#I am always thinking about Ann Powers saying that a Taylor song is just Taylor alone with a man creating the world of the Moment

[itspileofgoodthings]

remember when you hit the brakes too soon! twenty stitches in a hospital room! when you started crying baby I did too! but when the sun came up I was looking at you!

[irish-urn]

You said you wanted to get asked a question about Dasey, so here I am to answer the call! They're all about my fave work of yours, "Take Off Your Shoes"

I'm not as well read as you - what is the importance of the book The Cardturner that Derek is reading and how does that fit into the flow of the work? He's caught reading it far too much in the fic for it to be a mere throwaway.

The L.M. Montgomery quote to end the fic was so perfectly sourced and placed. It's almost like that quote inspired the whole of the fic. All of the quotes that started each new scene was spectacular - did you have them all planned out before writing or did they come to you while outlining/writing?

How far back did Derek plan his innocent date/not-dating/are-they-dates seduction of Casey, and what prompted him to do so, in your mind?

Yay!! My call is answered!! Y'all are being so nice to me this evening!!

hahahahahahahahahahaah. Okay, first of all, I HIGHLY recommend this book. it's about ghosts and bridge. I'm not kidding. I honestly chose that book for him because I think Derek would LOVE Holes, both the book and the film (which is one of the few films that are as good as the book). I think Derek would relate a lot to Stanley and Zero from Holes -- two good, well-meaning kids that get overlooked and abused by the system. That being said, The Cardturner is about a kid who starts playing bridge for his grand... uncle? I think? Ugh, I need to re-read this, BUT basically his great(uncle?) used to play Bridge with this woman, and they were rivals and teammates and... now that I think about it, I think their relationship was kind of Daseyish... It's about two very competitive people who wanna play with each other and beat everyone else so badly that they make their descendants play for them after they're dead. And if that's not Dasey, I don't know what is.

I decided to bring in the quotes once I realized this story was going to be a BEAST and needed to space it out somehow. I needed to give Dasey and the readers a chance to breathe. So I googled quotes about August, and kept getting Taylor Swift's song and got very very annoyed by that. I love that song, but it was the TOTALLY wrong vibe. I spent a long time tracking down the right quotes. It took as much effort as writing most of the fic, no lie. Once I found the L.M. Montgomery quote -- and Derek and Casey are so Gilbert and Anne coded it isn't FUNNY -- I knew I had found my ending. And the ending of the fic came with it.

OH. Okay. So, once upon a time I was actually going to write the prequel to this fic, but it's not going to happen, but BASICALLY, Derek alludes to it a little in the smutty sequel, but BASICALLY, Derek sees that both he and Casey are single for the first time in years, that she hasn't really been dating, and sees how exhausted she is when they're at Genora's for Canada Day. He takes a few weeks to figure out a plan, and then he executes it. There's... a LOT more to it than that though. There's an ex that he used to date in Queen's (that I'm reusing for the marriage-pact fic, so stay tuned) that finally gets her happy ending with the guys she's been pining for, there's Faith (that I'm also reusing for the marriage-pact fic) that really teaches Derek that he doesn't want to settle, and there's Tony (...who's also getting reused...) who almost took Casey away. There were a lot of elements that led Derek to deciding to try this for real with Casey.

THE THING IS (same answer, sorry), that Derek was planning on slowly wooing Casey. But then she lost power in her apartment, and Derek's protectiveness kicked into high gear and he gave her that fantastic day and told her to stay at his place, and Casey, our poor girl who really just wants to be loved, just fell head over heels. She really just needed to reason to fall, and he made her feel safe enough to do so. And so... By accident, his plan worked wayyyyy better than it was supposed to!

I'm always so pleased and surprised when people say this is their favourite. It was so much fun to write, and taught me so much about Dasey. thank you??? for your questions???

