#Elliott & Thompson

[nintendowiig]

00s SNL being a GOLDEN cast

[yen-sids-tournament]

Lady and the Tramp: Animated (1955) v Live Action CGI (2019)

You do not have to see both to vote, but it might have been helpful.

Feel free to share opinions or explanations with comments/tags/rbs

[paintthedeadflag]

Okay, list of albums I enjoy for anyone that even vaguely might want it.

Albums:

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel (I love this album so so so much)

All Hail West Texas by The Mountain Goats

Purple Mountains by Purple Mountains

Twin Fantasy by car seat headrest

Roman candle by Elliott smith

Ceilidhs an island by the Vancouver special (please give this guy some love on bandcamp and Spotify, I love his music)

Tops and roots (вершки и корешки) by Yegor Letov (Егор Летов)

The natural bridge by silver jews

Electric magnolia co. By songs: ohia

How to leave town by car seat headrest

Merriweather post pavillion by the animal collective

Sung tongs by the animal collective

Strawberry jam by the animal collective

On Avery island by neutral milk hotel

Hype city soundtrack by neutral milk hotel

Tallahassee by the mountain goats

Corky's debt to his father by mayo Thompson

Our endless numbered days by iron and wine

Live at jittery Joe's by Jeff mangum

Pinkerton by weezer

A crow looked at me by mount eerie

Mountain rock by dear nora

The orbiting human circus by the music tapes

Lift your skinny fists like antennas to heaven by godspeed you! Black emporer

Nervous young man by car seat headrest

Surfer Rosa by the pixies

Giles Corey by Giles Corey

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

The Company of Owls by Polly Atkin

I am not sure what I was expecting but since my sister is an avid bird watcher and I have lived vicariously through her emails as she shares what she has seen, I thought this might be a book she would like and, I believe she would. I ended up skimming rather than settling in but did find myself more interested in the owls as I read and skimmed my way through the book.

Notes while reading:

* I wonder if short eared owls are the same as the burrowing owls cinde told me about?

* Interesting notes from authors and history about owls

* Is this a journal of sightings, feelings, information learned, or…

* Anthropomorphizing owls – I do that with animals and even shapes seen in nature

* I wonder if the owls in Lebanon are like the ones in the Lake District?

* Interesting tidbits about branching, vision/eyes, lifespan, predator vs prey, what happens when owlets outgrow their parents, history, community interaction, feathering, owl behavior…

* How Covid-19 and lockdown played a part in the writing of the book

* This would be fun to for if illustrated or there was an online link to photos of the owls

* I wonder if the photos shared online by the author are located somewhere easy to access?

Did I like this book? Eventually – it grew on me and made me think of the night sounds I hear on my hilltop…including the owls calling to one another and sometimes moving through the night.

Thank you to NetGalley and Elliott & Thompson for the ARC – this is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

BLURB

As the autumn nights draw in, join Polly Atkin in a nocturnal love song to the owls that surround her Lake District home – a stunning meditation on learning to listen in a world full of noise

[she-is-golden]

Tony Thompson

September 2, 1975 - June 1, 2007

Happy Birthday to one of my favorite singers of all time,his solo album was golden.

He deserved so much more, gone entirely too soon❤️.

[your-daily-snl]

The All My Children Wrap Party, in which the cast of a long-running soap opera returns for the final wrap party after their disappearances...or were they pushed?!

Original Air Date: 2011

[krispyweiss]

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Day Three, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, Calif., Oct. 6, 2024

The good folks who put on Hardly Strictly Bluegrass created an epic conundrum of good musical fortune by booking the Wood Brothers, the Infamous Stringdusters and Emmylou Harris in simultaneous, festival-closing slots. This, of course, created high anxiety as all three acts are high on any music lover’s gotta-hear list.

But more on that later. Because first, Miko Marks began the day at the Rooster stage with some Sunday soul music before 93-year-old Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, accompanied by mandolin and bass, came out yodeling on Jimmie Rodgers’ “Waiting for a Rain.” He then dug into Woody Guthrie’s “The 1913 Massacre,” got a bit uptempo on “The Cuckoo” and nodded to the Hardly Strictly atmosphere of a super-heated Golden Gate Park (on Oct. 6!) with Jesse Fuller’s “San Francisco Bay Blues.” Between numbers, Elliott regaled the squeezed-into-shady-areas fans with tales from 70 years of music making. Steve Earle then emerged to tell an overly long story over soft picking leaving Elliott to try, unsuccessfully, to get a word in as time ran down on his 40-minute allotment.

