#Dan Brown Dan-Brown-love quotes

[perfectquote]

When a question has no correct answer, there is only one honest response. The gray area between yes and no. Silence.

Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code

[perfectfeelings]

When a question has no correct answer, there is only one honest response. The gray area between yes and no. Silence.

Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code

[thoughtkick]

When a question has no correct answer, there is only one honest response. The gray area between yes and no. Silence.

Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code

[luckystarinsky]

“Maybe it was something not important to you, but it was my heart.”

—Mahmoud Darwish

[surqrised]

When a question has no correct answer, there is only one honest response. The gray area between yes and no. Silence.

Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code

[dijetemjeseca]

8/5/2024👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻

"Još nemate oči kojima vidite."

-Dan Brown, Izgubljeni simbol

[zenithabovemarshland]

Reflections, listening to the March 2024 Forecast from the Astrology Podcast:

Pluto in Aquarius: Society forever changed by... tech?

Sometimes I feel like an emphasis on technology is made too strongly when we talk about Pluto Aquarius. @corvoidea forwarded me an awesome talk (link to part 1) from Steve Judd on Youtube, and at one part he says astrologers have in some ways missed the target by overemphasizing Pluto's quality of destruction over its quality of transformation. One example (of many) he gives is Pluto Capricorn, and how astrologers were saying that it will be the end of democracy and government, and what we got was corporate government instead.

Aquarius, in my opinion, will be about the relationship between the individual and society. Tech may be just one way in which we play this out, but I don't think it's gonna be all Terminator. (Austin always brings up the quote about not studying technology, instead studying how people behave around technology. And 100% this.) It's probably gonna be a lot more about labour and the kind of life we humans have the right to live. (UBI, anyone? Wouldn't that be nice.) Art is definitely a focal point of that, as we're seeing. There's a question of "legion", a collective, and also who is ostracized.

Augmented Reality, Class Consequences, and Saturn-Neptune

Bringing up Saturn in Pisces co-present with Neptune is really interesting. As they were describing the AR headsets, walking through rooms and having a window open on the side, I thought of those adaptable furnitures for shoebox apartments. Murphy beds that become desks, for example. Furniture that has many uses and fits in a small space. There were arguments about this furniture causing issues, that landlords could charge higher for smaller space because of such furniture. I wonder how this AR stuff can relate to that.

For many years Pluto will be in the bounds of Mercury in Aquarius, and then it will come to the bounds of Venus. I know I've referenced this video before on my blog but World Astrology Report did a video about how Pluto moving through the bounds of Aquarius last time played out. In France, when Pluto came to the bounds of Venus, there were issues with agriculture and the price of bread became out of control.

Anyway, as an aside, I was thinking about how I feel a keyword for the Saturn-Neptune energy could be "euthanasia". Easing misery and shame. Soothing or disguising indignity. How all this AR may be the working-class "luxury" that soothes the shit of society, or justifies being short-changed.

"But Dad, I Love Them!": Humans in love with non-humans

Chris says debates around human and non-human relationships will emerge in Pluto Aquarius, and Austin brings up what I was thinking, that these already exist. On a similar vein, Dan from World Astrology Report has argued that the Venus term of Aquarius could see VR porn that is tailor-made for each person, and thus a surge in porn addiction.

What I think is worth being brought up is how these debates will go within a society that, I believe, will encourage this kind of intimacy, but delegitimize and disparage so many other experiences of human-ness.

Coming into Pluto Aquarius we have the vicious attack on trans people, especially in the USA. Just in the last couple months, failed IVF is declared murder. We're seeing an ongoing dehumanization campaign against Palestinians in a genocide, and watching "first world" governments, corporations, and thought leaders (like gd Brene Brown, of all people) support Isreal in word and/or funding. We're getting all this AR tech, but I wonder how much of it is really going to be given to people who would seriously benefit from it, like people who need transplants, assistive devices, interpersonal/ social/ emotional support, etc.

In Canada, people who are relatively young and happen to be chronically ill have been applying for euthanasia for the last few years. (The first case I remember seeing in the news was in 2022, I think.) Because doctors do not take mystery illness seriously, because women's bodies are grand mysteries to medicine, and/or because these people can't afford to live with their illness.

So yeah. I agree that this is a very plausible debate to have. But I don't think it's going to be about whether we think it's "ok" or "socially acceptable", or that we need to define "humanity" to determine what is "human enough" to be in love with. I think it's going to be about how the only people who are encouraged to live full, loving lives are the heterosexuals who happen to not struggle with fertility, and people in hetero-presenting relationships with non-humans. The debate about human-ness will be there.

(Cool sub-argument begin brought up: debates about the experience of love. Some Leo being brought in here!)

[resident-sean-expert]

I'm going to explain why 'Brain Scramblies' is my favorite episode of wwdits and a genius TV episode :

Simply because this episode is funny as hell and there are a lot of subtle references, I decided to list the ones I noticed from the most explicit to the most implicit :

Charmaine's name origin ¦

So her name is obviously taken from the movie Ocean's Eleven.

It's the name of a prostitute who helped the protagonists of the movie to get a badge from a technician who works in the casino.

She stole it from one of the technicians 'Edward' by using her charms (him being drunk and crazy in love with her)

In the same way that Sean fell madly in love with Charmaine in the show.

_____

'Inferno' by Dan Brown ¦

In one of the rooms that Nadja ruins to find the Jade necklace that belonged to her mother, we see on a bedside table a book "Inferno" by Dan Brown.

This is the beginning of the Wikipedia summary : "Robert Langdon wakes up in the middle of the night in the hospital, almost amnesiac and having suffered a concussion. Nevertheless, all his other intellectual and psychic functions remain intact. Disoriented, with a head injury, he has no memory of the last 36 hours. He does not know why he is in Florence and where the object that the doctors discovered in his belongings came from. A dream torments his mind, that of an old veiled woman wearing an amulet around her neck..."

_____

'The Golden Lily' by Richelle Mead ¦

After Sean has his brain in a pudding state and falls back in love with Charmaine again, this is one of the sentences he says to her :

"You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen."

It is the exact beginning of a quote from the book "The Golden Lily" written by Richelle Mead, which talks about vampires.

"You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen walking this earth. You have no clue of how beautiful you are or how brightly you shine"

Brief summary of the book :

"Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets-and human lives."

This may have been the only way Sean could explain to his wife, in a fucked-up state, that the neighbors are vampires.

(The idea that Sean reads teenage romance vampire fiction is killing me 😭🤣)

_____

'The Vampire Diaries' ¦

Sean's declaration of love is full of references, here is a new one :

He pronounced this while offering the Jade necklace : "It's a token of my undying love", an almost similar phrase was uttered in episode 2 of season 8 of the Vampires Diaries.

"[...]will you do me the honor of wearing this engagement ring, as a token of my love"

It's a proposal from Stephan, a vampire, and then the couple kiss in the same way that Charmaine and Sean kissed after he offered the necklace.

_____

One of my favorite references, probably the most speculative :

'Mama Lucha' ¦

When he 'first' sees Charmaine, he exclaims this :

I found no meaning for this word, we could say that it's a compliment he invented thanks to his fried brain.

However, I think he exclaimed "Mama Lucha !", because after some research, it wouldn't surprise me if Sean, a hugefan of heist movies, is actually referring to this woman : "Luz María Endara Altamirano" better known by the alias 'Mama Lucha'

There is little information about this woman but in short she was "an Ecuadorian extortionist, who was prosecuted for the crimes of tax evasion and treason."

After her death it is said that : "In the San Roque market, where one of her houses is located and where she used to live, there is an atmosphere of amnesia. Most of the shopkeepers say they do not know her, they do not know who she is."

Might be a reference that in this episode Sean became amnesiac.