[t100ficrecsblog]

an interview with @ravenreyes-0g (she/hers)

what are you working on right now? I'm working on both my Bellarke fic for BLM and a personal fantasy story that I've written and rewritten from the beginning to about 5000000 times because my ideas keep changing. My Bellarke fic is a modern day COVID AU that is also the longest I've ever done so it's been taking a minute to finish! :) 

what’s something you’d like to write one day? A YA either historical fiction or realistic fiction LGBTQ+ romance. I have  a ton of ideas for plots, but I haven’t quite gotten the chance to sit down and try to plot them out. For historical fiction, I’m very interested in the 1900-1950s era, especially the Roaring 20s and WWI/II so I’d most likely set it there! I’m all in for the angsty romance, but I'd definitely want to end it on a happy note (unlike my current fantasy work) and I’m really looking forward to getting the chance to write a character driven story that doesn’t focus so much on heavy plot elements - something I can’t do as much in a fantasy setting!

what is the fanwork you’re most proud of? This one is actually pretty hard considering how my writing style has developed since I started writing fanfics. But if I had to choose, I’d probably say my FirstPrince (Alex/Henry from Red, White, and Royal Blue) fic on Ao3 called To Love Another Is to Cherish Life Itself. The title is a bit dramatic but basically it is an angsty/fluffy one-shot that I wrote really late one night and did minimal edits to before posting. It definitely feels like the most in character and honest fic I’ve ever done, and it broke my heart to write about some of the darker stuff, but in the end I’m pretty proud of it! 

why did you first start writing fic? Well, I’ve been writing fanfics since I was probably 10 or 11 years old (I had PJO phase that spanned close to a decade and I’m still not totally over it 😂) but I started publishing work on Wattpad literally the night I turned 13. That was actually my first Bellarke/the 100 fic! It started out as my predictions for season 5 and then evolved into a fix-it fic for everything I didn’t like about the season. I’ve abandoned it for almost two years, but I’m slowly coming back to it so...slow updates y’all :)

what frustrates you most about fic writing? Everything! Just kidding - I love fic writing! But if I had to choose, probably two main things tho. 1) Creating a plot for a long term fic - I’m sooooo bad at it because I always feel like I’m writing too much in line with the actual show/book/movie and it feels like copying. 2) Making sure that I stay honest to the character I’m writing about. I have a huge tendency to write my fics (ESPECIALLY my one-shots) from the POV of the character who was not the main character in the original thing (like my POV for my RWRB fic is Henry, the love interest of Alex/other main character). This means that the only look inside their head that we’ve gotten has been through the eyes of the main character - which can obviously be biased. I try to stay as honest as I can to my interpretation of the character drawn directly from the text - but sometimes that means that I can’t include scenes that I want to because it feels off/out of character and that’s always disappointing. (also dialogue is just...something I really need to work on)

what are your top five songs right now? Ahhh see it changes on my day/mood but right now it’s probably

1. The Last Great American Dynasty - Taylor Swift 2. The Garden - Dua Lipa 3. Mirrorball - Taylor Swift 4. Icarus - Emma Blackery 5. Betty - Taylor Swift 

(taylor really blessed us with folklore...I’m in love)

what are your inspirations? Ahhh - there are many. First and foremost, The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. It’s my favorite book for so many reasons, but it teaches me so much about writing and character development. Also Liesel and Rudy melt my heart every time. I also love all the songs listed above for inspiration, and I listen to I Get To Love You by Ruelle (it’s the Malec wedding song for any Shadowhuners fans out there!) whenever I write a really emotionally intense romantic scene. If you’re looking for amazing fic recs, I highly recommend all of HMS-Chill’s works (multi fandoms), clarkesbell, and DracoWillHearAboutThis on Ao3. Though not all of them write Bellarke/the 100, if you are in any of their fic fandoms, I highly recommend checking them out because they are fantastic writers!

what first attracted you to Bellarke? what attracts you now? Honestly? #1 - their development. I love enemies to lovers with my whole heart, but I honestly didn’t see Bellarke as romantic until the 2x05 hug where I was just hit with a wave of OMG THEY BELONG TOGETHER!!! Seriously, though, the fact that they go from enemies, to grudging allies, to co-leaders, to partners, to friends, to best friends, to soulmates just makes my heart go !!!! - Also they have insane chemistry, and that certainly doesn’t hurt. What attracts me to them now is much the same, but also how much they care about each other. They’d go to the ends of the earth to save one another, and it just blows me away how powerful their screen time is, even when their scenes together have become so rare. I also don’t thinkI’m ever getting over 6x10. I swear my heart actually stopped beating when I watched it live the first time. 

