix.

111. What fictional character do you wish was real? Neville from Harry Potter, just imagining him as a best friend wow

112. Do you have any tattoos? Yes a Plumeria on my right arm.

113. What is the best decision that you’ve made in your life so far? Not listening to others and making my own experiences.

114. Do you believe in karma? Yes.

115. Do you wear glasses or contacts? No.

116. Do you want children? Yes, 3 to 5 children, but only if I am financially stable and if I can rely on my partner.

117. Who is the smartest person you know? Smart is anyone who found a way to live happily.

118. What is your most embarrassing memory? I don’t want to get reminded ciao

119. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter? These dark circles under my eyes aren’t from sleeping.

120. What color are most of you clothes? Black & maybe some red here and there.

121. Do you like adventures? Always down for them, text me and I will show up at your front door with backpacks full of snacks and drinks and blankets let’s get it

122. Have you ever been on TV? No god thanks stay like this

123. How old are you? 20

124. What is your favorite quote? I have so many saved on my phone and written down in my notes, but one which I get reminded of most of the time is ”Erkennst du die nächste Gelegenheit, wenn sie passiert?” (”Do you see the next possibility when it’s happening?”).

125. Do you prefer sweet or savory foods? I have a sweet tooth but spicy food has a special place in my heart.

People I want to get to know better:  @perrfectly @kuntergrau-mohae @loewen-gebruell

[astarkey]

I’ve been tagged by @chasemisprintedlies​ Thank you, sweetie!! 😊💖

1. What is your middle name? Marie

2. How old are you? 26

3. When is your birthday? May 9th

4. What is your zodiac sign? Taurus

5. What is your favorite color? Purple

6. What’s your lucky number? 9

7. Do you have any pets? Yes. A Yorkie named Cinnamon (though we’ve normally called her Cinni for a long time now haha) 😊

8. Where are you from? Virginia

9. How tall are you? 5′6″

10. What shoe size are you? 8.5 I think?

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? Probably 7? 

12. What was your last dream about? I can’t remember.

13. What talents do you have? I can draw.

14. Are you psychic in any way? Umm... maybe? I think so.

15. Favorite song? I have too many favorites, so I’ll pick one: Ana’s Song (Open Fire) by Silverchair

16. Favorite movie? Liar Liar

17. Who would be your ideal partner? Someone that I can trust, who’s honest, funny, charming, and respects me as a person and respects my boundaries.

18. Do you want children? Yeah

19. Do you want a church wedding? Yeah, sure.

20. Are you religious? Yeah, I’m Christian (but not thoose Christians)

21. Have you ever been to the hospital? Yes

22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? No

23. Have you ever met any celebrities? Unfortunately, no...

24. Baths or showers? Showers

25. What color socks are you wearing? None, I’m not wearing any socks.

26. Have you ever been famous? No

27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? Umm, part of me would like to be, but really, I don’t. I don’t want that celebrity life lol.

28. What type of music do you like? All kinds, it just depends if it fits with my preference of music.

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? No

30. How many pillows do you sleep with? 2

31. What position do you usually sleep in? Whichever way I feel comfortable, but I usually end up sleeping on my side.

32. How big is your house? I moved into a small apartment.

33. What do you typically have for breakfast? Eggs and bacon.

34. Have you ever shot a gun? No

35. Have you ever tried archery? Yeah, I enjoyed it.

36. Favorite clean word? Is “poop” considered a clean word? lol

37. Favorite swear word? Fuck

38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep? Probably over 60 hours.

39. Do you have any scars? Plenty

40. Have you ever had a secret admirer? Pretty sure, yeah.

41. Are you a good liar? I’m pretty good at it.

42. Are you a good judge of character? Yep

43. Can you do any other accents other than your own? Yeah, but they’re not very good haha.

44. Do you have a strong accent? I mean I don’t think so, but from someone else’s point of view, they might think I have.

45. What is your favorite accent? I like British accents.

46. What is your personality type? Very chill and reserved. Shy at first, but once people get to know me and I’m comfortable around them, I can be very funny and social (but I can barely hold a conversation lol)

47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? Honestly, I don’t know. Probably my mom’s old leather jacket she had since the 90′s and she gave it to me.

