#Greenwood MO

[a-member-of-minuteswithmandm]

After 7 years, Workin' Moms is over and I'm gonna miss having a show based on Toronto that I can catch all the references

Kate Foster was a gem of a character (shout out to Catherine Reitman) and I spent so much time laughing while watching this show. Literally the zombie mannequin head giving Kate oral sex honestly killed me 😭😭

Kate and Anne's friendship was a rollercoaster and I really didn't love where it ended up, plus I dont think that Anne and Alice's storyline ended in a way that made sense (why is she going to Australia? What happened to Anne's TBI from the beginning of the season?)

High level opinions: Jenny was the worst she should have been written off. Sloane was great, and she and Paul were such a fun addition to the show. Val was weird and whatever. I actually missed Frankie even though I didn't expect to and I really miss Giselle. Nathan Junior was the best cast addition that the writers made. Lionel was too sweet for Anne

Basically the show was a fun watch for the last 7 years! That being said, this final season was very all over the place - like Kate and Ram was the a storyline for half the season and then it fizzled into nothing else? Plus out of no where Kate selling her her company and then going back with Rosie, Richard and Mo made no sense?

There were definitely a lot of areas where there was room for improvement, but overall it was a funny show and I'm glad to have been able to watch it over the past few years. Watch our review here (plus we have a guest this episode!) :

[queersrus]

request for cottagecore + sad-ish? id pack? please + thanks!

here's my attempt!

assuming id pack includes more than just the usual npts i'll throw in a few cottagecore and sad related labels i found

(nick)names:

ambrose, amos, ansel, acacia, ada, adelaide, arwin/arwen, ava, avery/averie, aviva, amaranth, able, arbor, art, arty/artie, asher, ainsley, acheron, adalia brandy/brandi, branwen, billie/billy, bryony, bill, banner, booker, bram

barley, brion, brian, bryce chloris, chandra, cyrene, cayenne, cade, clyde, chester, cliff denna, diana/dianna, diona, donna/dona, derby, dallas, danica, daphne, dixie, dawn, dylan

edmund, elenore, elodie, eudora, elenore/eleanor, ebony, erica, eila, eira, eve, eithne, everlee, elize, eliza, elizabeth, everlyn, elwood, emerson, elowen finnegan, freddy/freddie, frederick, fallin/fallon, florance/florence

fable, frank, frankie/franky, franklin/franklyn, faine, filbert, finneas ginny/ginnie, gale, georgia, george, georgina, granger halcyone, hana/hanna/hannah, harriet, harry, hayley/hailie/hailey, halie/hallie, heather, harlowe/harlow, harrow, hadar, hawl, hayes,

huck, holden, huso ilana, illiana/iliana, ingrid, ivory jane, janet/janette, jesse/jessie, josie, jose, jack, jackie, jackson kingston, kodi/kodie, kodiak, kylan

lupin, lian, liana/lianna, liane/lianne, linc, linden, lyle, lucius maisie, matilda, maude, mabel, merle, marin, mica/mika, mason/macon, martin, miller, miles nellie, nyssa, ned, nick, ness

opholia, oliver, olive, olivia, oleander, odell, oriel, oscar paisley, poppy, posie, phineas, parker rose, rosemary/rosemarie, rosy/rosie, rory, rosette, rosetta, rue, rosabel/rosabell/rosabelle, rosa, rosabela/rosabella, rosella, rosaria,

rosario, rob, robert, ray, reed, ridge, ryland, rowan, roan shiloh, sharon, scarlet/scarlett/skarlett, sam, samantha, samuel, sunny/sunnie, sawyer, shaw, shay, steve, stevie, stevia, sorell/sorrell, seb, sebby/sebbie, sebastian, saddie/sadie, sade

theodore, theo, tori, toria, tamie/tammie, tawny, terra, timber, tim, timothy, tanner, teddy/teddie, trevis/travis, trevor, tyler, tristan/tristin, tristah/trista, trystia verginia, vicky/vickie, victor, victoria, viola, violet/violette,

violeta/violetta, valerian, vernon winnie, willa, winston, winifred, winslow, will, william, willow, wade, wagner, warren, watts, watson, wilhelmina yvonne, yves zephyr/zephyre, zara, zinnia, zion

surnames:

appleyard, ashton, ashwood baker, brookstone, butterfield catkin, cobbler, cooper, copper, copperwood, copperfield, crestfallen dogwood, direwood, direbrook, direfield, desperfield, downyard

doleman fenlon, falkner, forlorn greenwood, greenfield, golding, goldwood, goldfield, griefman, griefwood, gardner

hilbrook, holbrook, heath, horsewood, horsefield, hawksley, harrowing, hawkswood, hawthorne, hawkner, hawkfield, holloway, hallowood

larken, limewood, lockhart, lovejoy mourner, mournwright, mournman nettleship

plowman, penrose, penwright redbrook, rosedale, redwood, rosewood, redfield summerfield, sweetnam, seawright, sorrowfield, sorrowbrook, shamewood, shamewright

thacker, thatcher westfield, wainwright, write/wright, wagonwright, woodsman, wyrmwood/wormwood, winterwood, winterrose, wretchwood, wretchman

system names:

the cottagecore *system, the sorrowful system, the melancholic cottage system, the mourning flowerbed system, the gloomy garden system, the tearful system, the harvest system

1st p prns: i/me/my/mine/myself

ci/cotte/cottagy/cottagine/cottageself hi/he/hy/harvestine/harvestself gi/garde/gardy/gardine/gardenself si/sade/sady/sadine/sadself si/sorre/sorry/sorrowine/sorrowself mi/me/mely/melancholine/melancholyself

2nd p prns: you/your/yours/yourself

co/cottager/cottagers/cottagerself ho/harvester/harvesters/harvesterself go/gardener/gardeners/gardenerself so/sader/sadders/sadderself so/sorrower/sorrowers/sorrowerself mo/melancholer/melancholers/melancholerself

3rd p prns: they/them/theirs/themself

co/cottage, cott/age, cot/cottage, cot/tage, cottage/cottages, cottage/core har/vest, ha/harvest, harv/est, harvest/harvests gar/den, gar/garden, garden/gardens, garden/core farm/core sa/sad, sad/sads, sa/ad, sad/sadden, so/sorrow, sor/row, sorr/ow, sorrow/sorrows, sorrow/sorrowful mel/melancholy, mel/ancholy, melan/choly, melancholy/melancholies, melancholy/melchancholic

titles:

the weeping gardener, the mourning farmer, the sad cottage dweller, the melancholic planter, the sorrowful woodsman