Even funnier, it is just possible that Sean just noticed that his wife shares a slight resemblance with the emblem of the supermarket Bodega Aurrerá also called "Mama Lucha" :

_____

Btw a lot of the lines Sean says are similar to phrases from the 1999 series ' The Sopranos' like "get the fuck out of here" or "who's that piece of ass"

Synopsis : "Tony Soprano, a gangster living in New Jersey, suffers from panic attacks and must secretly see a psychologist, Dr. Jennifer Melfi. Tony has problems with his family: he is in conflict with his wife Carmela, his two children, Meadow and Anthony Junior, his mother Livia and his uncle "Junior"

Well I know nothing about the show and I'm going into bullshit, but from the synopsis, Carmela could be Charmaine, Livia could be Joan (Sean's mother) and once Sean mentioned his uncle "Fulvio"

Tony & Carmela :

_____

Finally ! the post is over, all this to conclude that the writers of wwdits are geniuses 🙌

Please feel free to reblog this post, to make discover to the greatest number the fucking pure genius of wwdits 😌

[all-souls-matinee]

Quick-bite reviews: Something in the Dirt (2022) dir. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead

Neighbors John and Levi are living in arrested development when they're brought together by something Weird in Levi's apartment. The two decide to make a documentary about it, spiraling into a conspiracy ("are you quoting Dan Brown books right now?") that becomes less about the truth and mechanism behind what they're seeing and more the big 'Why.'

Benson and Moorehead movies (they typically write, direct, and star) have a very specific vibe to them that's like.. indie sleaze in the sense of "you say indie sleaze but mean photos with the flash on." I do like that Something in the Dirt is more of a humanist sci-fi story than the found footage horror it was marketed as. Parts of it are genuinely funny and thoughtful, I think Benson is a pretty good writer and I like the way John and Levi are approached as characters; sucking in ways so realistic it makes the one most audiences wouldn't expect the more sympathetic of the two. Unfortunately I run into the same problem I always do with B&M movies: they cannot kill their darlings to save their lives, and no amount of self-awareness makes a poorly-edited movie a great one. There's a lot of wheel-spinning here, with conversations and camera angles thinking they have much more to say about the world than they do, while technical decisions that needed breathing room are left by the wayside. For example, the use of jpgs and stock footage is a playful reference to cable TV documentaries, but the selection and frequency of these is so muddled the intent goes unnoticed if you aren't primed for it. Like any movie that tries to be 'meta' it gets a little lost in the weeds, which is a shame because the story direction is good even when the film itself is amateurish; it lends a kind of credence to its meta-ness, its filmmaking commentary, that I really enjoyed. The whole thing ends with a dedication to making movies with your friends, which shows for better and for worse.

Buy a ticket? Stop crafting love letters to LA; we need welders!! Ultimately I thought this was o.k., but Spring (2014) is much better. It'll let you know if you like what these guys are cooking enough to try more

[pynkhues]

Oooh I’d absolutely love to listen if you’d ever want to share your experience with the differences in male and women writers 👀🤍

(x)

Hahaha, mm, look, I should disclaimer this with the fact that a lot of the men and women I spoke to at the writers centre weren't necessarily writers so much as they wanted to be writers?

The writers centre I worked at was a non-profit arts support service, so we were separate from the authors guild / union, but basically the organisation they'd refer people onto a lot for anything from people wanting to do creative writing workshops and masterclasses to people needing advice on preparing their novel manuscript for submission to legal advice on publishing contracts or even just connections to bookstores. It was a real mix of stuff, and our clientele ranged from absolute beginners and hobbyists to probably some of the most famous Australian authors working. I'd say most of the membership though was early career writers who had probably had a couple of short stories published, and were hoping to get a novel out.

I worked there for five and a half years and it really burnt me out. It was a pretty gruelling job, the pay was shit, and while a lot of people calling up were lovely, a lot were calling either to vent about rejection or were in a crisis mode usually because they'd just been preyed on by self-publishers and vanity presses and were now stuck in contracts that would financially ruin them.

But yes, haha, in my experience of working there and talking to writers literally all day, every day, from across the spectrum of experience:

Men will never sign up as a member (ergo pay their dues), donate or support the Centre, but WILL take advantage of the free advice line. I think we worked out at one point 92% of our paying members were women, yet I'd say over half the calls I took during the day were men.

Men consistently think they've written a hit. Quotes I've never forgotten include "This'll be bigger than Dan Brown and Robert Ludlum combined", "Now, is it you I should talk to when the bidding war starts?" and, my personal favourite: "I've written the greatest book since Federation."

They WILL send you their manuscript even though you are very clear that you do not read manuscripts at the centre. We are eight staff, we have 4k members, it is not possible.

Sometimes! Those manuscripts they send you will have capital I Images on the covers of them to 'catch your eye'. The worst one I ever saw was a woman stark naked spread eagle with a swastika photoshopped over her vagina.

Men do not think workshops will help them. They know enough and if you suggest a workshop on, say, writing fight scenes, or preparing your manuscript for publication, they will get audibly annoyed at you and usually wrap up the conversation.

Men will call to ask you why their self-published book isn't selling on Amazon like it's your fault.

Men will call to ask you why their traditionally published book isn't selling anywhere like it's your fault (I don't know, man! Probably because publishers have no marketing budgets anymore!)

Men are Never Wrong and also Always the Victim, which I guess is basically what you'd expect, haha.

[jurakan]

may i have a fun fact on this lovely friday, please?

No problem, friendo.

Alright, so Today You Learned that Leonardo da Vinci was not fond of alchemists.

What you have to understand about alchemy is that some of it paved the way to modern chemistry–it wasn’t all quacks trying to make gold out of other metals and doing weird shiz with funky symbols. And Leonardo was all about messing with chemistry! One of his teachers was an alchemist, and he loved creating experimental paint mixtures to use in his artwork. Part of the reason some of his paintings got into such crappy shape was because of his weird chemistry experiments in making paint.

But a lot of it was quackery, and that’s what Leonardo da Vinci took issue with. He was an artistic soul, sure, but he was also a man who believed in observation and evidence. So in his day, he saw a bunch of quacks parading around trying to, or make claims that they were able to, turn lead into gold or create potions that would let you live forever. Spoiler alert: no, that wasn’t A Thing, and it ticked him the fudge off.

From his notebooks:

The false interpreters of nature declare that quicksilver is the common seed of every metal, not remembering that nature varies the seed according to the variety of the things she desires to produce in the world.

Old alchemists... have never either by chance or by experiment succeeded in creating the smallest element that can be created by nature; however [they] deserve unmeasured praise for the usefulness of things invented for the use of men, and would deserve it even more if they had not been the inventors of noxious things like poisons and other similar things which destroy life or mind."

And many have made a trade of delusions and false miracles, deceiving the stupid multitude.

For whatever reason, Dan Brown took some of bits of these quotes out of context in The Da Vinci Code and tried to claim it was Leonardo dissing the Bible. Probably because Brown is just as much of a hack as the alchemists Leo was railing against.

Also! If there’s one thing he found more reprehensible than alchemy, it’s necromancy. Make of that what you will.

[And I found this website which has excerpts from Leo’s notebooks? So that’s cool.]

[typingtess]

NCIS: Los Angeles Season 14 Rewatch:  “In the Name of Honor”

The basics:  The team searches for a missing Navy lieutenant.

Written by:   Matt Klafter co-wrote “Smokescreen Part II”, "A Fait Accompli" and “Hard for the Money” and was the sole writer for “Where Loyalties Lie”.

Directed by:  Dan Liu directed “Watch Over Me”, “If the Fates Allow” and “Love Kills”.

Guest stars of note:  Ashwin Gore returns from season 13’s “Genesis” as ONI Inspector General Akhil Ali; Gregory D. Gadson returns as Col. Jackson Ladd from “Of Value”; Duncan Campbell is back from “Best Seller” as Agent Castor; NFL star Tony Gonzales as Capt. Alonzo; Soraya Kelley as Zahra Mahmad; Marco Khan as Ahmad Mahmad; Asher Deva as Muhammad Hasan; Toktam Aboozary as Mina Mahmad; Eric Satterberg as Roger and Joshua Thomson as Jeremy.