48. Can you curl your tongue? Yeah, I think so.

49. Are you an innie or an outie? Innie

50. Left or right-handed? Right

51. Are you scared of spiders? I hate them, I’m sorry.

52. Favorite food? Mac and Cheese.

53. Favorite foreign food? I don’t know.

54. Are you a clean or messy person? Clean

55. Most used phrase? “But, yeah,” or “I’m sorry.”

56. Most used word? Like

57. How long does it take for you to get ready? Usually 10-15 minutes.

58. Do you have much of an ego? No

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? Suck, but when it gets smaller, I bite them.

60. Do you talk to yourself? All the time.

61. Do you sing to yourself? Yes

62. Are you a good singer? Yeah, I think I can carry a tune.

63. Biggest Fear? Umm... going on an airplane. The end of the world while I’m still alive.

64. Are you a gossip? Uh, not really.

65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen? Thirteen

66. Do you like long or short hair? Both, but I love my long hair.

67. Can you name all 50 states of America? Yeah

68. Favorite school subject? History

69. Extrovert or Introvert? Introvert

70. Have you ever been scuba diving? No

71. What makes you nervous? Screwing up on something.

72. Are you scared of the dark? Not really.

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? Sometimes 

74. Are you ticklish? Yeah

75. Have you ever started a rumor? I think probably once in elementary school by accident.

76. Have you ever been in a position of authority? Yeah

77. Have you ever drank underage? No

78. Have you ever done drugs? No

79. Who was your first real crush? I used to have a huge crush on Ricky Martin when I was 6.

80. How many piercings do you have? 4 (mostly on my ears)

81. Can you roll your R’s? Yeah, but I’m not so great at it.

82. How fast can you type? Pretty fast

83. How fast can you run? ... I can run pretty fast, but it won’t last long. But given a certain situation, I’d be speeding away.

84. What color is your hair? Dark brown

85. What color is your eyes? Brown

86. What are you allergic to? Pollen. 

87. Do you keep a journal? No, even though I should.

88. What do your parents do? My dad works for a guard rail/fencing company while my mom works at a clinic.

89. Do you like your age? I mean nothing about me has changed since I was 16, so I guess so.

90. What makes you angry? Rude and inconsiderate people. Being ignored or forgotten about.

91. Do you like your own name? Not really, but it’s who I am. Like if I was given a choice to change my name, I wouldn’t ‘cause none of those names would do me justice lol. My name fits my personality lol.

92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? I mostly have girl names, so here’s my list: Aaliyah, Lily, Cosima, Angelina, Sabrina, Jasmine, and Kate.

93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child? I want both.

94. What are your strengths? I’m a really tough shell to crack.  

95. What are your weaknesses? It’s hard for me to say “no” during uncomfortable situations ‘cause I’m a people pleaser 😑 (I do say “no” though, it’s just the guilt that I feel right after.)

96. How did you get your name? My dad gave me my first name, I don’t know if the spelling of it came from my dad or from my mom.

97. Were your ancestors royalty? I don’t know, I heard my great great grandma or my great grandma on my dad’s side was rich, but idk.

98. Do you have any scars? Yeah

99. Color of your bedspread? Black

100. Color of your room? White

I’m tagging anyone who wants to do this (Really, I mean it. If you wanna do this, you can take it from me!) 😊

Thanks again for tagging me!!! 💕

[plengogus]

answering things that nobody asked pt. 2

1. What is you middle name? Nicole

2. How old are you? Eighteen

3. When is your birthday? October 27th

4. What is your zodiac sign? Scorpio

5. What is your favorite color? Blue and pink

6. What’s your lucky number? 5,829

7. Do you have any pets? A frog named Toad Howard

8. Where are you from? New Jersey

9. How tall are you? 5’6”

10. What shoe size are you? 10 women’s

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? A lot, mostly sneakers

12. What was your last dream about? I was Zac Efron and I had a pet cow called Phillys

13. What talents do you have? Next question.

14. Are you psychic in any way? I can read auras, palms, tarot, and I keep crystals

15. Favorite song? Right now? Ohio Is For Lovers by Hawthorne Heights

16. Favorite movie? Baby Driver

17. Who would be your ideal partner? Sean, my current partner.

18. Do you want children? Yeah, but only one

19. Do you want a church wedding? No

20. Are you religious? I practise Wicca

21. Have you ever been to the hospital? I’m always getting hurt in one way or another

22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? On multiple occasions, yes

23. Have you ever met any celebrities? I know Alec Demello of Vendetta Rose

24. Baths or showers? Showers, but sitting

25. What color socks are you wearing? Socks are for the weak

26. Have you ever been famous? Nope, I’m very lame

27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? No, but my boyfriend wants to be, soooo