**one who lives a sad cottage life, one who mourns within ones cottage, one who weeps amongst ones gardens, one who copes with sadness through cottage life

book titles:

the sad little cottage, a melancholic villager, the weeping willows, the mourning garden, the sorrows of an old cottage, a pitiful harvest

genders:

buncottagecoric(link),

cottagegoric(link), cafdreamian(link), cottagecrittean(link), cottagecoric(link), Cálidatierramielgender(link)

epuisetristic(link)

gendersob(link)

Sadnostacatgender(link)

orientations: (n/a)

other:

cottagecore bpd(link)

many can be found by searching cottagecore genders/mogai/liom as well, there are many versions of cottagecore flags especially for lgbt related labels so they should not be hard to find if you feel like looking!

*system can be replaced with any alternative (ex. cluster, collective, hoard/horde, etc)

**one can be replaced with any prn

[fakeoutbf]

so much for (tour)dust u.s. leg

magic 8 ball and piano medley songs sorted by date

color coded by album ● repeated songs in bold

tttyg ● futct ● ioh ● fad ● srar ● abap ● mania ● smfs

June 21 - Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL

Piano medley

- Lake Shore Drive (Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah cover)

Magic 8 Ball song

- G.I.N.A.S.F.S. (Live Debut) (Alias: GOLF)

June 23 - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Maryland Heights, MO

Piano medley

- What a Time to Be Alive (Live Debut)

Magic 8 Ball song

- Of All the Gin Joints in All the World (First time live since 2008) (Alias: GAMMA JULIET)

June 24 - Azura Amphitheater, Bonner Springs, KS

Piano medley

- I'm Like a Lawyer With the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You) (First time live since 2014)

Magic 8 Ball song

- Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year (First time live since 2014) (Alias: OCHO)

June 27 - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, The Woodlands, TX

Piano medley

- Somebody to Love (Queen cover)

- Take On Me (Aha cover)

Magic 8 Ball song

- The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years) (Live Debut) (Alias: TANGO YETI)

June 28 - Dos Equis Pavilion, Dallas, TX

Piano medley

- What a Catch, Donnie (First time live since 2013)

Magic 8 Ball song

- The (After) Life of the Party (First time live since 2007) (Alias: SIERRA ALPHA)

June 30 - Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, AZ

Piano medley

- Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia) (Patrick Slump song, first time live since 2011)

Magic 8 Ball song

- Homesick at Space Camp (First time live since 2013)

July 1 - North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, CA

Piano medley

- Nothing Compares 2 U (Prince cover)

Magic 8 Ball song

- (Coffee’s For Closers) (First time live since 2009)

July 2 - BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

Piano medley

- Mr. Blue Sky (Electric Light Orchestra cover)

- Golden (First time live since 2007)

Magic 8 Ball songs

- G.I.N.A.S.F.S.

- America’s Suitehearts (First time live since 2009) (Alias: ASS)

July 3 - BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

Piano medley

- Every Breath You Take (The Police cover)

- I’ve Got All This Ringing In My Ears and None On My Fingers (Live Debut)

Magic 8 Ball songs

- The (After) Life of the Party

- Bang the Doldrums (Live Debut) (Alias: YANKEE HOTEL HOTEL)

July 5 - Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA

Piano medley

- Alison (Elvis Costello cover)

- What a Catch, Donnie

Magic 8 Ball song

- The Patron Saint of Liars and Fakes (First time live since 2013) (Alias: PATRIZZY S)

July 7 - USANA Amphitheatre, West Valley City, UT

Piano medley

- What a Time to Be Alive

- Hold the Line (Toto cover)

Magic 8 Ball song

- The Kids Aren’t Alright (First time live since 2018) (Alias: KILO)

July 9 - Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre, Greenwood Village, CO

Piano/acoustic medley

- Goin’ North (David Stump cover)

- Golden

Magic 8 Ball song

- Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner (First time live since 2014)

July 11 - Walmart AMP, Rogers, AR

Piano medley

- (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding (Brinsley Schwarz cover)

- What a Catch, Donnie

Magic 8 Ball song

- I Slept With Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me (First time live since 2015)

July 13 - Somerset Amphitheater, Somerset, WI (shortened show due to weather)

Magic 8 Ball song

- Fame < Infamy (Live Debut) (Alias: BRAVO WHISKEY PAPA)

July 15 - Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH

Piano medley

- What a Catch, Donnie

- Golden

Magic 8 Ball song

- Favorite Record (Live Debut)

July 16 - Ruoff Music Center, Noblesville, IN

Piano medley

- What a Time to Be Alive

- Golden

Magic 8 Ball song

- Where Did the Party Go (First time live since 2014) (Alias: WHISKEY PAPA)

July 18 - Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Piano medley

- Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen cover)

- I'm Like a Lawyer With the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me & You)

Magic 8 Ball song

- 27 (Live Debut) (Alias: TANGO SIERRA)

July 19 - Jiffy Lube Live, Bristow, VA

Piano/acoustic medley

- Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner (full song)

Magic 8 ball

- She’s My Winona (First time live since 2009) (Alias: BEETLE JUICE)

July 21 - PNC Music Pavilion, Charlotte, NC

Piano medley

- Lean on me (Bill Withers cover)

- What a Catch

Magic 8 Ball song

- Dead on Arrival (First time live since 2013) (Alias: DELTA OMEGA ALPHA)

June 21 - Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach, VA

Piano medley

- What a Time to Be Alive

- Golden

Magic 8 Ball song

- 7 Minutes in Heaven (Atavan Halen) (Patrick on drums, First time live since 2007) (Alias: WOLFGANG)

July 24 - iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, FL

Piano medley

- Dancing Queen (ABBA cover)

- Golden

Magic 8 Ball song

- Tell That Mick He Just Made My List of Things to Do Today (First time live since 2013) (Alias: GATOR BITES)

July 25 - MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, FL

Piano medley

- What a Catch, Donnie

- Golden

Magic 8 Ball song

- Miss Missing You (First time live since 2015)

July 26 - Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood, Atlanta, GA

Piano medley

- Nothing Compares 2 U (Prince cover)

- I’ve Got All This Ringing In My Ears and None On My Fingers

Magic 8 Ball song

- From Now On, We Are Enemies (Live Debut)

July 29 - Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI

Piano medley

- What a Time to Be Alive

- Golden

Magic 8 Ball song

- Don’t You Know Who I Think I Am? (First time live since 2007)

July 30 - Budweiser Stage, Toronto, ON, Canada

Piano medley

- What a Time to Be Alive

- Golden

Magic 8 Ball songs

- West Coast Smoker (Live Debut)

- G.I.N.A.S.F.S.