Our heroes:  Think a Navy Lieutenant is missing for a military reason but find out there is more to her disappearance.

What important things did we learn about: Callen:  Can fix his jammed weapon in a hurry. Sam:  Looks at the water to find some peace. Kensi:  Thinks she can get her shot off before being surrounded. Deeks:  Won’t get to Kensi in time. Fatima:  Woman, life, freedom Rountree:  Working to make sure Kilbride’s ass is not being chewed. Kilbride:  Asked Col. Ladd for a favor.

What not so important things did we learn about: Callen:  Thinks Sam is becoming Raymond. Sam:   Not turning into Raymond. Kensi:   Not getting the “Pretty Woman” references. Deeks:  Fan of the kebobs. Fatima:  Training with Akhil. Rountree:   Working inside today. Kilbride:   Brought Col. Ladd to the super-secret office.

Where in the world is Henrietta Lange?  Not helping the Admiral today though Kensi thinks she might be.

Who's down with OTP:  Deeks was more under control than usual when Kensi was in danger.  Was happy as always to see her safe back in the office.  Fatima is working through any feelings she may have for Akhil.

Who's down with BrOTP:  Callen and Sam were perfectly Callen and Sam in the episode.  Sam was a good friend/teammate/mentor to Fatima at the end of the episode.  Kilbride and Col. Ladd are besties.

Fashion review:  Callen wore a white and blue plaid button down shirt.  Long sleeve tees for Sam (black) and Deeks (darker blue).  Kensi wears a great long-sleeve pull-over sweater.  She and Deeks wear dark rain jackets at the crime scene.  Fatima starts the episode in workout gear – oversized light grey sweatshirt.  Wears a spiffy brown leather jacket with a white turtleneck for the rest of the episode.  Rountree had a green jacket with black pockets over a black tee.  Kilbride was in his Kilbride uniform – medium blue three-piece suit, light blue dress shirt, red and blue tie.  He donned a trench coat when visiting Col. Ladd.

Music:   “Messenger” by Mamak Khadem plays at the end as Fatima is taking in her day.

Any notable cut scene:  No.

Quote:  Sam:  “I’ve spent a lot of time staring out at this water, searching for answers.” Fatima:  “Any tips?  I'm coming up empty.” Sam:  “You doing okay?” Fatima:  “Physically? Yeah.  Emotionally, mentally and spiritually?  I don't know how to answer that.” Sam:  “Well, you don't need to have the answers.  Not right now.” Fatima:  “I just...I keep thinking about all the women out there...not allowed to make their own life choices.  What to wear.  Who to marry.  What they can and can't do with their own bodies.  Freedom of thought, freedom of choice. Sam:  “It's terrifying to some people.” Fatima:  “It's not fair.” Sam:  “The world will never be fair.  But it could be better.  Good things are happening.  Even though it doesn't  always feel like it.” Fatima:  “I just wish they would happen faster.”

Anything else:  The previously-s include a greatest hits package for Akhil Ali and Col. Ladd.  Fatima wakes up in a car on fire, tied to the head rest.  In the driver’s seat is in unconscious Kensi. 

Eight hours earlier, Fatima is working out with Akhil with a trainer named Jeremy who is part of Herbie’s military training company.  As Fatima walks away, Akhil asks how his training was going.  Jeremy was impressed that Akhil stopped making squeaking sounds whenever he was grabbed.

Fatima tells Akhil that for his first self-defense class, he did better than expected.  Fatima thinks he will be bringing down a suspected without breaking his nose no in time.  Akhil is happy to spend this time with Fatima but maybe in the future they’d spend time together by taking a nice walk.  The two make dinner plans.

Callen and Sam are in the armory discussing the use of armrests on a plane.  Three seats, four armrests according to Sam.  One passenger – in this case Sam – get the second  armrest.  “Simple math,” according to Sam.  Callen thinks Sam bullies his way to that second seat rest.  He also notices that Sam is worried.  And Sam is.  He’s going on a trip and leaving Raymond with his caretaker Constance.  Callen notes that even Sam thinks things have never been better with Raymond now that Constance in the picture.  Sam is going across the country to see Aiden.  Callen suggests taking Raymond across the country – it would be a great trip for the Hanna men.  Besides, if Sam is worried about Raymond he’s going to make everyone around him crazy and that’s the moment Sam becomes Raymond.  Everyone is going to Ops – they have a case.

Fatima and Rountree start the debrief in Ops, Lt. Zahra Mahmad is a Navy submariner.  For the last two years, she was working with a defense contractor in El Segundo.  Her team was working on an anti-detection program for nuclear subs.  Callen notes that sort of program could make her a target for any country interested in hiding their nuclear subs or finding America’s subs.  According to Zahra’s CO, she left work early the day before for personal reason.   She’s not answering calls or texts.  It isn’t like her.

Sam points out that Zahra isn’t missing for even 24-hours yet.  Maybe she’s off doing something and hasn’t had time to respond.  Fatima agrees but with Zahra’s knowledge and security clearances, ONI wants her found.  LAPD checked her home but nobody was there.  Her parents live in Northridge, they own an Afghani restaurant.  Fatima sees the menu is in Dari.   Callen says he’s going to see Zahra’s CO when Rountree tells Callen that Kilbride as the CO going to the boat shed.  Kilbride will do the interview.  Callen and Sam instead will go to Zahra’s home.  Fatima will go with Kensi and Deeks to the family’s restaurant.  With Fatima speaking Dari, she could help.  The parents could as well – they may know something that could lead to Zahra’s location.

At the boat shed, Kilbride dismisses Castor and speaks with Zahra’s CO, Captain Alonzo.  Kilbride tells Alonzo that Vice Admiral Hunt thinks the world of him and Alonzo is properly humble.  Kilbride know Alonzo’s background and thinks he’d work well at NCIS.  The Office of Military Support has an opening and Alonzo would be perfect.  Alonzo would consider the position. 

Turning to Zahra, Alonzo said that he’s never worked with anyone at her level.  One of the hardest workers he’s been around.  And suddenly she’s missing, the Admiral notes, what is really going on.  Zahra was part of a top secret mission, Alonzo’s hands are tied when it comes to discussing her work assignment.  Kilbride is having none of that.  The NCIS agents would be flying blind in their search for Zahra – “that’s how mistakes get made.”  The Navy has a mission that they are going through no matter what happened to Zahra.  Reading between the lines, the Navy has a secret mission using nuclear subs that if it is compromised, SEAL Team 2 will be going in instead – a suicide mission.  NCIS has 12-hours to find Zahra or the SEALs are going in.

In Zahra’s home, the place is as neat as a pin.  Callen finds a safe but their warrant won’t allow them to open the safe.  Sam gets a text from Rountree.  There was a suspicious activity report on Zahra’s bank account.  She cashed out $20,000.  Callen asked when was the last time Sam made a large cash transaction.  He hasn’t – checks, bank wires, credit cards.  More secure but much easier to trace.  Callen thinks Zahra wanted to disappear – and maybe sell some secrets.  Sam is going to get Rountree to expand the warrant to include the safe.

At the Mahmad’s restaurant, Deeks loves the smell of the place.  Fatima pulls out a menu and starts making recommendations.   Kensi sees Zahra’s mom.  Walking up, Kensi pulls out her badge and starts asking questions.  Zahra’s dad stops the one-way conversation.  His wife’s cooking is a literal chef’s kiss but her English is not very good.  Deeks explains he has the exact opposite problem.  That earns him a chuckle from Zahra’s dad, Ahmad, and a glare from Kensi. 

Kensi restarts her explanation, saying that Zahra is missing.  Ahmad is stunned.  The family last got together the previous Saturday.  Zahra was her normal, happy self.  Zahra’s mom, Mina, walks away crying.  Kensi asks if Zahra seemed like she was in trouble but Ahmad says no.  Mina is openly weeping.  Deeks asks about Zahra’s brother.  Ahmad says he is studying in London, working on his master’s degree.  Fatima asks if the siblings are close.  Ahmad says they are all close – family means everything to them.  Mina asks Ahmad why are they asking questions about their son Omar. 