So … off to the Banjo stage where Tony Trischka’s Earl Jam was finishing “Brown’s Ferry Blues” and launching into “Lady Madonna” - strictly bluegrass style. Brittany Haas, who would appear later with Aoife O’Donovan and Hawktail, then entered the fray for double fiddling with Shad Cobb on “You Got to Die,” and putting the blues in the grass.

Peter Case, Teddy Thompson, Melissa Carper and Carsie Blanton hit the Rooster next for a Songwriter’s Circle/guitar pull with truth as the refreshing theme. A delightful exercise in the power of folk music.

But there was also blues at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass because: “If you don’t like the blues, you probably don’t like your mama.”

So said Bobby Rush on the Banjo, where the 91-year-old - “If I’m not the oldest, I’m the ugliest,” he cracked - and his big band got down and dirty in flashy sequins as they spanned 70 years of Rush originals and covers like “Hoochie Coochie Man.” Rush blew harp with the lungs of a young man, danced around the stage with the body of a young man and rapped like the OG he is, proving yet again the magic of music - even when you’re singing of your woman leaving you “for the damn garbage man.”

After a public soundcheck that signaled sublimity to come, O’Donovan, Hawktail and the San Francisco Girls Chorus - who joined one-third of the way through the 60-minute set - spanned O’Donovan’s solo discography rearranged to fit Hawktail’s musical tapestry woven of classical, jazz and bluegrass. The Chorus voices soared across Golden Gate as O’Donovan led them through songs about the battle to pass the 19th Amendment from All My Friends.

It was a stirring performance that provided some hope in an era that sometimes feels hopeless and earned a standing ovation from the Banjo stage listeners.

Down the road at Towers of Gold, Patti Smith played to a crowd so humongous people were turned away to listen to her cover Bob Dylan’s “Man in the Long Black Coat” and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” read poetry and and play such songs as “Cash” and “People Have the Power” at the adjacent Swan stage, which was also rammed with festivalgoers, where the Wood Brothers were to play next and Smith’s set benefitted from stellar sound piped in from next door.

Even from behind the Towers, Smith’s performance was deeply affecting - a penetrating mix of soft-edged emotion and hard-edged aggression.

“Use your voice,” she said after using hers for 65 minutes and fans on both sides of the stage exploded in applause when she finished her gig.

Now to address the daylong conundrum, splitting up three must-see acts.

And so it transpired that Mr. and Mrs. Sound Bites caught the Woods (Hardly) playing “Little Bit Broken,” “Tried and Tempted,” “Pilgram” and “A Little Bit Sweet;” the ’Dusters (Strictly) on “Gravity” and “Rise Sun” at the Rooster; and Harris’ (country, not Bluegrass) homestretch at the Banjo, which included a rambunctious “Luxury Liner” and a mournful “Together Again.”

And then it was over …

Read Sound Bites’ coverage of Day One and Day Two at the hyperlinks.

10/7/24

[jiejie-eonni-onee-sama]

I am always safe with you...

For the amazing @simplybombshell​ and @onemoreparadise​ , inspired by their works (X) (X)

In Cambridge, Massachusetts lived the Thompson-Spencer family.

They were a family who lived quietly and happily, enjoying every moment together.

This home consisted of a male couple, Jonathan Spencer and his husband, Alistair Thompson, and their adopted son, Elliott.

Jonathan worked as a quantitative analyst in a high-technology company in Boston. Efficient and competent, he was considered one of the best people in the company.

Meanwhile, Alistair was an American studies teacher at Harvard University. Recognised for his broad general knowledge and his pedagogy, his students and colleagues appreciated him.

In addition to teaching, he has written articles in academic journals and participated in conferences.

As for Elliott, who was a thirteen years old boy, he studied at the Boston Latin Academy.

He was a sweet boy, dreamy and very bright.

All three shared a close bond and enjoyed their lives together.

But today, Elliott would have liked to be somewhere other than in front of his blank paper. He had only his English essay to do, but he was not inspired.

The boy was annoyed: he had to hand in this essay at the next English class, which was in five days.

The subject didn't seem complicated, though. It was entitled: Feeling Safe.

It was a short subject but not an easy one to tackle.

Elliott felt discouraged: this bloody exercise was wasting his time!

"Elliott! Let's eat!" called his father.

The young boy got up and went downstairs to join his parents.

He sat down at the table and began to eat as his father Alistair asked him:

"So, have you finished your lessons?"

"Almost: I've still got an English essay to do."

"An essay? And what is the subject?" asked Jonathan.

"Feeling safe."

The two men looked at each other, quite surprised.

"Now, that's an interesting topic. There's a lot to say about it. And have you made any progress on your essay?" inquired Jonathan.

"No, that's just it: I can't find the right words."