August 1 - Forest Hills Stadium, Queens, NY

Piano medley

- What a Catch, Donnie

- Just One Yesterday (First time live since 2014)

- Stereo Hearts (with Travie McCoy)

- Cupid’s Chokehold (with Travie McCoy)

Magic 8 Ball song

- I Am My Own Muse (Live Debut)

- 27

August 2 - Fenway Park, Boston, MA

Piano medley

- W.A.M.S. (Live Debut)

- Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond cover)

Magic 8 Ball songs

- XO (First time live since 2007)

- G.I.N.A.S.F.S.

August 4 - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Darien Center, NY

Piano/acoustic medley

- Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying (Do Your Part to Save the Scene and Stop Going to Shows) (First time live since 2006)

- Golden

Magic 8 Ball songs

- You’re Crashing but You’re No Wave (Live Debut)

- 27

August 5 - PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ

Piano medley

- I've Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth (Summer Song) (Live Debut)

- What a Catch, Donnie

Magic 8 Ball songs

- Bob Dylan (Live Debut)

- I Am My Own Muse

August 6 - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, Camden, NJ

Piano medley

- Jet Pack Blues (First time live since 2018)

- I've Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth (Summer Song)

- Golden

Magic 8 Ball songs

- Pavlove (Live Debut) (Alias: KEVIN BACON)

- 27 (Alias: ONLY THE GOOD)

- G.I.N.A.S.F.S. (Alias: ACRONYM)

[thekidsare-not-alright]

lyrics for each tour date shirt so far

Chicago, IL: "when the party ends / will you still love who I am"

St Louis, MO: "what would you trade the pain for / I'm not sure"

Bonner Springs, KS: "time is luck / and I wish ours overlapped more or for longer"

The Woodlands, TX: "I think I've been going through it / and I've been putting your name to it"

Dallas, TX: "Part time soulmate / full time problem"

Phoenix, AZ: "I"ll never go / I just want to be invited"

Chula Vista, CA: "Nowhere left for us to go / but heaven"

Los Angeles, CA: "In another life / you were the sunshine of my lifetime"

Mountain View, CA: "Fever dream / tangerine sweat"

Salt Lake City, UT: "I'm just a cherub riding comets / through the night sky"

Greenwood Village, CO: "The world is always spinning / and I can't keep up"

Rogers, AR: "You put the 'fun' / into dysfunction"

Somerset, WI: "My mood board is just pictures of you / but I'm not sad anymore"

Cincinnati, OH: "We did it for futures that never came / and for pasts that we're never gonna change"

Noblesville, IN: "I will never ask you for anything / except to dream sweet of me"

Cuyahoga Falls, OH: "I closed my eyes inside of your darkness / and found your glow"

Bristow, VA: "And all of my wildest dreams / they just end up with you and me"

Charlotte, NC: "Here I am / not sure you should take a chance"

Virginia Beach, VA: "Trumpets bring the angels / but they never came"

West Palm Beach, FL: "All this effort / to make it look effortless"

Tampa, FL: "I carved out a place in this world for two / but it's empty without you"

Atlanta, GA: "Felt you at the beginning / needed you in the end"

Clarkston, MI: "We're out here / and we're ready"

Toronto, ON: "The stars are the same as ever / I don't have the guts to keep it together"

Forest Hills, NY: "So much for stardust / we thought we had it all"

Boston, MA: "Screaming at the stars / like night lights"

Darien Center, NY: "Buried alive inside my dreams / but it was all a fake-out"

Holmdel, NJ: "When the party ends / will you still love who I am"

Camden, NJ: "Twice the dreams / but half the love"

See a color-coded-by-song version here :]

[silvantransthranduiltrash]

Thranduil’s (non-existant) Queen

I strongly headcannon that the silvans were very free in their gender and sexual identities. The basic norm was that everyone is bisexual until proven otherwise, and even then it’s quickly accepted. Furthermore, due to the nature of elven lives (aka being immortal) being polyamorous is rather common, as is sleeping around with no romantic relationship.

(The valar can’t tell them what to do!)

That being said, cheating is still a gigantic no no for them, as is abandoning one partner for another, especially if there is little to no warning or reason.

Anyway, slightly crazy idea, but what if Thranduil was not, in fact, married, and simply had and has a bunch of one night stand/regular bed partners and one day ended up pregnant (read my user name) and that’s how Legolas came about.

Thing is, legolas looks so much like Thranduil that no one knows who the other parent is, and Thranduil roles with it bc hey, at least no custody issues.

Elves outside of greenwood: so what happened to your mom?

Legolas: uuuuhhhhhhhh

Que elaborate tragic story that becomes worse and worse the more legolas retels it.

You can bet your ass legolas has fun with it. His friends pitch in and all of a sudden no one knows what happened to the queen of greenwood (they do not call it mirkwood) except that it’s bad.

Thranduil has no idea that this is going on until elrond brings it up one day.

Elrond: i have not said it before, but my condolences for the loss of your wife. I understand it was quite horrific.

Legolas: *sweating*

Thranduil: *slowly turning towards his son* yes, i miss her dearly *you-are-so-grounded glare at legolas*

And:

Elladan and elrohir: how did you deal with the loss of your mother

Legolas: *hnnnnnnnnnn, i am not qualified for this but i can’t tell THEM that* .... killing orcs has worked for me so far.

Later:

Thranduil: *bursts in the door* LEGOLAS-

Legolas: I PANICKED, OK? LEAVE ME ALONE!