Kensi asks if they know anyone who would know about Zahra.  Ahmad says no, explaining that 30-years ago, their families left Afghanistan.  Almost everyone went to Pakistan but Ahmad and Mina went to America to chase their dream – opening a restaurant, raising their children where they would be safe from violence.  Fatima is getting weepy.  Ahmad asks Kensi to find Zahra and bring her home to her family.  Ahmad comforts his wife.

Leaving the restaurant, Fatima is sure that the brother is suspicious.  Mina spoke to Ahmad about Omar when they were questioning Ahmad.  Mina may not speak English but she understood what Kensi, Deeks and Fatima were saying.  Deeks can’t understand why Mina would pretend she didn’t understand – her daughter is missing, NCIS is trying to find her.  Fatima thinks as immigrants, the Mahmads may not trust law enforcement.  Her parents had issues before Fatima joined NCIS, “and they live in Beverly Hills.”  Kilbride wants them all back in Ops, Kensi is going to look into Omar.

While Callen is trying to crack Zahra’s safe, Sam is being cranky.  Callen notes Raymond would be cranky too.  Sam finds Zahra’s license, car registration and EZ-Pass in a jar on a book shelf.  Zahra is traveling and doesn’t want to be found.  Sam has Rountree check Kaleidoscope for Zahra’s car.  Callen finally gets into the safe and finds some jewelry and family items.  Also her passport.  If Zahra was looking to get out of town, she’d take those things.  Sam thinks maybe Zahra really was kidnapped.  “Or she wants us to thinks she was,” Sam adds. 

Rountree calls.  Looking through Zahra’s phone, she mostly speaks to her parents but has had daily calls for the last seven months with a Ted Brown.  Sam wonders if he’s a boyfriend but Zahra’s parents never mentioned a boyfriend, unless she was keeping things quiet until they got more serious.  Rountree finds that Brown has a sealed juvie record and a lot of debt – credit cards and high interest college loans.  The $20,000 could be for Brown or Brown could be extorting her.

An unhappy Kilbride walks into Ops.  He just got his “ass chewed” by an under-secretary in the Navy.  “I don’t like getting my ass chewed, makes it uncomfortable to sit.”  He wants a sit-rep on Zahra.  Rountree found her car – it has been in the shop since the weekend.  She’s been using a loaner.  That car is parked in a lot downtown.  Kensi and Deeks are going to talk to Ted Brown.  Kilbride wants answers before he has nothing left to sit on.

Walking to Ted Brown’s home, Deeks is stunned that Fatima’s parents were suspicious of the police and “they live in one of the wealthiest zip codes in America.”  He’s worried about what Rosa will be dealing with.  Kensi reminds him that while they won’t be there all the time for Rosa, they will be there and will help her.  Ted Brown’s door is opened, obviously forced entry.  Inside, Deeks finds a tortured but still alive Ted Brown.

In the garage, Sam finds a note in Zahra’s loaner that says “Roger 8 Broad”.  Callen thinks 8 Broad could be 8th and Broadway, which is just a few blocks from the garage.  There is a currency exchange on 8th and Broadway with some criminal times.  With $20,000, Zahra could be in trouble.  Sam thinks if a Roger works there, Roger has some explaining to do.

Walking up to Col. Ladd at an outdoor park’s lunch tables, Kilbride makes fun of the Colonel’s kombucha drink.  Ladd is drinking it because it clears up the bad bacteria in his gut.  The Admiral mentions prune juice doing the same job.  Speaking of jobs, Kilbride asks how Ladd is doing with the Space Force.  Ladd has no complaints except his title – “Director of Warfare Integration at the Space System Command” is a mouthful.  Ladd is thrilled his new employer sees his head and his heart, not his right and left legs.  The Admiral asks a favor – with Ladd getting his security clearance back, could he do some digging about the Navy’s secret mission.  “I know you don’t owe me or your country any debt…”  Ladd cuts Kilbride off – “what the hell do you need me to do?”

A crime scene tech gives Kensi Ted’s smashed cellphone.  Ted is alive but in a coma.  After dealing with a woman who wanted to braid Deeks’s hair, Deeks tells Kensi the woman saw an unfamiliar SUV in Ted’s driveway the prior day.  Rountree is looking for security camera footage of the vehicle.  Reviewing the case, Zahra could have been swept up by people who wanted their money back from debt-ridden Ted.  Or someone was looking for Zahra and beat Ted up to try to get to her.  There are photos in Ted’s home – Zahra and Ted are obviously in love.

At the currency exchange, Roger is working the desk.  Callen and Sam show him a photo of Zahra, who he claims he’s never seen before.  Sam asks to see the security cameras but Roger doesn’t have any.  Callen points out a fake plant that has a camera, Sam a clock radio and an owl figurine that are likely cameras.  Roger finds plants calming, even fakes ones.  The clock radio and owl figurine are just décor.  Callen explains that Zahra’s car is in the parking lot nearby where they found the address of  the currency exchange’s location and Roger’s name written on a note.  He's the last one to see her alive and the could be an accomplice to the kidnapping of a Naval Officer.  Roger becomes a bit more helpful.  Zahra was in about a week ago.  He is a hawala broker on the side – someone who send money overseas without getting the government involved.  This is illegal if he’s not registered (he’s not) and if he’s not telling the government about the exchanges (he’s not).  Zahra was supposed to send some money to an account in Pakistan but never showed up.

Rountree found the SUV outside of Brown’s house – it was a rental from a small rental company that accepts cash and a now known fake ID.  The bad guys picked up the SUV at the rental location so Rountree is checking Ubers and taxis dropping people off.  Fatima found footage of Zahra being grabbed at the parking lot.  It is the same SUV as the one parked outside of Brown’s house.  She tells Callen and Sam the kidnappers wore masks and were well-armed.  Zahra never had a chance.

In the gadget area, which has been woefully underused since Eric and Nell left for Japan, Kensi is trying to open Brown’s phone with no luck.  Deeks stops by as she nearly drops it, calling the phone a “slippery little sucker”.  Fatima joins in, recognizing the “Pretty Woman” reference.  Kensi thinks she’s working with Siskel and Ebert and passes the phone to Deeks.  Fatima found Zahra’s brother Omar, who is living in San Francisco, not London.  And Omar hasn’t spoken to his parents in years.  This contradicts Ahmad’s statement that the family is very close.  Omar wasn’t really open about what was going on but Fatima tells them Ahmad and Mina believe in a strict adherence to the Koran.  Omar said he was beaten as a child for being too Western.  Kensi and Fatima decide to see Ahmad and Mina again, Deeks is going to try to get the sim card out of Brown’s phone.

In Ops, Rountree tells Deeks he’s found the SUV driver – Muhammad Hasan.  Looking at his social media and online postings in the last year, Hasan has become a member of an Islamic military sect.  Hasan has a flight out of LA today – whatever he’s in Los Angeles to do, it finishes today.

Rountree calls Callen and Sam to update them on Hasan.  This may have nothing to do with her work in the Navy.  Kilbride calls – it certainly has nothing to do with the secret Navy mission.  The Navy is going to track Russian military activity in the Arctic – staging nuclear weapons.  Zahra was part of the team making the US subs untraceable.  She knew nothing about the mission in the Artic.  Kilbride wants Zahra found now.

In the office, Deeks found that Ahmad his a hotel suite booked in Pakistan later this year for a wedding.  A man named Bashir Khan is getting married and he’s getting married to Zahra.  Khan is a wealthy man – could he be behind this?  Sam doesn’t think so, Zahra’s parents wouldn’t allow her to marry a non-Muslim man.  Instead, they put together an arranged marriage.  Zahra’s $20,000 withdrawal may have been an attempt to buy her freedom.  Refusing the marriage would dishonor the family.  Deeks wonders if this was an honor killing.  Callen says they have no proof that Zahra is dead yet.  But suddenly Kensi and Fatima’s trip to the restaurant is a bit more worrisome.