BESIDES Bellarke, what character or pairing do you like best on t100? Ha! Umm, I actually really like Murven, both platonically and romantically. Their journey might not be as well developed as Bellarke’s but it is still a powerful one hinging on love and forgiveness. I love how Lindsey/Richard play off of each other on screen - it’s such a joy to watch! I’ve also loved the Octavia/Indra dynamic, but it’s kinda been tabled in recent seasons which is sad :(

why did you decide to start writing for bellarkefic-for-blm? Two reasons - 1) I wanted to do everything I could for BLM and it was so amazing that I could do that, and write works for my favorite show! 2) I was super curious about the prompts people would send in. My work right now is a modern day AU COVID fic where Bellamy and Clarke have to share a room together in an overcrowded hospital until one day Clarke disappears. It’s so different than what I usually write - bc I almost always write canon compliant/in universe fics - so it’s a nice challenge!

what’s your writing process like? Honestly it depends. For long/multi-chapter fics I try to plan out as much of it as I can, characters, plot, important moments, etc - even though I am not very good at planning. But for one-shots I tend to go off of emotion or feelings. Usually when I write one-shots, it’s because a particular line or moment in a book/movie/show really spoke out to me, and spurred this idea in my head. I always start with the line I want to get to at the heart of the fic and then write around it from there. I am definitely much more of a panster than a planner- which is why one-shots work much better for me!

what are some things you’d like to recommend? 1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Also, All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. 2. Musicals! They can be amazing inspiration - my favorites are Les Mis, Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Six, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Hadestown, Anastasia, Island Song, Newsies, & Tuck Everlasting! 3. TV Shows besides The 100 - Anne with an E, Shadowhunters (just pretend you haven’t read the books), French SKAM, Love Victor, HSMTMTS, Merlin, Lucifer, I think I’m just listing fandoms at this point 😂

Also, almost any Taylor Swift, Troye Sivan, Conan Gray, Dua Lipa, Emma Blackery or Harry Styles songs are amazing!

My handle is the same for everything - Twitter, Tumblr, Ao3, Wattpad (if anyone still uses that anymore), etc (RavenReyes0G). I also run a book review blog on Instagram which is @betweenthepagesandtea, so feel free to check that out too! Request a fic written by her via @bellarkefic-for-blm!

[john-taylor-daily]

Full text of the article:

Want to feel really old? Oh, go on then. Duran Duran turn 40 this year: the band, that is, not the members. For them it’s worse: Simon Le Bon is 61, John and Roger Taylor, each 59, and Nick Rhodes, the baby, 57.

As you would expect of a pop group who always appeared happiest hanging off a yacht in ruffled Antony Price suits, accessorised with a supermodel and a cocktail, they intend to celebrate in style, coronavirus permitting. So the plan, announced this week, is that on July 12, exactly 40 years since their first gig at the Rum Runner in Birmingham, they will perform in Hyde Park, headlining a bill that includes Nile Rodgers & Chic and their pal Gwen Stefani. Four of the original five will be there: the guitarist Andy Taylor, 59, left the band in 1985 and, after rejoining in 2001, walked out again five years later. In the past, the guitarist Warren Cuccurullo has filled in; this time Graham Coxon from Blur will take his place.

Then in autumn Duran Duran are releasing a new album, their 15th, which they are halfway through making.

Growing up in the West Midlands, I was a Duranie; my first gig was theirs at the NEC in Birmingham. To give an idea of the level of devotion, I had house plants named after each of them. John, his initials “JT” written on the pot in nail varnish, was a begonia; Rhodes, a busy lizzie; Le Bon, a rubber plant; Roger and Andy Taylor were cacti. My memory, foggy on so much, still holds the name of Nick Rhodes’s cat at the time (Sebastian). The household appliance “JT” would choose to be? “A refrigerator, so I would stay cool.”

But despite previous opportunities, I’ve avoided them bar an awkward backstage handshake with Le Bon. In the meantime, they have notched up record sales of 100 million, had 21 Top 20 hits in the UK and, unlike many bands who came to fame in the 1980s, they produce different, exciting, if not always lauded albums, working with new producers and musicians. They’ve had top five albums in each of the four decades they’ve worked. Their last album, Paper Gods (2015), produced by Mark Ronson and Rodgers, was their most successful for 25 years.