And:

Thranduil, as he goes to check on the mountain and humans after the dragon (book canon): Legolas, this is the 6th time i’ve told you to not be so-

Bard: *wet, grimmy, tired* *walks past as if in slow mo and like a supper model*

Thranduil: -Rrrreeeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh

Thranduil: *stares*

Legolas: Ada, No.

[catofadifferentcolor]

Terrible Fic Ideas #20: LotR, but make it First Age!Legolas (2.0)

The more I think about this idea, the more I love the idea of Legolas being one of the oldest elves left in Middle Earth by the time the events of The Lord of the Rings take place.

It does, however, involve creating a lot of back story for Legolas and his family that doesn't exist.

I've seen fan!backstory for Thranduil make his father Oropher the younger brother of Galadhon, Celeborn's father - thereby making the royal family of Mirkwood descendants of Elmo and cousins to Celeborn, Celebrían, and Elrond's brood.

I, however, prefer the idea that Oropher and the rest have only tangental relations to the important elves of the First Age. Mainly, that Oropher's sister was Galadhon's wife, keeping the kinship between Celeborn and Thranduil, but making their claims to kingship in Mirkwood that much more presumptuous.

As I said before, I also love the idea of Legolas being born as his family flees Doriath in 506 of the First Age.

To make the whole situation as painful as possible, give him an older sister in the Doriath guard, who died in the fighting the same day as he was born.

Give his mother and maternal grandmother high positions in the guard as well. His mother was obviously unable to fight due to her pregnancy and feels guilty about this for the rest of her life, while his grandmother was captain of Elwë's personal guard and died with her king when he refused to pay the dwarves for the Nauglamír four years before.

Legolas, his parents, and his paternal grandparents spend some time at the Havens of Sirion with the other survivors of Falls of Doriath and Gondolin. I love the idea of young!Legolas meeting barely older Eärendil there, if only because it introduces the whole my old childhood friend is now a star issue to cope with.

Although only 40 years old at the start of it, Legolas and the rest of his family fight in the War of Wrath. I imagine Legolas watching his mother die on the battlefield there, though his father and grandparents - who I all imagine for some reason as being apprentices of Melian - survive.

In the Second Age, Oropher leads the remnants of his family and some followers east, eventually winding up in the Greenwood. Rather than conquer the local Silvan population and make themselves king, I rather like the idea that the Silvans chose them as kings - either out of a strangers from far away being elevated to kingship narrative that happens in RL every so often, or because they'd rather live their lives in their trees and left dealing with foreigners to other foreigners.

Legolas adapts to being a prince not at all, and spends a lot of time hunting orcs and the like outside the borders of Greenwood until the War of the Last Alliance. I picture his paternal grandmother dying in the fighting there, leading Oropher to throw his life away in the Battle of Dagorlad.

At the start of the Third Age, Legolas and Thranduil are all that's left of their family. More than most other elves, death haunts their line - but even so, they've never quite learned how to cope with it.

Legolas caries on as before, hunting orcs and spiders, and rather than any of the movie nonsense falls into the Battle of Five Armies on accident, having followed and harried the host from Gundabad until they took the field.

I also imagine Legolas' reason for being in Rivendell for the Council to be somewhat different - he found himself west of the Misty Mountains and hoped to winter there, but instead was drawn into the fellowship because, as the elves say, he is a child of war. He was introduced to death and destruction too early; for all he loves his adopted forest, he's most at ease fighting the darkness that he was born into.

I go back and forth on how much of the fellowship I want to be aware of Legolas' great age and background and at what point any learn the truth, but I want little bits of it to slip out regardless of how everyone around him choses to interpret it.

Most important, however, is that after 6000+ years is the fact that Legolas doesn't learn how to cope with death until he spends time around mortals.

I also want to play into the whole lust is something elves only feel for the person they fall in love with, which happens only once thing. Because I love the idea of Legolas seeing Gimli in Rivendell before the council and just... falling head over heels and having no earthly idea what is happening to him or how to deal with it.

I also have this idea that Legolas is just horrible with directions, which is how he ends up on the wrong side of the mountains in Rivendell to begin with - mostly because his memories of these places are thousands of years old and landscapes have changed since he was last there, so he keeps looking for landmarks that aren't there anymore.

His relationship with Thranduil is also complicated and tinged with grief, and the suggestion that, as much as Thranduil loves his son, there is distance between them because they're always preparing to lose the other, as they've lost everyone else important to them.

But otherwise: 1) a lot of Legolas learning how how to cope with death and romantic attraction, both deeply intertwined with the other because his love is mortal; 2) Gimli having to make nearly every move in their relationship because Legolas is utterly clueless; 3) exasperated Aragorn watching all of this from the sidelines like a soap opera he has become invested in against his will; 4) the immense, inescapable weight of history echoing in everything from the last time I was here... to stealing boats has never gone well for elves.

So, yes, mostly just expansion upon the original idea and a whole bunch of things I would want to include if I had the time, energy, or willpower to do a LotR fic justice, but I had to share. As always, feel free to adopt the bunny, just let me know.

Other Legolas Headcanons:��First Age | Second Age | Third Age | Half-Maia | Half-Elven

More Terrible Fic Ideas

[reasoningdaily]

It’s easy to forget that people of African descent come from a rich legacy of community and wealth-building as the first kings and queens on the planet. In a world that stifles Black progress and seeks to recreate a Eurocentric world-view of history, the brilliance of Black business owners shines through like a diamond in the rough.

As communities of the African diaspora, from Historic Greenwood District to Cape Town, South Africa, seek to build generational wealth after decades and centuries of pillaging and persecution, a few exceptional entrepreneurs stand out. The 10 wealthiest people of African descent prove the potential that’s often locked away inside Black people everywhere.

Using data from Forbes, which tracks the net worth of the wealthiest human beings in the world, The Black Wall Street Times compiled a list of the top 10 wealthiest Black people. Out of the 10, four are American, and three are Nigerian. Additionally, two are women, and eight are men.

What lessons can we learn from their success? Let’s meet them.

10. Folorunsho Alakija — Nigerian businesswoman and philanthropist.

Alakija has an estimated net worth of $1 billion as of 2020. Alakija is the founder and executive vice chairman of Famfa Oil, one of Nigeria’s largest oil exploration companies. Entering the business world with a fashion label, Alakija rose to financial prestige by cultivating high-profile clients, including the wife of former Nigerian president Ibrahim Babangida. At 72 years old, Forbes ranks her as the 20th wealthiest person in Africa and the wealthiest woman on the continent.