Kensi and Fatima walk into the restaurant.  The place has been trashed.

Callen and Sam are on their way to the restaurant, Deeks is going too until Kilbride pops up on the plasma behind Deeks’s desk.  Deeks is ordered to stay in the office.

Mina Ahmad is speaking from the back of the restaurant.  Fatima replies in Dari.  Mina is tending to her husband, who looks like he’s been beaten.  On comms, Deeks warns them that the parents may be involved in Zahra’s kidnapping.  Hasan comes out from the kitchen.  He’s going to shoot Mina if Kensi and Fatima don’t drop their weapons.

Rountree tells Callen and Sam that Hasan is Zahra’s cousin.  There are two more cousins in Los Angeles.

Kensi and Fatima are surrounded by the Hasan brothers.  Mina asks Hasan not to go through with the plan.  Hasan explains that Mina failed to raise Zahra properly. 

Callen and Sam are 10-minutes out.  Deeks is not happy.  Kensi agrees to dropping the weapons.  She puts her gun on the ground but pulls out a baton. She and Fatima try to fight but eventually both women are knocked out.  Deeks is really not doing well. 

Kensi and Fatima’s trackers are offline.  The Audi is still outside of the restaurant but Kensi and Fatima are likely on the move.  Callen calms Deeks down and gets Rountree in the mix.  Deeks finds another Hasan family member, who owns a warehouse in Long Beach.  Callen and Sam are on their way.

And we’re back in the beginning with Fatima struggling to get Kensi to wake up and to get out of the car where they are trapped.  The area outside of the vehicle is ablaze.  Callen and Sam arrive but are taking fire from the Hasan brothers. 

Deeks runs out of Ops, only to be met by Kilbride.  Deeks is told he won’t get out to Long Beach in time to save Kensi but he could work to put out the fire from Ops.  In Ops, Deeks gets a visual of a fire extinguisher near the warehouse door. 

Callen and Sam make their way to the warehouse but Callen’s gun jams.  The Hasans are still firing away and the flames are all around the car with Kensi and Fatima.   

Fatima gets free and starts untying Kensi.  Kensi is finally awake. 

Callen gets his gun unjammed just in time to see the vehicle where Kensi and Fatima were blow up to a million pieces.

Deeks is very quiet until Sam says he can see Kensi and Fatima.  Deeks offers a “thank God” but the Admiral warns him not to offer thanks just yet. 

Kensi and Fatima hear Zahra screaming.  She’s being pulled to a different SUV by Hasan.  When Zahra tries to pull away, she knocked to the ground and kicked.  Kensi pops up and threatens to kick Hasan’s ass.  As Kensi pushes a dumpster toward Hasan, Hasan opens fire on the dumpster.  This gives Fatima time to find a pipe and knock Hasan out from behind.  She says “bye bitch” in Dari – which is a great call back.

Callen and Sam make quick work of the rest of the Hasan brothers.  Kensi and Fatima comfort a beaten Zahra.

In the Admiral’s office, he’s sharing stories with Col. Ladd.  Kilbride thanks Ladd for taking a big risk to help him.  Ladd replies that the only reason he has something to risk is because of the Admiral.  Ladd is calling it a day because if they hang around anymore, they’d probably wind up in a bar.  Those days are over for Ladd.  The two men hug – Ladd has the Admiral’s back - “Always.”

Rountree explains to Deeks as they go down the stairs from Ops that Zahra’s uncle was in touch with the Hasans.  The uncle was pulling the strings, the parents were not involved.  Kensi arrives with Callen.  Deeks gives Kensi a big hug and asks they never do this again.  Zahra is bruised but otherwise alright.  She’s with Ted in the hospital.  Ted’s awake and expected to make a full recovery.  As Rountree leaves, Deeks is stunned that Zahra’s family would do this to her.  Kensi brings up that it was all done in the name of honor.  Callen disagrees – it isn’t honor, it is fear. 

Kilbride arrives – the artic recon mission was a success.  Callen asks how the Admiral found out about the recon mission.  Kilbride said he turned to an  old friend.  “Hetty?” Kensi asks.  “I said friend,” Kilbride replies as he leaves.  Callen, Kensi and Deeks are packing up.  Callen asks about Ted’s phone that is on Deeks’s desk.  Kensi starts to laugh – he couldn’t get the SIM card out, could he.  He did.  But the SIM card was so damaged it only had the last sent text message on it.  Ted told Zahra he loved her.  Kensi’s not laughing now.  She’s hungry.  The three decide to go out for Afghani food.

In the boat shed on the back deck, Sam talks about the hours he spent looking for answers in the water.  He asks Fatima if she is OK.  Physically, she’s fine.  She doesn’t know about emotionally, spiritually and mentally.  She is worried about all the women who can’t make their own choices – what to wear, what to do with their lives, who to love.  Sam says the thoughts of choice terrify some people.  Fatima talks about things being fair but Sam says the world is never fair.  But they are getting better.  Fatima wants things to move faster. 

Akhil arrives but seeing Sam with Fatima says he can leave.  Sam says he has a flight and needs to leave.  Before he does, he tells Fatima the answers she is looking for will come.  After Sam leaves, Akhil asks about Fatima’s day but doesn’t push it.  He also asks about dinner – again not pushing it – but Fatima would like something to eat.  She just needs a second to compose herself.  Akhil gives her “as long as you need.”

As Fatima gives the water one last look, she says “Woman, life, freedom” in Farsi.

What head canon can be formed from here:    A really generic episode.  You could have replaced Rountree with Eric and not change a single line of dialogue.  Actually, wanna bet Hetty knows Col. Ladd as well.  And she certainly had her hand-picked allies in different agencies when she needed help.  Kilbride’s lines could be Hetty’s in season three.

The main storyline had an interesting aspect with Fatima looking at people who were corrupting her beliefs but mostly it was a generic NCIS/Law & Order/CSI the missing person isn’t missing for the reason you think episode.  Totally forgotten was Zahra’s brother who wasn’t getting his master’s degree and claimed his parents beat him.  We’re just going to forget about lying to federal agents and child abuse.

Nice callbacks to Jocko Willink’s season 13 Herbie character with the trainer in the gym and Akhil’s broken nose in season 13’s “Genesis”. 

Episode number:   314 overall, the 12th episode of season 14.

[positivlyfocused]

I’m Getting Better At My Out Of My Body Experiences

The more proficient I get with my Advanced Positively Focused practice, the better control I’m having in my Out of Body Experiences (OBE). I like seeing that progress. Exhibiting more control over such experiences indicates significant progress towards becoming ordinary among super humans.

That’s a paraphrase from a book I read. Dan Millman’s Way Of The Peaceful Warrior transformed my life trajectory. In his book, Dan quotes a main character:

“You have tried to be superior in an ordinary realm. Now you must learn to be ordinary in a superior realm.” - Way Of The Peaceful Warrior

I love the juxtaposition of that quote. Many want to be super human among ordinary people. They want to set themselves apart. I once did, that’s for sure. But some time ago, I opted for the better alternative. I opted to become ordinary among a community of super humans. 

Now that I’m exhibiting early super human powers and sharing how to do that with others, I’m fulfilling my long-held desire.

It takes practice and persistence

In that last two weeks, I’ve enjoyed a steady series of extraordinary events. My dreaming experience radically transformed. These days, dreams are long, rich and vivid in their detail. My dream retention proves my increasing ability to merge with a greater part of me. The part that travels freely through alternate realities.

The word “dream” is a misnomer. That term disparages what’s really happening when the body sleeps. What happens when the body sleeps represents sacred connection to All That Is. We return to our Broader Perspective awareness. There we travel through infinity. The cool thing is we can do it consciously aware of what we’re doing.

When my body sleeps, I’m not in it. Instead, I’m exploring, creating and interacting with the power and love of other literal super humans. Beings who no longer exist in the physical realm.