28. What type of music do you like? Lots of modern emo and 90’s alternative

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? Nope

30. How many pillows do you sleep with? Six, I think. Probably more than that

31. What position do you usually sleep in? Curled on my right side, against the wall

32. How big is your house? Pffffft

33. What do you typically have for breakfast? Oatmeal or a granola bar

34. Have you ever fired a gun? No, I’m terrified of guns

35. Have you ever tried archery? Yes! I’m surprisingly good, too

36. Favorite clean word? Scandalous

37. Favorite swear word? Fuck

38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep? 35 hours. I passed out in an Arby’s

39. Have you ever had a secret admirer? Probably not

40. Are you a good liar? I’m an awful liar, people can see right through me

41. Are you a good judge of character? Probably not. I love everyone, no matter what they’ve done, with a few exceptions

42. Can you do any other accents other than your own? I can do Canadian and Scottish

43. Do you have a strong accent? Probably to people outside of America, yeah

45. What is your favorite accent? Scottish

46. What is your personality type? ESFP

47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? No clue, everything’s goodwill

48. Can you curl your tongue? Yep

49. Are you an innie or an outie? Innie

50. Left or right handed? Right

51. Are you scared of spiders? Not particularly, as long as they’re not on me

52. Favorite food? Apples

53. Favorite foreign food? Do mangoes count as foreign?

54. Are you a clean or messy person? Depends on the day

55. Most used phrases? “Early worm gets the bird” (yes, in that order)

56. Most used word? Probably fuck

57. How long does it take for you to get ready? <5 minutes

58. Do you have much of an ego? Nope

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? I try to suck on them but I always end up gnawing

60. Do you talk to yourself? Not if I’m around people

61. Do you sing to yourself? Always

62. Are you a good singer? Not at all

63. Biggest Fear? Thunder, it’s too loud

64. Are you a gossip? Totally

65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen? Maybe The Great Gatsby, the one with Leo Dicaprio.

66. Do you like long or short hair? Long on guys, short on girls

67. Can you name all 50 states of America? If I saw a map, yes

68. Favorite school subject? Depends on the teacher

69. Extrovert or Introvert? Extrovert

70. Have you ever been scuba diving? Nope, I can’t swim underwater

71. What makes you nervous? Literally everything

72. Are you scared of the dark? No

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? I try to, as long as its appropriate

74. Are you ticklish? Very

75. Have you ever started a rumor? I heard Danny Phantom is ripped. I heard he has an 8-pack

76. Have you ever been in a position of authority? Only during group assignments

77. Have you ever drank underage? Yes

78. Have you ever done drugs? Yes

79. Who was your first real crush? My ex, Bayman

80. How many piercings do you have? Four

81. Can you roll your Rs? No

82. How fast can you type? Relatively fast, for using two fingers

83. How fast can you run? I absolutely do not run

84. What color is your hair? Brown

85. What color are your eyes? Blue, a little grey. Very dark

86. What are you allergic to? Nothing that I know of

87. Do you keep a journal? I try, but I’m very disorganised

88. What do your parents do? I don’t have parents

89. Do you like your age? I don’t know why I wouldn’t

90. What makes you angry? Everything, but only if I’m already in a bad mood

91. Do you like your own name? Not really. I go by a nickname

92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they? My first girl has to be named Hannah. I made a promise

93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child? Girl

94. What are you strengths? I can write well and I like to draw

95. What are your weaknesses? Pretty much everything else

96. How did you get your name? My father’s grandmother

97. Were your ancestors royalty? Not that I’m aware of

98. Do you have any scars? Plenty

99. Color of your bedspread? I have a few: black and white stripes, blue, blue with paislies, blue with a large mandala, grey, mint and black chevron, green, a pink deer pattern, and maroon with my graduating year on it.