I have faced many hurdles in my own life, but I have learned that with the right mindset, every challenge is a chance to create bigger and better opportunities. pic.twitter.com/KJDholX9tx— Folorunso Alakija (@alakijaofficial) March 20, 2023

9. Mohammed Ibrahim — British-Sudanese businessman and philanthropist.

Ibrahim has an estimated net worth of $1.2 billion as of 2023. Born in Sudan, he’s the founder and chairman of Celtel International, one of Africa’s largest mobile phone companies. He also established the Mo Ibrahim Foundation to support good governance in Africa. He sold Celtel International to Kuwait’s Mobile Telecommunications Company for a whopping $3.4 billion in 2005, pocketing $1.4 billion in the process.

— startupAFRICA (@startupafrimag) April 28, 2019

8. Michael Jordan — Former NBA player and American businessman.

The six-time NBA champion has stayed busy in his retirement years. He’s now a successful businessman with an estimated net worth of $2 billion as of 2023. Jordan is the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets franchise and has several other investments in business ventures across the world.

7. Strive Masiyiwa — Zimbabwean businessman and philanthropist.

Masiyiwa has an estimated net worth of $2.1 billion as of 2023. In 1998, he overcame government opposition to launch the mobile phone network Econet Wireless Zimbabwe. He also owns stakes in fiber optic and fintech companies in several African countries. Together with his wife Tsitsi, he found HigherLife Foundation. The organization supports orphaned and low-income children in  Zimbabwe, South Africa, Burundi and Lesotho.

I met Strive Masiyiwa’s Higher Life Foundation & Celebration Ministries International fact finding team that will help Joyce Banda Foundation International provide immediate & long term help to cyclone Freddy victims. Our people need urgent help. Looking forward to their support. pic.twitter.com/SvRuG7CSB0— H.E. Dr. Joyce Banda (@DrJoyceBanda) March 20, 2023

6. Oprah Winfrey — American media mogul and philanthropist.

Arguably one of the most famous Black American women, Winfrey has a net worth of $2.5 billion as of 2023. She is the founder and chairwoman of Harpo Productions, which produces television shows, films, and digital media for a variety of platforms. Beginning her career as a TV journalist, Winfrey transitioned her hit talk show into a media empire with the OWN network, reinvesting profits from movies into more ventures.

Top five

5. Patrice Motsepe — South African businessman.

In 2008, Motsepe became the first Black African billionaire and has an estimated net worth of $2.7 billion as of 2023. Motsepe is the chairman and founder of African Rainbow Minerals, a South African-based mining company. In 1997, he flippled low-producing mining shafts into a profitable enterprise. He is the owner of the Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club and was elected president of the Confederation of African Football in 2021.

This is Patrice Motsepe. He bought an unknown South African club to frustrate Orlando Pirates and Kaiser Chiefs. All the cups prize money is shared among the players. Today Mamelodi Sundows is the best football club in Africa pic.twitter.com/k2vhDRXtBo— Tolo (@021Nongwadla) March 28, 2023

4. David Steward — American businessman and philanthropist.

Steward has a net worth of $6 billion as of 2023, making him the fourth wealthiest Black person in the world. Steward is the founder and CEO of World Wide Technology, Inc., a privately held technology solutions provider. A man who once watched his car get repossessed has progressed past poverty to become owner of a company that boasts high-profile clients, such as: Citi, Verizon and the U.S. government. In 2018, Steward donated $1.3 million to the University of Missouri-St. Louis to establish the David and Thelma Steward Institute for Jazz Studies.

David Steward battled with obstacles like poverty and racism. David didn’t enjoy the best resources from his parents. However, he learnt lessons from his parents that gave him significant wealth. One such is “treating people right.”https://t.co/b1ntWaFeEX— Business Elites Africa (@ElitesAfrica) March 27, 2023

3. Mike Adenuga — Nigerian businessman and billionaire.

Adenuga has an estimated net worth of $6.1 billion as of 2023. He’s the founder and chairman of Globacom, one of Nigeria’s largest mobile phone networks. It’s the third largest operator in Nigeria, with 55 million subscribers. Adenuga also runs a profitable oil exploration company in the Niger delta. He supported himself as a college student earning an MBA in New York by moonlighting as a taxi driver. At age 26, he earned his first million dollars selling lace and soft drinks.

Mike Adenuga worked as a taxi driver to help fund his university education. A student in New York, USA, he drove a taxi to pay for his studies, even though his parents belonged to the upper middle class in Nigeria. He was born and raised in Ibadan, Oyo. pic.twitter.com/qs7CCk0CVh— Yorùbáness (@Yorubaness) March 17, 2023

2. Robert F. Smith — American businessman.

Smith a net worth of $8 billion as of 2023, making him the second wealthiest Black person in the world. He is the founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, a private equity firm that specializes in software, data, and technology companies. Vista is one of the most successful private equity firms, with $96 billion in assets. The persistent self-starter earned an internship at Bell Labs during college after calling the company every week for five months. As an engineer, he worked at Goodyear Tire and Kraft Foods before earning an MBA from Columbia University. In 2019, he vowed to pay the student debt for the entire graduating class of Morehouse College.

1. Aliko Dangote — Nigerian businessman.

Topping the list of the wealthiest Black person in the world with an estimated net worth of $13.7 billion as of 2023, is none other than Nigeria’s own Aliko Dangote. He’s founder and chairman of Dangote Cement, one of Africa’s leading cement producers and he’s Africa’s richest man. The company has operations in 10 countries across the Motherland, and he also boasts a newly created fertilizer company as of 2022. Once completed, Dangote Oil Refinery is expected to be one of the world’s largest, even as climate change continues to disrupt the planet.

Today we celebrate a polio-free Africa, the result of decades of vaccination, hard work, collaboration. Tomorrow we get back to work, to ensure wild polio does not come back. Together, we all can #EndPolio globally.— Aliko Dangote (@AlikoDangote) August 25, 2020

While Nigeria boasts the third and first richest Black people in the world, the list reflects a diverse array of personalities, backgrounds, and ingenuity across the African diaspora.