I share with clients what I know these nightly experiences actually are: the closest, easiest-to-reach alternate dimension available to us all. Every point of consciousness experiences this dimension while our bodies sleep. Even objects thought inanimate experience them. But consciously experiencing this realm then recalling and retaining the experience, represents an advanced capability.

Anyone can do it. It just takes a teacher who knows what they’re doing, practice and persistence. Exploration of other dimensions is a “given” as eternal beings. But human consciousness blocks those experiences for ordinary people.

Super humans though travel these realms consciously. And benefits of doing so are clear.

Projections of consciousness

OBEs indicate even further advancement. These days, in nearly every meditative session, I experience an OBE. Sometimes, I experience so many I can’t remember them all. But I know practice and persistence will remedy that. After all, my ego needs practice too. It must get used to being in a foreign dimension.

I also must get used to the experience. Right now, my control isn’t the best. OBEs I’m enjoying come as spontaneous events. Not something I directly control. I can’t deliberately visit some place I want to for example. Not yet. Instead, they involve random visits to alternate dimensions. Or experiences in locations familiar to me, like the following:

I saw myself I found myself walking down the street that felt like Mississippi [a street in my neighborhood]. A woman was coming from the other direction. The scenery was extremely vivid as was this woman. She had long brown hair that flowed in the wind. Her face was narrow and stern, but the energy she emanated wasn’t stern. As we converged, she looked at me strangely, as though I did not belong there. And of course I did not, for I was projecting! (Massive Source Confirmation).

This one happened this morning (Feb 21). What’s cool about visits like this is OBE pioneers document identical early-stage experiences. Robert Butts and Jane Roberts‘ early experiences were exactly like this. Robert and Jane are famed as the conduit through which Seth spoke. Oliver Fox is another OBE pioneer. He lived in the early 19th century. Fox documented his experiences in a book called Astral Projection. Yet another pioneer, Robert Monroe created a technology-enabled process for astral projection. His book, Journeys Out Of The Body chronicles his journeys. Each of these pioneers enjoyed the same early-stage experiences I am enjoying.

More powers on the horizon 

These people’s experience confirms my own. I’m just beginning with this highly-advanced ability. And I know my experience reflects improved capability. For example, in the projection above, I recognized the woman recognized me. She knew I didn’t belong in her dimension. And I retained that experience when I returned from visiting there. As I wrote above, in past experiences I forgot what happened upon returning. But now I’m retaining more of the experience.

I also notice my forgetfulness happens in highly advanced trips. When I visit multiple dimensions, my ego gets overwhelmed. One recent sitting demonstrates this. The moment I lay down, I experienced an enormous variety of dimensions all simultaneously. It was almost totally overwhelming. I couldn’t remember specific details. But I remember the collection of various dimensions as a single unit. Here’s what I wrote about that event:

^^A description from my journal of a massive number of dimensions experienced simultaneously along with other OBE projections experienced in session 181 on Saturday, Feb. 18.

I know my capacity for these experiences is improving. I know this because I recognize progress I’ve already made. And I know more such progress lies on the horizon. As do more abilities. Abilities known only in what Dan Millman calls “the superior realm”. The realm that is quickly becoming my new home.

Wanna join me?

[yonpote]

analysis of phil's cube time (make sure to read my previous post to understand wtf im talking about):

cube (self): giant melting ice cube in a desert. they mention things like maybe it could mean he's transparent, or keeps a cool head, or is ice cold, or is melting in a hot situation. i think phil definitely at this point in life and in general kept a very cool composure online but perhaps he was melting a bit irl. i do see him as someone who is a bit transparent in terms of being quite an honest person but at the same time maybe comes off as cold w things he keeps close to his chest

ladder (friends): a wooden ladder leaning on the side of the cube, causing it to melt a little. they mention that maybe phil likes when his friends rely on him or is generally a reliable person to his friends. i can definitely see this being the case, he's brought up a few times things like his party games being created so that people dont have to feel awkward at parties or always trying to be the person who includes someone in a group, and obv with dan he's always been a person he can rely on. tho phil also mentions the ladder melting the ice further, maybe meaning that even tho he likes having his friends rely on him maybe it puts further stress on him if not put in check.

horse (love): a brown, stallion-like horse trying but struggling to climb to the top of the ladder to cool down on the ice cube. OH BOY LMAO so, phil says that maybe it means he's "alone and single" since the horse couldn't get up the ladder. alex quotes the spice girls "if they wanna be your lover they gotta get with your friends" and phil says maybe he should lower his standards so the horse could be on top of the ice. now ok addressing the brown haired brown eyed stallion in the room, this video was recorded in 2012 which was a tumultuous time for dippy n pippy, they just moved to london, they're solidifying their work with the bbc, theyre in full force on their youtube channels taking a bunch of random sponsorships to pay rent, they're working crazy hard, and of course full on no-homo howell and The Leak is happening. my theory has always been this is when they took a break as romantic partners and were just friends for a while, but still very close. i read this a lot as them still wanting to stay best friends (hence the horse climbing up the ladder) but all these other forces getting in the way of anything further than that.

rain storm (troubles/stress): causing the ice to melt more. they mention phil not handling pressure well. again, 2012 was a very productive yet stressful year for phil (and dan). while i do believe its true he's not the best at handling pressure, i think considering everything that was happening, the ice cube was still there and never melted away completely. he also mentions the horse not liking the storm, again all of the work and online stress putting a toll on their relationship.

flowers (children/creative projects): small flowers on the floor surrounding the cube, not really consequential to the scene. phil considers the flowers to be more like creative children rather than actual ones, and i think it's interesting that they weren't affecting the scene at all. 2012 was a year where dan and phil tm were starting to get really popular (i would say they exploded a bit more the next couple years, but this was the year where i started noticing more people who were into them.) and they were doing radio stuff, doing videos all the time, doing younows and were active on tumblr and twitter all the time, and phil's video output was especially consistent. i do think despite all the stress that was happening with them, it never fully showed unless you looked further, and even then the extent of that stress wasnt really revealed until their comingouts.

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #674

Top Ten Movie Insults

You fight like a dairy farmer!

Sadly that’s not from a film, otherwise – of course – it would be number one. But cinema has long had a fascination with invective; words as weapons, wielded to wound. Basically, people insulting each other is pretty funny, and it’s been used a lot in all sorts of fiction.

Despite the world being, well, the world (gestures at everything), it wasn’t current affairs that prompted this particular listicle. It’s actually been gestating for a few months, after I rewatched a particular film and was reminded of how much I loved this one particular insult. Yes, it’s on the list, and it features quite highly. You’ll see for yourself before too long. Anyway, that got me thinking about my favourite cinematic insults. Because some of them are belters.

Some of them, also, are very rude. I’ve tried to avoid incessant swearing. But sometimes it can’t be avoided. As a result, this is probably the filthiest list I’ve ever done. It shall be hidden under the fold, as it were; placed in a metaphorical brown paper bag like a naughty magazine or a copy of the Daily Star. Those of a nervous disposition are directed to one of my other Top Tens, like this delightful one about the Muppets that’s still probably the closest this stupid blog has ever come to going viral.

And that’s about it, really. There follows a list of some people being mean to each other and calling each other naughty names. There are probably some big ones missing – I never got round to watching Blade: Trinity, because everyone said it was shit, so Ryan Reynolds’ famous line does not make this list on technical grounds. But there are definitely some classics here, from the sublime to the ridiculous to, well, ones that just blow the bloody doors off. There is, I think you’ll find, an insult for every occasion; all of them from the movies.

How appropriate. You fight like a cow.

No disrespect, but you’re a cunt. (Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges, 2008): straight in with the filth. But it’s not the no-no words that make this funny; it’s the repetition, the sheer weight of cursing that Brendan Gleeson inflicts upon Ralph Fiennes. And more than that it’s the matter-of-fact delivery, which Fiennes takes with quiet, simmering anger. There's a sadness and a banality to it which speaks to the tone of the film as a whole, and it’s a beautiful, sensitive performance from Gleeson.