"Why didn't you come to us for help earlier? I could have given you a hand," replied Alistair.

"I know, but I know you, Dad: you would do my whole paper. And my teacher would suspect something..."

"Eli is right, Alistair: when a subject raises your interest, you cannot help disserting on it as you do with your teaching sessions at university!" chuckled Mr Spencer.

"What can I say? This is professional deformation." smirked his husband before turning to Elliott.

"To answer your question, Eli, let me give you some advice: ask yourself how you feel safe. What makes you believe that nothing can happen to you? Is there anything that comforts you when you feel low? Think about it, and you might find the answer!"

Elliott nodded, his neurons already starting to find ideas for his essay.

"I'll do that. Who knows: it will inspire me?"

"In the meantime, finish your plate: it'll get cold!"

The meal continued in good spirits, and then Elliott returned to his room and wrote down all the ideas that came to mind on paper.

Then, he went to sleep: he would work on this essay tomorrow!

⏰⏰⏰

The next day.

Like yesterday, Elliott sat in front of his desk, ready to write his essay. This time, the young boy knew what to write.

And as he began to write the first lines of his essay, the young boy felt the inspiration coming to him. The more he wrote, the better he felt about his work: he was sure to get a good grade.

When he finished his assignment, the teenager reread his work to ensure he wrote everything correctly and had not missed any spelling mistakes.

Satisfied, he carefully placed his paper in a plastic bag and put it in his bag before tackling his maths exercises.

The teenager looked forward to showing his work to his parents when he received the grade.

Meanwhile, Alistair and Jonathan were in the living room, working: the quantitative analyst wrote a report on his computer while the teacher corrected papers.

Jonathan looked up from his screen and asked his husband:

"Do you have a lot of work to do?"

The teacher sighed:

"Don't mention it! I've got fifty essays to correct on the Gothic novel in Britain and France in 19th century, and I can't see the end of it! I would finish correcting these by Friday, so I don't have to work at the weekend."

Alistair asked:

"What about you? Are you managing to write that report?"

"Yes, but it's a bit tedious. At least once I've done it, I'll be free for the weekend!"

He added with a smile:

"Which gives me an idea..."

"You and your creativity! What do you have planned?" chuckled Alistair.

"Nothing extravagant..."

Jonathan put his arm around his husband's shoulders.

"I was thinking, Friday night, we could order food and have a movie night. A little night with just the three of us. What do you think?"

"It sounds tempting, and it's been a while since we've done anything together," Alistair agreed, resting his head on his partner's shoulder.

The analyst added:

"Besides, it's been a long time since we didn't spend quality time with Elliott. I don't want our son to feel cast away !"

"Eli is a cunning boy: he knows we all have a lot of work. He will love your idea: I can feel it!"

Little did the two men know that Elliott had a surprise planned for Friday night. And he hoped they would like it.

⛅⛅⛅⛅⛅⛅

On Friday, late afternoon.

As he pushed open the door to his house, Elliott had a smile on his face: it was finally the weekend! But it wasn't just the prospect of rest that put the young boy in a good mood: so far, his surprise went just as he had planned.

His enthusiasm didn't escape his fathers.

"Hi, sweetie. How was your day?" asked Alistair.

"It was good, but I wanted to go home."

"Tell me about it!"

"And did you get any grades? Any homework?" requested Jonathan.

"Yes. Remember my Feeling Safe essay? I got the grade today!"

"Ah yes, that famous essay! Verdict?"

Elliott's smile widened.

"I got an A+."

"You did? Well done, my little writer!" the analyst smiled, kissing his son on the forehead.

"This is something to celebrate. What should we order for dinner? Italian or Indian? Unless you want Chinese food?" suggested the teacher.

"Pizza!" the teenager exclaimed, making his parents laugh.

"Go for the pizza !" smiled Alistair as he dialled the local pizzeria to order the menu.

Thirty minutes later, their order arrived, and the family prepared to eat their dinner when Elliott asked:

"Before we eat, do you want to read my essay ?"

"Well, why not? Let's see what you did !"

Elliott picked up his essay and handed it to his parents, who saw the A+ mark written in bright red.

They read the comment from the teacher:

Excellent work, with personal and moving elements. Keep up the good work!

"Well, well: being complimented by Mr Cooper is an achievement!" smirked Jonathan.

"I am the only student in my class to get an A+ on this homework!"

"That is a double achievement !" whistled Alistair.

The two men started to read the essay.

Feeling Safe by Elliott Spencer-Thompson.

"Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away."

"How cute! He quotes an author, just like his dad !" joked Jonathan.

"Stop teasing me and continue to read !" replied Alistair with a smile.

"Your wish is my command, darling !" replied his husband as he pursued the reading.