[kwebtv]

Workin' Moms - CBC / Netflix - January 10, 2017 - March 28, 2023

Comedy / Drama (83 Episodes)

Running Time: 30 minutes

Stars:

Catherine Reitman as Kate Foster (née Hoffman)

Dani Kind as Anne Carlson

Juno Rinaldi as Frances "Frankie" Coyne (seasons 1–5)

Jessalyn Wanlim as Jennifer "Jenny" Matthews (seasons 1, 3–7; recurring, season 2)

Enuka Okuma as Sloane Mitchell (seasons 6-7; recurring, season 5)

Sarah McVie as Valerie "Val" Szalinsky (seasons 5-7; recurring seasons 1-4)

Philip Sternberg as Nathan Foster

Ryan Belleville as Lionel Carlson

Sadie Munroe as Alice Carlson

Dennis Andres as Ian Matthews (seasons 1–3; recurring season 4)

Recurring

Peter Keleghan as Richard Greenwood

Nikki Duval as Rosie Phillips

Kevin Vidal as Maurice "Mo" Daniels

Katherine Barrell as Alicia Rutherford (seasons 1-2; guest seasons 4-5)

Jann Arden as Jane Carlson (seasons 1-4, guest season 5, 7)

Oluniké Adeliyi as Giselle Bois (seasons 1-3 and 5, guest season 4)

Jess Salgueiro as Mean Nanny/Renya (seasons 1–3)

Novie Edwards as Sheila (season 1)

Jennifer Pudavick as Gena Morris

[dannysburgerblog]

Mo’ Cowbell / City BBQ - Greenwood, Indiana

Brisket with grilled onions and green peppers and cheese with side choices slaw and green beans. (9⭐️/10)

[dustedmagazine]

Tim Clarke’s 2022: Light at the end of the tunnel?

The Smile photo by Alex Lake

I don’t want to curse anyone by saying it out loud, but could 2022 be the turning point after a truly horrendous couple of years? For me, the very fact that two-fifths of Radiohead put out an excellent album already makes this year notable. However, I was also lucky enough to get great new albums by favorites Big Thief, Dry Cleaning, and Aldous Harding. Plus, this year I’ve seen more live music than the previous two years combined. Here’s to 2023 continuing this upward trajectory of more great music, both recorded and live.

1. The Smile — A Light For Attracting Attention (XL)

Any Radiohead-related project is guaranteed to pique my interest, but one involving Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood? Having said that, even I was surprised at just how good A Light For Attracting Attention turned out. Veering from spectral balladry to twitchy post-punk, there’s not only variety here, but also a satisfying narrative arc, some great playing from all three members, plus the exciting prospect of another Smile album in the near future.

2. Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You (4AD)

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief

After giving us two albums in 2019, Big Thief returned with a double album of surprising diversity and consistently high quality. At its best (“Little Things,” “Sparrow,” “Simulation Swarm”), DNWMIBIY feels like Big Thief could go anywhere from here, and if the rumors are true, there are as many more songs on the cutting-room floor as made it onto this 20-track monster. Here’s to another Big Thief album in 2023.

 3. Dry Cleaning — Stumpwork (4AD)

Dry Cleaning’s second album in two years catches this inimitable London band on a roll. There’s enough musical evolution from last year’s New Long Leg to ensure this isn’t just more of the same, though Florence Shaw’s lyrics and delivery are as funny as ever. Plus, Tom Dowse continues to be one of the most inventive and tuneful electric guitarists of recent years.

 4. Black Country, New Road — Ants from Up There (Ninja Tune)

Ants From Up There by Black Country, New Road

Much like Bowie passing away soon after the release of Blackstar, Isaac Wood leaving Black Country, New Road soon after the release of Ants from Up There is the kind of artistic move that feels preordained. This is a massive, ridiculous, intricate, and deeply moving album, and one that I doubt the remaining members of the band will top in Wood’s absence.

5. Stephen Becker — A Calm That Shifts (NNA Tapes)

Apparently, Stephen Becker worked on his solo debut for years between playing in countless other bands — and you can hear it. A Calm That Shifts is the kind of debut that spotlights a talent who has been quietly working in the margins of other people’s music for a long time, refining his craft. This is the kind of expansive folk-pop that has the songs, subtlety, and depth to slowly win you over.

 6. billy woods — Aethiopes (Backwoodz Studioz)

Aethiopes by billy woods

It’s rare I listen to hip-hop at all, let alone hear an album that blows me away, but getting billy woods’ Aethiopes in the Mid-Year Exchange was a revelation. I haven’t been this excited about a hip-hop album since Cannibal Ox’s The Cold Vein, way back in 2001. On Aethiopes, woods paints vivid pictures of urban desolation, set to producer Preservation’s woozy patchwork of old blues and jazz samples.

7. Aldous Harding — Warm Chris (4AD)

It’s hard to know how to take Aldous Harding’s shapeshifting vocal persona. On Warm Chris she’s more playful yet more seriously committed than ever to all the roles in her songwriting, making for some deliciously disorientating pop music. Perhaps not as consistent as her last full-length, Designer, but certainly as charming.

 8. Living Hour — Someday is Today (Next Door)

Though it includes my favorite song of the year in “Feelings Meeting,” Living Hour’s third album has plenty of other great songs. “Feelings Meeting” stands out as a thrilling shoegaze masterstroke, while most of the rest of the record is the kind of narcotized dream-pop Beach House do so well.

 9. Daniel Rossen — You Belong There (Warp)

You Belong There by Daniel Rossen

God knows when we’ll next get another Grizzly Bear record. Until then, Daniel Rossen’s solo debut will more than suffice. On You Belong There, his guitar playing is immaculate, and he doesn’t spare any indulgence on the arrangements either, layering instruments liberally across these stridently morose compositions.

10. Skullcrusher — Quiet the Room (Secretly Canadian)

Quiet the Room by Skullcrusher

It’s been a long time since I’ve heard an album playing in a record store full stop, let alone one that’s prompted me to ask at the desk what’s playing on the turntable. So it was with Skullcrusher. It immediately reminded me of Grouper, but less shy and less smothered in hazy melancholy. Quiet the Room is still a deeply introverted record, but one whose sounds are unafraid to shine, mainly thanks to Big Thief producer Andrew Sarlo’s sterling job at the desk. 