Yes, it’s true. This man has no dick. (Bill Murray, Ghostbusters, 1984): really a punchline to a wonderful setup from Dan Aykroyd (“dickless here shut off the power.” “Is this true?”) but it’s a terrific punchline; a playground insult delivered at the best (worst?) possible time. Even funnier is that in the melee that follows, when William Atherton lunges at Murray, you hear the latter try to defend himself with “well that’s what I heard!”.

I bet you’re the kind of guy who would fuck a person in the ass and not even have the goddamn common courtesy to give him a reach-around. (R. Lee Emmry, Full Metal Jacket, 1987): to be honest, Emmry’s entire speech to his squad of recruits is fantastic and full of outrageously offensive insults. On the one hand, this is such over-the-top invective as to be utterly hilarious; on the other, it speaks to his characters horrendous and overbearing nature that (spoiler alert) leads to two deaths. This incredible, evocative, imaginative insult is the icing on the whole filthy cake.

You dense, irritating, miniature beast of burden! (Mike Myers, Shrek, 2001): this was, in fact, the insult that inspired me to write this whole list. It's such a benign, slight thing really; it washes off Donkey’s back when Shrek spits it at him. But the structure of it, the layering of adjectives, and the use of “beast of burden”, makes it both funny and memorable. My favourite line in the film.

Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelled of elderberries! (John Cleese, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, 1975): a line that was quoted ad nauseum when I was at school and every third boy suddenly discovered Python. The group was successful with humour both highbrow and old school, and this was positively playground; Cleese’s French knight is so supremely childish as to be hilarious. “I fart in your general direction”; legitimately classic.

It was nothing like that, penis-breath! (Henry Thomas, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1982): Spielberg and writer Melissa Mathison really had a handle on the performance and language of the kids in this film, and Elliott’s frustration and anger and not being believed, and being patronised by his big brother, boils over in supremely realistic fashion. It's the sort of thing a kid would say, spat out almost nonsensically, and Dee Wallace’s reaction – spontaneous laughter followed by telling him off – is spot-on.

You stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf-herder! (Carrie Fisher, The Empire Strikes Back, 1980): this is partly the script – the escalating series of increasingly-silly adjectives – but mostly Carrie Fisher’s expert performance; searching for the most cutting and incisive insult possible, trying to maintain composure despite obvious fury. The way she spits “nerf-herder”! what even is a nerf-herder? And, of course, it’s capped by Harrison Ford’s wounded “who’s scruffy-lookin’?”

Look up “idiot” in the dictionary, you know what you’ll find? (Val Kilmer, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, 2005): a film made up almost entirely of fantastic one-liners, hilarious dialogue, and cutting insults; this one is simple but also ingenious. A furious Val Kilmer barks the question at a pathetic Robert Downey Jr, who knows how the joke ends – “a picture of me?” – only for Kilmer to give it an inventive and, well, really bloody funny little twist.

That fake old tough guy! (Joe Pesci, Goodfellas, 1990): this one might be less popular, although the scene is certainly iconic. Pesci’s Tommy DeVito is belittled by Frank Vincent’s Billy Batts, and turns homicidal. Pesci’s performance throughout the film is a livewire one, at turns boisterously comedic and terrifyingly vicious; here, though, clearly rankled, there’s none of the menace or charisma, just a primal rage. Tommy is almost reduced to a childhood tantrum, and as such his insult is pathetic, small, but darkly funny.

This is my bargain, you mewling quim! (Tom Hiddleston, The Avengers, 2012): a line so famous that it very briefly became something of an unofficial catchphrase for Hiddleston. On one level it’s just a biting, sneery insult, reeking of misogyny, spat by a rage-filled Loki at Black Widow; but then there’s the fact that, well, how on Earth did they get the word “quim” by Disney? I can only assume that a lot of people didn’t know what the word meant. It’s fitting, really, to circle back to gynaecology here at the end of the list; a somewhat more palatable version of the insult from In Bruges. And yes, I instantly regret the use of the word palatable in this context.

EDITED TO ADD!!! As a rule I don't edit my lists after publication, so this ranking will stand. But I've only just remembered one of my favourite - and simplest! - movie insults: Withnail to Uncle Monty. You know the one. In fact, I'm shocked and ashamed that I forgot Withnail altogether: "A coward you are, Withnail! An expert on bulls you are not!" is also great. Sorry everyone!

[daimonclub]

Quotes and aphorisms on cats

Quotes and aphorisms on cats Quotes and aphorisms on cats, ideas, opinions, and humourous jokes by famous authors and artists on the most loved pet, included the poor Schrödinger's cat. I said something which gave you to think I hated cats. But gad, sir, I am one of the most fanatical cat lovers in the business. If you hate them, I may learn to hate you. If your allergies hate them, I will tolerate the situation to the best of my ability. Raymond Chandler Dogs come when they are called; cats take a message and get back to you. Mary Bly Your rat tail is all the fashion now. I prefer a bushy plume, carried straight up. You are Siamese and your ancestors lived in trees. Mine lived in palaces. It has been suggested to me that I am a bit of a snob. How true! I prefer to be. Raymond Chandler One cat in a house is a sign of loneliness, two of barrenness, and three of sodomy. Edward Dahlberg If a fish is the movement of water embodied, given shape, then cat is a diagram and pattern of subtle air. Doris Lessing Persian pussy from over the sea demure and lazy and smug and fat none of your ribbons and bells for me ours is the zest of the alley cat Don Marquis Cats always seem so very wise, when staring with their half-closed eyes. Can they be thinking, "I'll be nice, and maybe she will feed me twice?" Bette Midler Cats are autocrats of naked self-interest. They are both amoral and immoral, consciously breaking rules. Their "evil" look at such times is no human projection: the cat may be the only animal (able to) savor the perverse or reflects upon it. Camille Paglia Of all God's creatures there is only one that cannot be made the slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with a cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat. Mark Twain Cats exercise... a magic influence upon highly developed men of intellect. This is why these long-tailed Graces of the animal kingdom, these adorable, scintillating electric batteries have been the favorite animal of Mohammed, Cardinal Richlieu, Crebillon, Rousseau, Wieland. Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch Ultimately, Schrödinger's cat invites us to reflect on the uncertainty of knowledge and the role of the observer in determining reality itself. Carl William Brown Cats are smarter than dogs. You cannot get eight cats to pull a sled through snow. Jeff Valdez Perhaps God made cats so that man might have the pleasure of fondling the tiger. Robertson Davies When I play with my cat, who knows whether she is not amusing herself with me more than I with her. Montaigne The trouble with a kitten is That Eventually it becomes a Cat. Ogden Nash Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a good many different ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia. Joseph Wood Krutch We should get cats too. Yes, it's a great idea, they're cheap, and there's plenty of room in the freezer. Carl William Brown A cat is not merely diverted by everything that moves, but is convinced that all nature is occupied exclusively with catering to her diversion. François Auguste Paradis De Moncrif God made the cat to give man the pleasure of stroking a tiger. Francois Joseph Mery Cats kept their secrets; they yielded to no one. Elizabeth Redfern Reality is like a cat locked in a box: our questions open the door. Carl William Brown Cats are like Thoreau. You cannot explain them. Dan Sklar The sound of the cat mesmerizes, calms the chattering mind, stills the anxious heart. Theresa Mancuso Cats are like insects. They should be left outside to clean up the garbage. Michael Mewshaw Cats are like Baptists. You know they raise hell, but you can never catch them at it. James Patterson Those who'll play with cats must expect to be scratched. Miguel De Cervantes Never try to outstubborn a cat. Robert A. Heinlein In the dictionary of Cat, mercy is missing. Jane Hirshfield Of all God's creatures there is only one that cannot be made the slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with a cot it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat. Mark Twain In ancient times, cats were worshipped as gods. They have never forgotten this. Anonymous It had need to be a wiley mouse that should breed in the cats ear. John Heywood The cat lives alone. He has no need of society. He obeys only when he wishes, he pretends to sleep the better to see, and scratches everything he can scratch. Francois Rene Cats have a consuming passion for watching human beings. Akif Pirincci Nothing's more playful than a young cat, nor more grave than an old one. Thomas Fuller The cat is not in the long run anxious to please. T. O. Beachcroft If the cat waits for long hours, silent beside the crack of the wainscot, it is for pure pleasure. Cats do not keep the mice away; it is my belief that they preserve them for the chase. Oswald Barron It is a very onconvenient habit of kittens ... that, whatever you say to them, they always purr. Lewis Carroll Cats ... have a natural affinity for people who don't like them--very perverse creatures. Alan Goldsmith I am not surprised at all that the Chinese feed themselves with a bit of everything, including dogs, cats and other disgusting little animals, what leaves me rather perplexed is why these greedy characters do not eat each other. Carl William Brown Cats are like that, as we all know, full of little nooks and crannies where secrets may hide. Roger A. Caras Cats are like shoes - you need them in a lot of colors. Mari Skelly A home without a cat, and a well-fed, well-petted, and properly revered cat, may be a perfect home, perhaps, but how can it prove its title? Mark Twain Oft in the stilly night, certain back fence melodies convince us that old Noah made a grave mistake when he let more than one cat in the ark. Robert Elliott Gonzales Cats are like women: allow them to nurse and attend you when ill, and they are sure to love you. Gordon Stables You know what cats are like - fast on their feet and not very grateful. Helen Magee Nowadays, we're becoming more and more concerned about animal health, so in Italy they've even invented mutual insurance for dogs and cats; although it's also true that at the same time they're trying to dismantle the one for humans. Carl William Brown Cats ... are like four-legged poster children for OCD. Caroline Knapp If dogs are like high school, cats are like a really tough Ph.D. program. Siobhan Adcock Cats, no less liquid than their shadows, Offer no angles to the wind. They slip, diminished, neat, through loopholes Less than themselves. A. J. Tessimond Cats are like donkeys and camels, they won't ever quite give in to human tyranny, they won't try to imitate the human soul. Richard Aldington Cats are like lesbians. They are creatures of narrow habit about which men can only glimpse the silken machinery of their minds. Kinky Friedman Cats are like the French: meals are very important to them, and they want to savor the experience without interruptions. Kim Campbell Thornton Cats are like statesmen - they prefer places to persons. Edmund Hodgson Yates Confront a cat with something he has never seen before and his first reaction will almost invariably be one not of fear but of curiosity. Michael Joseph A cat can be trusted to purr when she is pleased, which is more than can be said for human beings. William Inge A dog is like a liberal. He wants to please everybody. A cat really doesn't need to know that everybody loves him. William Kunstler A cat has to be in a very bad mood if a human cannot coax him to purr. Derek Tangye It doesn't matter what color the cat is, the important thing is that it catches, that it cheats, that it exploits the mouse. It's a game that politicians know well, it's the mice that don't realize they are mice. Carl William Brown Leave a door open long enough, a cat will enter. Leave food, it will stay. Jane Hirshfield Cats, no less liquid than their shadows, Offer no angles to the wind. They slip, diminished, neat, through loopholes Less than themselves. A.S.J. Tessimond