100. Color of your room? Grey-blue

[wizardess-sweetheart]

🌻 100 Questions 🌻

Tagged by: @sigurd-curtis 💗

1. What is your nickname? Sandee, like the one in Spongebob Squarepants but with double e's cuz y not? 😂😂😂

2. How old are you? I'm 19 years old. Looks like a 12 year old. Has a mind of a 5 year old. (lolz)

3. What is your birthday month? May 🌸

4. What is your zodiac sign? Taurus

5. What is your favorite color? BLUE ALL THE WAY. ALL SHADES. NAME IT. AS LONG AS IT'S "BLUE." 💙

6. What is your lucky number? 27 all the wayyy!

7. Do you have any pets? Yaaas boi. 4 cats: 2 black and white, a pure white, and a mackerel. 🐈💕

8. Where are you from? Mabuhay, Philippines!

9. How tall are you? (NUUUU, NOT THIS QUESTIONNN) Chibi-size: 1.5 m or 4'11" 😭😭😭

10. What shoe size are you? Baby feet: US 6

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? Uhhh lucky pickkk! About 10? 😂😂😂

12. Are you random? YO DUDE 100% POSITIVE

13. Last person you texted? My sister.

14. Are you psychic in any way? *does some things with hands* Nope...

15. Last TV show you watched? Miraculous Ladybug and Chat Noir 💕

16. Favorite movie? Megamind (Told ya I'm a five year old haha)

17. Favorite show from your childhood? The Powerpuff Girls! Solid fan with head to toe merch, y'all. (I was a cool kid back then haha)

18. Do you want children? I don't like kids but if it's mine then...well, that's a different case. 😂😂😂

19. Do you want a church wedding? Where's the groom first? jk 😂

20. What is your religion? MCGI ✨

21. Have you ever been to a hospital? As a visitor? Yes. As a patient? Nah, dude.

22. Have you ever gotten trouble with the law? Nope.

23. How is life? Great but school's hard, man. Fighting! 👊

24. Baths or showers? Uhhh what's the difference? Is it the tub and shower thing? Where's the dipper (tabo) option here? #FilipinoProblems 😂😂😂

25. What color socks are you wearing? White with blue stripes

26. Have you ever been famous? YO DUDE, "FAMOUS (SIKAT)" IS MY MIDDLE NAME, Y'ALL. BUY MY ALBUM. 😂😂😂 but seriously uhhh idk haha

27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? Nah, I'll pass. People will just judge my wardrobe choices haha.

28. What type of music do you like? Alternative Rock, Pop Punk, Punk Rock, Metalcore, and my favorite, Post-Hardcore. \m/

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? Nah. Not my thing.

30. How many people do you sleep with? How about "how many stuffed toys do you sleep with" huh? Cuz I've got 5 haha

31. What position do you sleep in? Any position but mostly it's on the side.

32. How big is your house? Big enough to fit my family and cats (lolz).

33. What do you typically eat for breakfast? Idk man because the menu here goes by the motto "going against the grain." Breakfast can be lunch, merienda, or dinner here if you like.

34. Have you ever left the country? Nah, too lazy and too broke.

35. Have you ever tried archery? (yeah, Leslie taught me 😂) No, but I wanted to.

36. Do you like someone? As in "like-like" kind of "like" with a real person? Nah, too busy with my 2D and band boiz.

37. Favorite swear word? I don't swear but I go with alternatives like 'darn' and 'freakin' words.

38. When do you fall asleep? Depends. Early on a weekday, late on a weekend especially Saturday.

39. Do you have any cars? How I wish but none. But it'll be sweet to have one. 😎😎😎

40. Sexual orientation? Straight.

41. Are you a good liar? Hmmm, depends on the victim haha.

42. What languages would you like to learn? Some Japanese, Spanish, French, and a dash of Portuguese, please!

43. Top 10 songs? Uhhh it's hard to choose 10 songs if your music is 15gb (and counting) in size, yo. Just listen to the album "Entertainment" by Waterparks. 10 songs. All are gold. 📼💜

44. Do you like your country? YES.

45. Do you have friends from the web? Yeah, I believe so.

46. What is your personality type? I'm an advocate INFJ!!

47. Hogwarts House? Not a fan but Pottermore told me I'm a Ravenclaw.

48. Can you curl your tongue? Nope.

49. Pick one character you most relate to? Lowkey Death the Kid in terms of perfectionist problems and a Mel Glover in terms of introverted problems.

50. Left or right handed? Proud Leftyyy!

51. Are you scared of spiders? What's the size? If it's huge, shocking and deadly, imma say yes.

52. Favorite food? Sweets and desserts 🍰

53. Favorite foreign food? Alfredo Pasta

54. Are you a clean or messy person? CLEAN but if I'm busy, I tend to clutter my working table until I'm done with what I'm working.

55. If you could switch gender for a day, what would you do? Maybe have a formal fashion show, wearing all those cool-looking suit and ties or maybe do cosplay haha

56. What color underwear? Omg this is a question? Blues and whites 😂😂😂

57. How long does it take to get ready? 30 minutes to an hour. Depends on the occasion. But if it's just somewhere near, 5 minutes is enough.