Another excellent ten (in alphabetical order):

Oren Ambarchi / Johan Berthling / Andreas Werliin — Ghosted (Drag City)

Ellen Arkbro & Johan Graden — I get along without you very well (Thrill Jockey)

Disassembler — A Wave From A Shore (Western Vinyl)

Goon — Hour of Green Evening (Demode)

Gwenno — Tresor (Heavenly)

Horse Lords — Comradely Objects (RVNG Intl.)

Cate Le Bon — Pompeii (Mexican Summer)

Market — The Consistent Brutal Bullshit Gong (Western Vinyl)

Shearwater — The Great Awakening (Polyborus)

Winged Wheel — No Island (12XU)

Tim Clarke

[timothykristmann]

$620,000 Luxury Home Tour. 1008 Twisted Oak Ct. Greenwood, MO / 6 Bedroo...

[angelloverde]

"Mo Soul" Player Playlist 3 November

De-Phazz - Pressurized

Greenwood Rhythm Coalition - Tabaco y Ron (TM Juke & Jack Baker Trio Rework)

Fertile Ground - Yellow Daisies (Nicola Conte Remix)

Joe Bataan - Keep The Change

Blo - Gotta Get Me A Better Head

Herbie Williams - Funky From The Get Go

Al Green - Simply Beautiful (King Most Redirection)

Betty Padgett - It Would Be A Shame

Marcia Griffiths - Feel Like Jumping (Daytoner Edit)

Mo Horizons Feat. Yanez - Cowboy Bossa

Osunlade - Crazy You

Bluey Incognito - Got To Let My Feelings Show

Sister Sledge Feat. Kathy Sledge - You Fooled Around (Joey Negro Mix)

Nicola Conte & Gianluca Petrella - New World Shuffle

Gerardo Frisina - Gica's Dance

If you really want to enjoy music and help musicians and bands, buy their lp’s or cd’s and don’t download mp3 formats. There is nothing like good quality sound!!!

(Angel Lo Verde / Mo Soul)

[dertaglichedan]

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4809725-kamala-harris-campaign-gop-initiative-prominent-republican-voices/

Vice President Harris’s campaign launched “Republicans for Harris” with more than 25 GOP endorsements, including former secretaries Chuck Hagel and Ray LaHood, as well as former GOP governors and lawmakers.

The campaign announced Sunday that Trump-era White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham and Olivia Troye, ex-national security adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence, also endorsed Harris.

Hagel, a Republican senator from Nebraska and Defense secretary, and LaHood, a GOP congressman from Illinois and Transportation secretary, both served under former President Obama.

Additionally, former Reps. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) and Susan Molinari (R-N.Y.) put their support behind Harris in November, along with Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), who had endorsed President Biden when he was still at the top of the ticket. The vice president replaced Biden after the incumbent stepped aside last month following a disastrous debate performance and multiple calls from Democrats to drop out of the race.

“I encourage other Trump administration officials who saw the tyrant we worked for in office to speak out and stand with Kamala Harris this November to keep integrity in the White House and ensure democracy for our country,” Grisham said in a statement.

Troye added, “The stakes are too high to let partisanship jeopardize our freedoms and the Constitution.”

Republicans for Harris will focus on activating GOP voices “to speak to their friends and family about the importance of voting for the Vice President,” according to the campaign, which described the group as a “campaign within a campaign.” The group will have kickoff events Monday in battleground states Arizona, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Other endorsements came from former GOP Govs. Bill Weld (Mass.), Christine Todd Whitman (N.J.) and Jim Edgar (Ill.), the campaign announced Sunday. It also highlighted that former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R) endorsed Harris after backing Biden.

“Donald Trump’s MAGA extremism is toxic to the millions of Republicans who no longer believe the party of Donald Trump represents their values and will vote against him again in November,” Austin Weatherford, Harris’s national director for Republican outreach, said in a statement.

He added, “Donald Trump said he doesn’t want these voters, but Vice President Harris and our campaign are working overtime to earn the support of my fellow Republicans who care about defending democracy and restoring decency — all of which would be torn away in a second Trump presidency.”

Others who backed Harris include former GOP Reps. Alan Steelman (Texas), Claudine Schneider (R.I.), David Emery (Maine), David Trott (Mich.), Jack Quinn (N.Y.), Jim Greenwood (Pa.), John LeBoutillier (N.Y.), Tom Coleman (Mo.), Rod Chandler (Wash.), Peter Smith (Vt.) and Wayne Gilchrest (Md.).

*** Remember these RINOS

[thekidsare-not-alright]

tourdust lyric shirts color coded by song

Key heaven iowa / lftos / baby annihilation / smfs / hold me like a grudge / fake out / so good right now / I am my own muse / flu game / kintsugi kid / what a time to be alive

Chicago, IL: "when the party ends / will you still love who I am"

St Louis, MO: "what would you trade the pain for / I'm not sure"

Bonner Springs, KS: "time is luck / and I wish ours overlapped more or for longer"

The Woodlands, TX: "I think I've been going through it / and I've been putting your name to it"

Dallas, TX: "Part time soulmate / full time problem"

Phoenix, AZ: "I"ll never go / I just want to be invited"

Chula Vista, CA: "Nowhere left for us to go / but heaven"

Los Angeles, CA: "In another life / you were the sunshine of my lifetime"

Mountain View, CA: "Fever dream / tangerine sweat"

Salt Lake City, UT: "I'm just a cherub riding comets / through the night sky"

Greenwood Village, CO: "The world is always spinning / and I can't keep up"

Rogers, AR: "You put the 'fun' / into dysfunction"

Somerset, WI: "My mood board is just pictures of you / but I'm not sad anymore"

Cincinnati, OH: "We did it for futures that never came / and for pasts that we're never gonna change"

Noblesville, IN: "I will never ask you for anything / except to dream sweet of me"

Cuyahoga Falls, OH: "I closed my eyes inside of your darkness / and found your glow"

Bristow, VA: "And all of my wildest dreams / they just end up with you and me"

Charlotte, NC: "Here I am / not sure you should take a chance"

Virginia Beach, VA: "Trumpets bring the angels / but they never came"

West Palm Beach, FL: "All this effort / to make it look effortless"

Tampa, FL: "I carved out a place in this world for two / but it's empty without you"

Atlanta, GA: "Felt you at the beginning / needed you in the end"

Clarkston, MI: "We're out here / and we're ready"

Toronto, ON: "The stars are the same as ever / I don't have the guts to keep it together"

Forest Hills, NY: "So much for stardust / we thought we had it all"

Boston, MA: "Screaming at the stars / like night lights"

Darien Center, NY: "Buried alive inside my dreams / but it was all a fake-out"

Holmdel, NJ: "When the party ends / will you still love who I am"

Camden, NJ: "Twice the dreams / but half the love"

[justiceheartwatcher]

Tucker Carlson to Headline RNC in Milwaukee

Trump Family Members

Donald Trump Jr.