Now 46 and with no desire to anthropomorphise greenery, I meet Rhodes, the keyboardist, and John Taylor, the bass player, once described as having the squarest jaw in rock. Rhodes suggests his “local”, Blakes hotel in Chelsea, near the home he shares with his Sicilian girlfriend, Nefer Suvio (he and Julie Anne Friedman divorced in 1992; they have one child together, Tatjana). Taylor, just in from Los Angeles, home to his second wife, Gela Nash, who runs the fashion label Juicy Couture, invites me to his flat in Pimlico. Le Bon, still happily married to the supermodel Yasmin Le Bon with three grown-up daughters, is busy in the studio and Roger Taylor, four children and with second wife Gisella Bernales, is otherwise occupied.

Rhodes, who joins me in the bar at Blakes, has the same peroxide mop and alabaster skin that were always his trademark. He wears black trousers by the English designer Neil Barrett and a Savile Row jacket dressed down with a rock T-shirt from the Los Angeles company Punk Masters.

Four days later, I arrive at Taylor’s flat in a garden square where he greets me at the door dressed in black jeans and T-shirt, with sculpted bed-hair. I’m reminded of the time my brother splashed Sun-In on his to emulate Taylor’s bleached New Romantic fringe.

It’s good to have them back. They started on the new album in September at Flood Studios in Willesden, northwest London, and, as well as Coxon, have been working with three producers: Giorgio Moroder, Ronson and the DJ Erol Alkan. “The whole place is filled with analogue synthesizers, so it’s just joy for me,” says Rhodes, who began life as Nicholas Bates but renamed himself after a make of electronic keyboard.

Rhodes met Moroder — the “godfather of electronica” and the man behind Donna Summer’s I Feel Love — through a mutual friend of his girlfriend. “We talked about music and what had happened to us,” Rhodes says. “He is as sharp as a razor, 79 going on 45.” They worked with Ronson, who has produced Amy Winehouse and Adele, in LA. “The first thing Mark always says is, ‘Let me hear the rest of it,’” Rhodes says with a laugh. “He is quite competitive.”

Taylor, who leads me into a room that’s more gentlemen’s club than rock-star pad with an open fire, armchairs, brown furniture and bad Victorian paintings, says the break of five years has refuelled them. “We have to starve ourselves of creativity long enough that when we do show up we have something to say,” he says. “[The studio sessions] are quite exhausting because we have been down this road. We can finish each other’s sentences and I guess, to some extent, we can do that musically as well. We are working with the same cast; it’s like a soap opera. That’s why collaborators become so important as you need to keep the spirit lively.”

Rhodes, who says the new album is more “handmade” and “guitary”, explains the working dynamics: “John and Roger’s rhythm section often drives a track. Simon, the lyricist, gives all the songs our identity; it’s his voice that tells you it’s Duran Duran. My part has more to do with sonic architecture.” That may be the most Nick Rhodes phrase yet.

We move on to Andy Taylor. “Forty years ago we had Andy in the band and he was a strong flavour and a northerner and brought a rigour,” says John Taylor. “Filling that vacuum has always been one of the major challenges of version two of the band; we did it with Warren Cuccurullo and with Graham on this record. But it’s not the same. Andy didn’t mind telling people what they were doing wrong.”

He pauses. “We had a reunion with Andy [in 2001] and that was enormously difficult, actually.” How so? “That’s a book really,” says Taylor, who has written about the saga, along with his struggle with drink and drugs, in his excellent 2012 memoir In the Pleasure Groove. “Or it’s a mini-series.”

“It was very uncomfortable for us,” Rhodes says of Andy leaving in 1985. “For sure, it had become stressful over the previous year — we were all burnt out from not having stopped for five years — but we didn’t see it coming at all.”

What are relations with Andy like now? “I don’t really have any,” says Rhodes. “I haven’t seen him for many years since he left the last time. I was not even slightly surprised when it did fall apart. I was relieved. As much as Andy is a great musician he is not an easy person to play with.”

I mention to Taylor that Andy has just announced his own UK dates in May, playing Duran songs. “Uh-ha,” he says. He didn’t know. Does he mind? “I don’t mind at all. All power to him,” says Taylor. “I would rather he be out playing.”

Taylor has the sanguine air of someone who has spent decades nuking his demons (he’s currently working on guilt; he had a Catholic mother). He has been sober for 26 years after an addiction which in part led to the break-up of his marriage to the TV presenter Amanda de Cadenet in 1997. Was it hard at first? “It was like turning round an ocean liner,” he says, his voice posh Brum with a California chaser. “I work a daily programme and that’s what keeps me sober. It’s not something that just happens; it takes a lot of attention.”