58. Do you have much of an ego? Hmmm nah.

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? Suck 'em up but I'll eventually bite it if it's already pea size haha

60. Do you talk to yourself? Yeah, inside my head.

61. Do you sing to yourself? Yeah, sometimes.

62. Are you a good singer? HELL NO. The rain told me so.

63. Biggest fear? Not sure...

64. Are you a gossip? Unintentional gossip queen. It's not my fault that other people are talking loud enough for me to hear. 😂😂😂

65. Are you a grammar natzi? Lowkey grammar natzi wherein I judge people inside my head (lolz).

66. Do you have short or long hair? Usual anime long hair (above the bum). 😂😂😂

67. Can you name all 50 states of America? Nope.

68. Favorite school subject? Science, especially Chemistry! 💕

69. Extrovert or Introvert? 100% INTROVERT

70. Have you ever been scuba diving? Nope but I wanna try.

71. What makes you nervous? Hmmm imma say socializing and dealing with people, thinking that I might offend them with my out of this world humor.

72. Are you scared of the dark? Depends.

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? Depends on the people I'm correcting. If I'm close to that person then yes but if it's a stranger, no.

74. Are you ticklish? Nope.

75. Have you ever started a rumor? Just between best/closed friends.

76. Have you ever been out of your home country? Nope.

77. Have you ever drunk underage? Nope. Not my thing, bruh.

78. Have you ever done drugs? NOPE. Hell no. Not my thing, bruh.

79. What do you fantasize about? A lot of things.

80. How many piercings do you have? One each ear.

81. Can you roll your R's? Yep.

82. How fast can you type? Not 'that' fast.

83. How fast can you run? Pass. I'm not a fan of running.

84. What color is your hair? Black with a hint of dark brown under the sun.

85. What color are your eyes? Dark brown.

86. What are you allergic to? Cheap eye makeup.

87. Do you have a journal? Yeah, but I use it for doodles and drawings.

88. Are you depressed about anything? Nope.

89. Do you like your age? Sure. Why not. But there are times I want to be a lil kid again. Adulthood is hard, bruh.

90. What makes you angry? For starters, I hate those things that will make my perfectionist self mad (like my graduation picture which is not centered, hell no).

91. Do you like your own name? Yeah, sure. But sometimes I want it to be more of a 'z' or 'x' starter than the usual 's'.

92. Did you ever get a foreign object op your nose? Nah.

93. Do you want a boy or a girl for a child? Idk. I want to play swords and guns with my boy but I also want to dress up and play with my girl's hair. 😂😂😂

94. What talents do you have? I can draw but only to my preferences. Beyond that? Nah. I'm too lazy to try painting and watercolor.

95. Sun or Moon? Both 💕

96. How did you get your name? Through my aunts.

97. Are you religious? Yeah.

98. Have you ever been to a therapist? Nope.99. Color of your bedspread? Atm it's pink. 100. Tumblr best friend? No.1 hater here @goldsteindigger 🐈🐈🐈 I tag Ms. answer to question 100 next: @goldsteindigger be grateful, paki-bilisan haha 😂😂😂

[thatonecurlygirl]

100 Questions

I was tagged by @super-strange-sons aka super bae which means if you don’t already - you need to follow!

Okay! Let’s do this!!👇🏽👇🏽

1. What is your nickname? Kee 😁

2. How old are you? 20 years young!

3. What is your birth month? November

4. What is your zodiac sign? Sagittarius

5. What is your favorite color? Yellow

6. What is your lucky number? idk... i like the number 13.

7. Do you have any pets? two dogs.

8. Where are you from? Indiana

9. How tall are you? 5′0

10. What shoe size are you? 7.5 or 8

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? 15+ pairs.

12. Are you random? Absolutely.

13. Last person you texted? My mom.

14. Are you psychic in any way? not that i know of.

15. Last tv show you watched? House M.D.

16. Favorite movie? oh, there are so many! O’ Brother Where Art Thou, The Shack, Collateral Beauty.

17. Favorite tv shows from your childhood? Kim Possible, Lizzie McGuire, Teen Titans, CatDog, The Pretender, most 90′s/ early 00′s 

18. Do you want any children? Yes, two or three.

19. Do you want a church wedding? I would prefer to have an outside wedding.

20. What is your religion? Christianity

21. Have you ever been to the hospital? Yes, both for myself and visiting family.

22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law? No.