Eric Trump

Co-Chairman Lara Trump

Kimberly Guilfoyle

 Entertainers, Celebrities, & Industry Leaders

Matt Brooks, CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition

Tucker Carlson, Television Host

Savannah Chrisley, TV Personality and Criminal Justice Reform Advocate

Franklin Graham, Renowned Faith Leader

Lee Greenwood, Country Music Star 

Alina Habba, Trump Campaign Senior Advisor

Diane Hendricks, Owner of ABC Supply 

Tom Homan, Former Acting ICE Director

Chris Janson, Country Music Star

Perry Johnson, Businessman 

Charlie Kirk, CEO of TPUSA

Sean O’Brien, President of TEAMSTERS 

Vivek Ramaswamy, Businessman  

Amber Rose, Rapper & Influencer

David Sacks, CEO of Yammer

Bob Unanue, CEO of Goya Foods 

Dana White, CEO of UFC

Steven and Zach Witkoff, Businessman

RNC Leadership

RNC Chairman Michael Whatley 

COA Chairwoman Anne Hathaway 

Host Committee Chairman Reince Priebus

GOP Officials & Candidates

U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) 

U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) 

U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) 

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) 

U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) 

U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), NRSC Chairman 

U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) 

U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) 

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) 

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) 

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) 

U.S. Senate Candidate Kari Lake (R-AZ) 

U.S. Senate Candidate Jim Banks (R-IN) 

U.S. Senate Candidate Mike Rogers (R-MI) 

U.S. Senate Candidate Tim Sheehy (R-MT) 

U.S. Senate Candidate Sam Brown (R- NV) 

U.S. Senate Candidate Bernie Moreno (R-OH) 

U.S. Senate Candidate Dave McCormick (R-PA) 

U.S. Senate Candidate Hung Cao (R-VA) 

U.S. Senate Candidate Eric Hovde (R-WI) 

U.S. Senate Candidate Gov. Jim Justice (WV) & Babydog

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-4) 

U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (LA-1) 

U.S. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (MN-6) 

U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-9), NRCC Chairman 

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY-21), House GOP Conference Chair 

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL-1) 

U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz (FL-6) 

U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13) 

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (FL-19) 

U.S. Rep. Brian Mast (FL-21) 

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14) 

U.S. Rep. John James (MI-10) 

U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (NJ-2) 

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (SC-1)

U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson (TX-13) 

U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz (TX-15) 

U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt (TX-38) 

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR) 

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) 

Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) 

Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) 

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) 

Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA)

Attorney General Brenna Bird (R-IA)

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R-NC)

Mayor Eric Johnson, Mayor of Dallas & Former Democrat 

Mayor Trent Conaway, Mayor East Palestine, Ohio 

Dr. Ben Carson, Former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Kellyanne Conway, Former Counselor to President Donald J. Trump

Ric Grenell, Former Acting Director of National Intelligence 

Peter Navarro, Former Director of United States Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy

Mike Pompeo, Former U.S. Secretary of State 

Linda McMahon, Former U.S. Administrator of SBA  

Newt Gingrich, Former U.S House Speaker

Lee Zeldin, Former U.S. Rep. (NY-1)

[iklees]

The Vintage Guide to Love and Romance / Kirsty Greenwood

Jessica Beam heeft van haar moeder altijd het advies gekregen om voorzichtig te zijn met relaties, en dat ter harte genomen omdat haar moeder uit verdriet om een verbroken relatie zelfmoord heeft gepleegd. Tien jaar later is Jessica wel een 'goeie kameraad, maar geen goede vriendin' -- ze feest er op los, maar je kunt niet op haar bouwen, zeker niet als ze wat drankjes op heeft. Als ze haar baan en huis verliest, gaat ze op zoek naar de grootmoeder die ze niet kent, maar die haar hopelijk wat geld kan lenen. Helaas zit haar oma, Matilda, ook op zwart zaad: in de jaren '50 was ze een bekende schrijfster van de Good Woman Guides, maar dat geld is op. Een uitgever heeft mogelijk wel belangstelling in een update (met een voorschot!), waarin Jessica met Matilda's adviezen de meest notoire vrijgezel uit de Londonse society aan de haak slaat. Als haar dat lukt…

'Hmmm.' I hear her long nails tapping against the phone. 'He never mentioned poetry to me when we were seeing each other. He tried to get you into bed, of course?' 'Um, no. Ew. But I have been putting out the "not that kind of girl" vibes like Grandma's guides tell me to.' 'Gosh… He must me trying out a new move. It has to be that. Leo is a shark whose only goal where women are concerned is to get them into the sack and then to heartlessly dump them when he's feeling bored or tied down. Mayby he's changing up his MO… How curious. Keep you wits about you, sweet, naive Jessica. It's you who must hold on to the upper hand. Stick to Matilda's tips and remember who you're dealing with. Keep me updated, OK? I have to go back to lunch now, but let's speak soon, and Jessica, remember… Leo Frost is not to be trusted.' She speaks as if I'm going off into battle. Wow. Poor Valentina. He really pulled a number on her. I say bye and press the 'end call' button. Leo Frost. Artist. Thinker. Man. Not to be trusted. So it's all an act? He's being what he thinks I want, just to get me into bed? Kind of like what I'm doing to him…

Minder eendimensionaal dan ik verwachtte op basis van het type boek, omdat de ontwikkelingen er voor alle hoofdpersonen voor zorgen dat ze iets belangrijks in hun leven moeten verwerken, en daardoor veranderen.