In this quote, George Eliot expressed one of the main goals in men's life: feeling safe.

We feel safe when we come home, especially when our loved ones surround us.

This need for safety, whether physical or psychological, is a distant echo of the survival instinct of our prehistoric ancestors. You can't survive for long if you don't find people to count on.

We seek shelter from what might harm us since our first days.

Our innocence makes us believe that nothing can happen to us because we have not yet experienced the disillusionment and cruelty of the world.

I thought I would always be safe because my biological parents were there for me.

I didn't try to understand when my mother asked me to play a game: to close my eyes and count to thirty. My father promised me a surprise if I did it.

I obeyed, and I got my surprise: the surprise of not seeing my parents anymore.

From then on, all my certainties collapsed: not all adults protect you. Sometimes they abandon you.

It is a hard lesson to learn for a four-year-old boy.

It took me a long time to relearn how to feel that sensation of being loved.

Today I can say that I feel safe.

No doubt people will ask me: what does it mean to me to feel safe?

For me, feeling safe is many things at the same time.

I feel safe when my dad Jonathan said he loves me.

I feel safe because my dad Alistair watches over me when I am sick.

 I feel safe because they take me in their arms when I'm upset or sad.

I feel safe because when I cried at night, remembering the awful day my biological parents left me alone in a crowd, they rushed to my side, promising to always be there for me.

I feel safe because they teach me so many things. It can go from the behaviour in society to my cultural knowledge.

I feel safe because they taught me to trust and tell them everything.

I feel safe because they helped to become a good man.

I don't forget I have friends I trust and love, but nothing is more important than my parents.

I know some people disapprove that two men could raise a child.

We might not share genes, but we share a love, respect and trust bond.

I don't want any other family than the two men who gave me their last names and added me to their lives.

That's why I am eager to come home after school because, every time I cross the threshold of my house, I immediately feel better.

And it started when I hear their voices saying "Welcome Home".

I hope when I become an adult, I will provide the family I will create the same feeling of safety and love my parents provided me.

To conclude, I would say that feeling safe is an incredible luck I am grateful to have, thanks to my parents. Because with them, I will always feel safe.

Elliott began worrying when he saw tears shining in his fathers' eyes.

"Are you okay?"

Jonathan hastened to answer, wiping his eyes:

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. It's a lot of emotions all at once!"

"How did you write all this?" asked Alistair.

The teenager shrugged, a little embarrassed.

"When I told you I was struggling with this essay, you suggested I ask myself what made me feel safe. I thought about it, and I knew the answer."

Elliott smiled shyly.

"I remembered the day when the social worker told me people wanted to adopt me. I was so scared! Then, I saw you, and something inside me told me I could go with you. I will always be grateful to give a new start!"

"Come here, you !" exclaimed Alistair, who hugged his son, joined by Jonathan.

The family of three enjoyed the hug before parting.

Alistair ran a hand through his son's hair.

"Your essay proved that we did our job as your parents. It is the least we can do for you."

"You changed our lives forever and in the best way. With you, we are a family," added Jonathan as he kissed his son.

"Something we waited for a long time," nodded the teacher as he wiped his tears.

Alistair glanced at the pizzas.

"Oh my! The pizza must be cold now!"

"Because you cried on it!" joked his husband.

"You cried too!"

Elliott laughed at his parents' banter.

It was these moments that makes him feel good, like sharing a relaxing evening with his two dads.

These moments make him feel safe and loved.

Thanks for reading the story !

I hope you enjoyed it!

Feel free to request !

Take care of you! 😘😊😊🥰

Tag: @marilynmonroefanfics​ 

[bearmageddon]

Been thinking about my fellas lately 🥺

[anonisbloggingsomewhere]

(stole from an insta reel)

[erstwhile-punk-guerito]

[nintendowiig]

00s snl being a GOLDEN cast again

[mikyapixie]

Bunsen Is A Beast premiered 8 years ago today on Nickelodeon!!!

[spurstwt]

[jenmedsbookreviews]

The Shadow Network by Tony Kent

I am absolutely delighted to share my thoughts on the brand new Dempsey & Devlin thriller from Tony Kent, The Shadow Network, which is out this Thursday @TonyKent_Writes @eandtbooks #books #bookreview #theshadownetwork

Oh I am a very happy reader. I love the Dempsey and Devlin series by Tony Kent, so when I was offered an early copy of The Shadow Network to review on jenmedsbookreviews.com by none other than the author himself, how could I refuse? I couldn’t, so I didn’t, and that’s bitter sweet thing. Sweet because it’s one heck of a book, bitter because now I have to wait ages for the next one. Meh. It was…