23. How’s life? It’s life... Sometimes it’s good and other times it sucks balls.

24. Baths or showers? Showers

25. What color socks are you wearing? Not wearing any.

26. Have you ever been famous? Not famous but I’ve been in a couple local commercials and the local newspaper a handful of times. 

27. Would you like to be a celebrity? Not necessarily a celebrity but I would like to be somewhat known. 

28. What kind of music do you like? I got a thing for hair bands, country, 90′s R&B, hip-hop, Christian, pop, ect.

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? In my bathtub...

30. How many pillows do you sleep with? 2

31. What position do you usually sleep in? Literally almost any position.

32. How big is your house? 3 bed, 1 bath, 1080sq ft.

33. What do you typically have for breakfast? Normally don’t eat breakfast.

34. Have you left the country? Yes, twice. 

35. Have you tried archery? No, but I would like to. 

36. Do you like anyone? My longtime crush/childhood best friend. He has a great personality and he models😉

37. Favorite swear word? Don’t really have one.

38. When do you fall asleep? after midnight.

39. Do you have any scars? Yes, I have sensitive skin so I scar easily. Bug bites turn to scars on me.

40. Sexual orientation? Straight

41. Are you a good liar? Nope, not in person at least.

42. What languages would you like to learn? Spanish and Latin

43. Top 10 songs? My Top 10 Songs

44. Do you like your country? I plead the 5th! 🙊

45. Do you have friends from the web? kinda

46. What is your personality type? ambivert! I can be super goofy and talkative but I also enjoy the quiet and alone time.

47. Hogwarts House? idek what this is.

48. Can you curl your tongue? Yes.

49. Pick one fictional character you can relate to? Probably Bobby Singer! Someone that everyone comes to when they need help or advice and I like to say “BALLS!”

50. Left or right-handed? Right.

51. Are you scared of spiders? The big ones, yes.

52. Favorite food? CARBS CARBS CARBS!

53. Favorite foreign food? Belizean food!!!

54. Are you a clean or messy person? Relatively clean.

55. If you could switch your gender for a day, what would you do? “I can look at myself naked!” (In my Freddie voice) <--From Scooby-Doo btw. I would pee standing up. 

56. What color underwear? white

57. How long does it take for you to get ready? If I’m doing my hair 1.5 hrs. and if not about 35min.

58. Do you have much of an ego? not at all

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? Suck.

60. Do you talk to yourself? Yes, I do.

61. Do you sing to yourself? yep

62. Are you a good singer? I sound like a literal whale🐳

63. Biggest Fears? Disappointing my mom. The unexpected death of mom or sister. Not accomplishing my goals.

64. Are you a gossip? No.

65. Are you a grammar nazi? Sometimes.

66. Do you have long or short hair? medium length when straightened.

67. Can you name all 50 states of America? I would like to think so.

68. Favorite school subject? history and english

69. Extrovert or Introvert? Ambivert (in between)

70. Have you ever been scuba diving? No, but I want to SOOOO bad!

71. What makes you nervous? I have anxiety, so... everything

72. Are you scared of the dark? If I am outside.

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? Sometimes.

74. Are you ticklish? It’s annoying how ticklish I am.

75. Have you ever started a rumor? No.

76. Have you ever been out of your home country? Yes, been to Belize twice.

77. Have you ever drank underage? Nope.

78. Have you ever done drugs? Nope.

79. What do you fantasize about? My future family and a house with a free standing tub, secret/panic room, a library and a beautiful garden.

80. How many piercings do you have? 2

81. Can you roll your R’s? Yes

82. How fast can you type?  I’m at a pretty decent speed.

83. How fast can you run? I can run as fast as turtles stampeding through peanut butter

84. What color is your hair? black

85. What color are your eyes? Brown

86. What are you allergic to? Bug bites (venom allergy) and band-aid adhesive.

87. Do you keep a journal? no.

88. Are you depressed about anything? ehh.

89. Do you like your age? Sure.

90. What makes you angry? People who are rude for no reason.

91. Do you like your own name? Yes.

92. Did you ever get a foreign object up your nose? No.

93. Do you want a boy or a girl for a child?  Both.

94. What talents do you have?  I can vibrate my eyes.

95. Sun or moon? Moon.

96. How did you get your name? Some reporter my mom thought was pretty.

97. Are you religious? Not in the aspect of “if you don’t follow these set of rules you are being damned straight to hell”.