We move on to the themes of the new, as yet untitled, album. Le Bon lost his mother recently, so we can expect songs inspired by loss. Taylor says he took inspiration from “the challenges of long-term relationships . . . Take a song like Save a Prayer, which personally I think is one of the greatest ever songs in praise of the one-night stand,” he says. “It comes to the point where you can’t write something like that. It’s not age-appropriate; yet it is sexy. So how do you write from the perspective of someone who is trying to keep a long-term relationship together? That is the challenge of any late-age pop star. How do you make it chic, to use one of Nick’s favourite words.”

It is hard to forget how impossibly chic Duran were in the 1980s: from their beginnings in Birmingham (Nick and John, anyway), where they met when Rhodes was 10 and Taylor 12, to a world of famous friends, beautiful partners and exotic travel. Le Bon married Yasmin after seeing her in Vogue, Rhodes was with the shipping heiress Friedman and Taylor the teenage de Cadenet. Andy Warhol was a close friend of Rhodes.

While others were singing about the dark side of Thatcher’s Britain, they were . . . more opaque. “In the 1980s a lot of what we did was somewhat misunderstood because we were living in the same gloomy years with high unemployment and miners’ strikes and civil unrest as everybody else,” Rhodes says. “But our answer to it was we have to get away from this and make it a little brighter because it didn’t seem like a particularly promising future.” Don’t expect that coronavirus torch song any time soon.

Their association with Bond — they wrote the 1985 theme A View to a Kill — only added to the glamour. What do they make of the new one by Billie Eilish? Rhodes admits that he mostly listens to classical music these days but “was thrilled to hear Billie Eilish. I think it’s by far the best Bond song since ours.”

But not better than yours?

“I am very happy that she reached No 1.” Duran’s got to No 2.

Taylor is more critical. “I thought it was lacking in a bit of Billie Eilish to be honest. It could have been madder. It was a little bit too grown up,” he says.

Is it as good as A View to a Kill?

“No!” says Taylor, theatrically. “Although,” he admits, “it was the most difficult three mins that we have ever produced.”

It had a great video, in which the boys slunk around the Eiffel Tower. Taylor frowns. “I hate that video. So stupid. I can’t watch it.” One for the fans, then.

A secret of their longevity, Rhodes says, is not bowing to nostalgia. “I like to keep my blinkers on and look forward.” Having said that, he sounds ready to write his own memoir. “I would do a book yes,” he says. “I haven’t read John’s on purpose. I even wrote a foreword for it for the US version without reading it, but I did own up to it. I think mine would be very different from a lot of the rock biographies. The one that sticks with me is David Niven’s.”

Rhodes featured in Warhol’s diaries and Warhol, the subject of a show at Tate Modern in London that opened this week, would surely feature in his. He “invented the 20th century”, Rhodes says. “Andy was making reality TV in the Sixties. Can you imagine what he would have thought about the internet? It was all his dreams come true, but he would never have got any work done.” Rhodes says he stays off social media for that reason. “It’s not that I don’t like it; I fear it. I am going down a rabbit hole I may never get out of.

They’ve spent twice the time being famous as being unknown. Are they the same people they were in Birmingham 40 years ago?

Rhodes nods. “Yes, yes,” he says. “There have been big changes — marriages, divorces, kids, moving countries in John’s case — but when we are all together we have known each other for so long there is no room for anyone to behave in a way that would be unacceptable. There is no room for divas. We have lasted longer than most marriages; it is like being married to three people but we each get to go home on our own every night.”

Taylor tells me: “Without getting into recovery talk, a lot of that is about scrubbing away the masks that you tend to accrue to cope, so I think I am as close to that person as I was 40 years ago.”

Rhodes says tolerance is the key. “Sometimes when I arrive at the studio it is really bright, maybe someone is writing, and so everyone accepts I can’t cope, and so the lighting comes down.” I tell him I once read he always wears dark glasses before noon. He laughs. “Pretty much. That’s funny. I am hyper-sensitive to light. It’s not just pretentiousness. “

They appreciate they will have to prepare physically for the dates. For Rhodes, a terrible insomniac, that means “fruit and vegetables and grains” and lots of walking. But no workouts (“I am not a big fan of gymnasiums”). Taylor says he needs to start practising bass and the need to get back in shape is “keeping him awake at night”. “I like to run, I do Pilates, I do yoga and I think about everything that enters my mouth, everything. I am 90 per cent vegan. I don’t drink, take mind-altering chemicals. I am on and off sugar.”