The Schrödinger's cat logic experiment Beware of the night, child. All cats are black in the dark. Jean Genet Cats are autocrats of naked self-interest. Camille Paglia Cat said, "I am not a friend, and I am not a servant. I am the Cat who walks by himself." Rudyard Kipling If the cat waits for long hours, silent beside the crack of the wainscot, it is for pure pleasure. Cats do not keep the mice away; it is my belief that they preserve them for the chase. Oswald Barron One cat just leads to another. Ernest Hemingway I've found that the way a person feels about cats - and the way they feel about him or her in return - is usually an excellent gauge by which to measure a person's character. P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a purpose. Garrison Keillor Cats are like potato chips - it's hard to have just one. Sandra Charon As a good cat lover (Gattolico), I love athletic female cats more than cats, those not too tall, slim, well-rounded, nice and ….. Carl William Brown Cats are like women - we may fart, but it's quiet, polite, dignified, and never in public. Justine Lee Beware Of The Night, Child. All Cats Are Black In The Dark. Jean Genet There is nothing quite like the presence of a cat in the house to make you feel at home, whether it's a mansion or the tiniest inner city apartment, a rustic cabin or royal palace. Cats are like a little bit of heaven on earth, their purring not unlike the stir of angel wings. Theresa Mancuso Some cats are like mystics or cloistered esthetes, finding waking life of no interest and entering it only for necessities such as eating, while others ... do not disdain the secular pastimes of hunting, lurking, and exploring. Val Schaffner Finding a cat - or having a cat find you - can change your world as much as marriage, divorce, love, death, or even winning the lottery can, and sometimes more. Kinky Friedman Cats are like guests you're never sure of and are always trying to please. Mary Wells Lawrence Dogs have Masters. Cats have staff. Anonymous Schrödinger's cat, that poor imaginary feline, is both dead and alive until someone opens the box and checks its state. Carl William Brown Male or female, a cat will show you how it feels about you. People hide their feelings for various reasons, but cats never do. Leicester Hemingway Cats are like supermodels; they want you to please them. Emily Yoffe Cats specialize in sneaky. Unpleasant creatures who think they own the world. Emily Carmichael Cats are ... an oxymoron. Soft, but have claws. O. B. Wright Cats are like gods--they accept our blandishments, but don't reciprocate. Maurice Barrès There's nothing like the company of a cat. Your cat is a loyal friend, a warm sleeping-buddy, a playmate, a confidant, a presence.... Cats bring joy and delight to everyday life. Stroking a cat can even lower your blood pressure. Wendy Christensen Cats invented self-esteem. Erma Bombeck All cats were at first wild, but were at length tamed by the industry of Mankind; it is a Beast of prey, even the tame one, more especially the wild, it being in the opinion of many nothing but a diminutive lion. William Salmon I think all cats are wild. They only act tame if there's a saucer of milk in it for them. Douglas Adams Anyone who considers protocol unimportant has never dealt with a cat. Robert A. Heinlein A cat is not merely diverted by everything that moves, but is convinced that all nature is occupied exclusively with catering to her diversion. Francois Auguste Paradis De Moncrif Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want. Joseph Wood Krutch If cats have been the friends of man for so many centuries, could nature not have adapted itself, just a little, away from the formula: five or six kittens to a litter, four times a year? Doris Lessing A cat knows how to anticipate. Roger Caras Authors like cats because they are such quiet, lovable, wise creatures, and cats like authors for the same reason. Robertson Davies Walking is a human habit into which dogs readily fall but it is a distasteful form of exercise to a cat unless he has a purpose in view. Carl Van Vechten In the night all cats are gray. Miguel De Cervantes Physics teaches us that fate, like Schrödinger's cat, can exist in contradictory states until we choose to know it. Carl William Brown Men prefer pets they can control, like dogs. They can't handle that "get stuffed" stare from a cat. Celia Hammond Anyone who has owned many cats in long succession can define his or her life as a series of furry episodes. Roger Caras The cat could very well be man's best friend but would never stoop to admitting it. Doug Larson If a fish is the movement of water embodied, given shape, then cat is a diagram and pattern of subtle air. Doris Lessing Man has been worshipping cat for centuries and cat has every intention of keeping it that way. John Tickner Domesticated felines remain "part-kitten" all through their lives, and even though they may be middle-aged in feline terms they still look upon their human owners as their mothers. Desmond Morris Cats ask plainly for what they want. Walter Savage Landor I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul. Jean Cocteau Cat's are unpredictable. It is a fine line between the cure, inquisitive and innocent creature resting on our lap and the hissing, spitting and deranged banshee it might become at any moment. This is why we're trying always to win their love. George Takei The self-esteem of a cat is extraordinary. Christian Morgenstern https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbfMxZzSkXc You can alkso read: Thoughts and reflections on cats Quotes and aphorisms on animals Quotes by authors Quotes by arguments Thoughts and reflections Essays with quotes Read the full article