98. Have you ever been to a therapist? Multiple times

99. Color of your bedspread? Charcol grey.

100. Color of your room? Grey-purple

Never thought that would end! lol!

Tagging:  @musicalmedic @harringtonwife @destroyedbydickwolf @therealpoisonivyiam @existential-carisis @daddydxcre

[rinnechan]

Happy birthday Ann!!!

Today is @annaratna‘s birthday!!! She´s the sweetest girl and I´m really happy I met her! Thank you very much for all your kind words and support, Ann! Hope your day is full of joy! And many nice-haired Araki photos!!!

She wanted some ZukiAra translations... so here is the Camping episode! I tried my best but there are some parts I couldn´t translate and probably many mistakes along the way... But I hope she likes it! Corrections and comments are welcome!

00:36 Araki screaming excitedly. Zukkii: How do you like it? This much nature here! Araki: Yahoo! Z: It makes you want to scream, ne. Z: Oh! Mountain! A: Mountain! A: River! Z: River! Z: A Camping challenge! A: Oh! Camping! Camping! Z: It’s camping!

00:53 Z: Here, let’s put up a tent! A: Let’s do it with our own hands! Z: Let’s do it.

01:02 A: Zukkii… Z: What is it? A: I’m hungry… Z: Hungry, ne. Let’s make an adult meal.

01:14 Z: It seems it will be quite expensive… (They basically start bowing, asking for the other to please pay the bill.) A: I’m begging you. Z: It’s not like you can’t afford it. A: Didn´t I bow down? Z: Then, I also ask you, please. A: Stop it. Where do you think you are? (They do a rock-paper-scissors game to decide who is going to pay the bill and Araki looses. The bill is 11.358 yen).

01:39 Z: Let’s start making this meal, at once. A: What will we make? Z: Bouillabaisse. A: Oe Z: Bouillabaisse but also steak and rice, ne. A stylish rice. A: For how much time? Z: It´s okay. A: Very colorful! Z: Big. A: So many!

01:57 Z: There is a river near here. Let’s go fishing. Z: Dam… I can’t fish…

02:09 A: Zukkii is bringing fish. I’ll make hashi from this hinoki wood. (I reserched A LOT but still couldn´t translate that "Kyekyeshouka" from Araki... >_<;)

02:18 Z: Wake up! Z: Araki-san. Do you want to go to the ofuro? A: Certainly because it’s cold. Z: It’s kind of cold. Z: This is nice, just as expected, isn’t it? Camping… and onsen… A: What should we do, Suzuki-san? The camping employee held out a "Get out" sign. Z: It´s difficult to say goodbye to this... but let’s stand up. And go eat our meal. A: Can’t we bring it here? Z: Are you a tonosama (feudal lord)? A: Would it be weird? Z: Let’s go. A: Let´s go. See you later.

03:07 Z: The night has already fallen, we´ve already bathed in the ofuro and enjoyed it, so it’s time for the meal! A: Eh, I’m worried! Z: What are you worried about? A: About the Bouillabaise! Z: You’re worried about the Bouillabaise? A: Yes, since we went to the ofuro. How is it going to be? I´ve been worried a bit about that.

03:24 Z: Ooh!... Isn’t this luxurious? A: Nice, I have a nice feeling about this. (I didn´t understand Araki´s comment, but he´s probably worried about the flavour) Z: Delicious! A: Really!? Z: Really?! This?! A: Really? Z: There was no need to be worried about this. Z: Uhm? Agree? A: It is, ne. Z: It tastes good. A: Is it OK? Z: The flavour of tuna collarbone is striking, ne. A: It’s striking, ne. Z: The Bouillabaise you were worried about, it’s cleared!

04:11 A: OK! Z: And now, the main dish! A: Meat! Z: Let’s grill! Z: Waw! So dim! A: Everybody, when grilling meat, please don’t stand in the direction of the fumes. Z: The saffron rice built up totally nice. A: No way! A: Yes, ya, here is it! Z: Yes, ya, here is it! Z: Is it America, here? A: America! Z: Great! It looks too delicious! A: I have a good feeling about this. Z: And, to be in contrast with the meat. Z: Yes, potato. A: Potato? Z: To be in contrast with the meat. A: Doesn’t it feel nice? Z: Yes. Z: It’s perfect. (They do a high-five) A: Finally, I’m getting food. Z: You´re hungry, ne. A: Let’s eat. Z: Let’s eat. Z: It’s perfect. Z: Itadakimasu.