Perhaps the greatest sign that they still have it is that their children want to see them play. Taylor just heard from his daughter, Atlanta, who lives in New York and is soon to be married to David Macklovitch from the Canadian band Chromeo.

“It’s a surprise when you get a text from a child and they say, ‘You’re playing Hyde Park — my boyfriend and I want to come.’”

[study-van]

10 questions

Rules: Answer the questions, then tag 10 people with ten other questions. (I think I’ve done this several time so I am not sure how many people I’ll tag..)

I was tagged by two lovely people @studying-nando and @mathias-researches!! Thank you

Now onto @studying-nando‘s questions

1.Favourite breakfast food?

Egg on top of a toast with turkish tea

2.Movies or TV shows?

Definitely movies for me!!

3.What is a memory that seems insignificant, but you still think of?

This is something with my ex boyfriend and even before we dated but I remember this game night we were having. We were like 8 people and were playing taboo and he laughed at something so insignificant (my teammates weren’t able to guess the word honey, truly not their brightest moment) and I can never forget how lovely he sounded (that was the moment I realized I had a crush on him)

4.Favourite author?

Oh, I’ve a lot. Tess Gerritsen, Haruki Murakami, Jane Austen, to name a few

5.A country that you would like to go to simply for the landscape.

Sweden!! A friend from that summer childhood friend group is held Swedish and lives in Stockholm but he always goes on these nature tours and it’s simply divine.

6.A task that you keep putting off, but will have to eventually have to do?

Signing my apartment contract and putting the first payment rip

7.Knitting or painting?

If you asked me this before quarantine I’d say painting but during quarantine I picked up knitting and it’s actually so relaxing

8.Coffee in old gothic style libraries or tea in a sunlit corner surrounded by plants?

Tea in a sunlit corner with plants simply because I love tea

9.Hanging photos with or without frames?

I prefer to hang them with frames just to protect them

10.Playing guitar or violin?

So I’ve been playing the violin for a really long time but I also know hot to play the guitar... Ig I’ll have to go with the violin because it was my first love

Now onto @mathias-researches questions!!

1.If you could shape-shift into anything, what would it be and why

Probably a bird so I could fly 

2.If they made a Broadway musical about you, who would you want to play you?

Probably Taylor Swift sjdgjs I actually really like her voice and I feel like she could belt some really powerful ballads about the summer nights at the beach

3.What’s your favourite mythical/ supernatural creature?

Dragons!!! (httyd affected me a lot)

4.Favourite tv show(s) and movie(s)?

Hmm, that's hard. I guess some recent favorites are Snowpiercer, Ask 101, Anne with an A, The Untamed, Veronica Mars(the last season does not exist). As for movies, I guess you can never go wrong with Gerard Depardieu, I’ve recently watched his Bonne Pomme and quite enjoyed it. Also, Current Wars, Moulin Rouge, Murder on the Orient Express, The Departed to name a few.

5.Who is the one person, or the one group of people, you want to interview the most?

La Maupin!!

6.Favourite music genre?

I listen to everything I find pleasant ngl but you can never go wrong with jazz

7.Plan your ultimate road trip.

Backpacking trip through Europe or a train trip

8.What are the top five songs you want on your road trip playlist?

mgmt, electric feel

august d, people

alphaville, forever young

pomme, pauline

clea vincent, jmy attendais pas

9.What kind of learner are you?

Really depends on the lesson but I show signs of all of them...

10.Who is your favourite person?

I’ve a lot of people ngl My little brother, the summer childhood friend group, my best friend with THE cat

My questions:

If you could get fluent in one language immediately, what language would you choose?

What kept you/has been keeping you sane during quarantine?

Which book would you like to re-read for the first time?

Do you have any guilty pleasures?

Do you have a favourite quote?

What’s your favourite part about school?

If you could talk to your 13 year old self, what would you tell them/advice would you give them?

If the pandemic magically ended today, how would you spend tomorrow?

Without saying who the person is, what is a question you wish you could ask someone but can’t?

If you could go out to dinner with one fictional character who would you choose?