05:12 A: Nice, ne. Z: Bouillabaisse. A: The fish flavour is striking. Z: Itadakimasu. Z: Ah, it’s delicious…

05:28 Z: How is it? A: Delicious, ne! A: Steak meat is delicious! Z: You were a bit hungry, ne. (It´s impossible for me to understand Araki talking with his mouth full... sorry! >_<;) Z: It was a long time since I last went camping. It’s the best, ne? Z: Even though I couldn’t catch any fish. Z: Delicious.

06;05 Z: And last, the campfire! A: This warmth from the fire is nice, ne. Z: It’s somehow warm and beautiful. Z: Last, won’t we have a drink? Z: Rum. A: Is this hot? Z: Yes. Rum. Hot rum. It has an adult feel to it. A: Rum. This is so adult, ne? Z & A: Kampai! Z: This is such a… too.. nice smell! Z: What is it? A: Great smell! Z: But this is… A: Adult-like! Z: Adult-like! Z: It warms you up inside, ne?

07:03 A: What is that? Z: That is an aroma candle. It repels the bugs. A: This is for making bugs hate me? Z: Yes. A: A really capable man is something else, ne, Suzuki-kun. Z: This kind of things, inside nature, by the campfire, feels wonderful. Z: Why don’t we do some fudanshi (boys who enjoy yaoi) talk? A: Fudanshi talk? Z: You don’t want to do it? A: What? Fudanshi talk? Z: Like, wait, let’s ask questions to each other, ne. It can be usual things, but that are a little embarrassing, things that cross our minds… things that would be nice to talk about, in this kind of atmosphere.

07:56 Z: … Do you love me? A: I do love. A: You didn’t want to hear that?! Z: It’s not like that. Z: Now, that’s the kind of strange things that campfires do to people. Z: Sorry, sorry. A: I was going to say “Not all the time” but it became “I do”. Z: Your immediate reply was great.

08:18 A: I was wondering how does Zukkii feel about this job? Z: When I first started, I felt like I was somewhat kind of reckless. I was about twenty years old. And when doing things I thought I had weak skills for, I was like “Let’s do what people ask me to do”. To do the things I had to do. But then, after this time, I started feeling more like “let’s enjoy things”, now. A: That’s the ideal thing, ne.

09:05 Z: What were you thoughts when you learned that there would be a ZuriAra work? A: It was like hitting the jackpot. Because we almost didn’t make it into D-BOYS… Z: At the audition, ne? A: We were finalists, competitors, truly. I wondered how it would be. But with a partner like Zukkii, I felt like it could be done. A: I’m really grateful, ne. Z: Because we weren’t a unit or a combo originally. A: That’s right, ne. Z: I was happy that we could create something despite it all. That’s for sure.

09:53 Z: And what about marriage? A: I want to get married. Z: In our 30s, there is the wish to do it, ne. Z: Do you have an ideal type of woman? A: A person that doesn’t oppose to things. (Something like: tolerant, generous, broad-minded) A: It’s difficult to have a girlfriend with this kind of job, don’t you think? Z: It would be troublesome if there isn’t understanding, wouldn’t it? A: By doing this job, I keep thinking what if the people who support me disapprove my choice. What if, when I show them “This is my girlfriend”, the fans just go "What kind of choice was that???" Z: That is something that might happen, isn’t it? A: I really hope they are supportive. Z: Sure, sure. A: It must be difficult when the requirements are high, ne Z: It must be really difficult.

10:49 A: And what about Zukkii’s? Z: What? A: Ideal woman? Z: Well, someone who is a little chubby would be nice. A: You put appearance first. Z: But on the inside too. Someone who is also chubby on the inside, though it sounds strange. Z: Somehow, someone who is soft would be nice. A: I feel more at ease. Z: At ease! Z: Of course, at the same time, a person who is tolerant. Z: Someone with black hair, glasses and big breasts would be great. A: I see. A: You’ve told your whole opinion.

11:30 A: Campfire, and rum too, make up for an adult space. Z: That’s right. An adult space, ne? A: They top it up. Z: They top it up, I fully enjoyed.

11:40 Z: Ya… but, really, these… bed and tent are nice, ne. A: Aren´t they. Z: But today was really fun, wasn´t it?… A: Ah... Z: Araki? You’re asleep?!

12:02 Z: A conversation different from usual. Because it’s an adult space!