I tag: @easeupkid @procrastilate @studyingstuffwithem @satie-studies @clabujo @peachblossomstudy @studyingwithsky @studyingel @lostinmynotebooks @daydreamst (hey I did end up tagging 10 people!! obviously no one is obligated to do it)

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Movie Review: Cats (Spoilers)

Spoiler Warning: I am posting this review the day after the movie first airs in the U.K, so if you haven’t yet seen the movie don’t read on.

General Reaction:

First of all I want to put out there that I believe the success or failure of this movie Tom Hooper and how he's adapted the screenplay of Cats to transition from stage to screen, because I feel the negativity this movie is already getting are coming in two waves. From the general movie goer and then from fans of the stage musical.

Where I stand is as a casual movie goer in this instance but also a fan of musical theatre, so much so that my attire for this movie is somewhat Macavity inspired, although someone did say that my collar was very Rum Tum Tugger...I'm okay with that.

But to clarify, I have never seen the stage production of Cats. All I knew about it even leading up to the release of this movie was the one big song Memory and that I liked the look of the costumes.

Now with my relationship with the property explained, did I like this movie? Well I enjoyed parts of it. It’s a little bit like how I felt about The Rise of Skywalker, but while I thought the latest Star Wars was outwardly a hot mess with some enjoyable aspects, Cats is more of a “Not really knowing how to feel about it” type of movie.

There are some really great takeaways from this movie, and I feel again depending on the individual’s relationship with this property and musicals in general, will determine exactly what those takeaways are.

What’s Good:

Alright so this is what I found good/enjoyable, again I can’t decide whether or not I think this movie is good but these elements definitely are.

Costumes:

So I am going to start with the costumes because they're probably my favourite thing about the movie.

I enjoyed how for those who had costumes, because not every cat did, that they at least gave those cats a sense of identity; Macavity was one of these shady mysterious characters that you would come across in a dark alley and his clothes reflected that, Mr. Mistoffelees was a magical tuxedo cat and so dressed as a magician. Bustopher was an aristocratic cat, or Aristocat...sorry I had to go there as there are two Aristocat references in this movie, and Grizabella was a glamour cat but had been shunned and therefore sleeping rough possibly, this is all reflected in the clothing and it's fabulous.

The only outfit I didn't really get was Jennyanydots, I did find it funny that she had to unzip the one cat suit to reveal this pink almost work out outfit but I didn't understand the point of it.

Visual Effects:

As for the CGI used on the "digital fur", I appreciate the artistic stance Hooper and company took with the movie because, frankly I wouldn't expect anything less from the guy that directed both Les Miserables and The King's Speech, however, I did not really understand the need for digital fur as for a large portion of the movie they all just look like they’re wearing practical catsuits, and again with Rebel Wilson’s character when she unzips the one to reveal the other, which she does twice, you can tell it’s supposed to be a real suit.

That being said, from when you first see these cats during the opening number, you can see the payoff to these visual effects. They look genuinely like cats and all have markings that try to differentiate them. I didn’t know from the trailers that Victoria had markings on her I just thought she was a plain white cat but she looks almost snow leopardesk.

I also really enjoyed how they showed Macavity’s apparent ability to transport himself and/or others with that gold dust effect that was later used as Bombalurina’s (Taylor Swift’s) catnip to incapacitate the other cats.

Musical Numbers:

So I’m going to talk about the songs at the end as I do with all musical reviews but the actual productions of these numbers were fantastic. From the choreography to the cinematography of them, this was a very low on dialogue movie as literally at one point you have I believe three songs in solid succession with only one or two lines of actual dialogue in between them, so the actual musical numbers had to be impressive and for the most part they were.

There were never any numbers I was embarassed or cringing while watching, I do have my favourites and my not so favourites which again I will get into further down, but as I say everything from the choreography, cinematography to even the actors giving it their all during the numbers made them enjoyable for me.

Cast:

That brings me nicely on to my final good thing which is the cast, who as I said take this production seriously. I remembered seeing an interview with Judi Dench about this movie recently and she said that when acting as a cat the cast don’t know what the end result will be like because I imagine the actual visual effects of the cat appearance is put in after the filming.

Regardless of this, all these actors from the most seasoned such as Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench to the younger more inexperienced like leading lady Francesca Hayward and even Jason Derulo who is of course a seasoned singer, but hasn’t really acted before, give it everything and take the role and universe they now inhabit so seriously that it never feels gimmicky or uncomfortable in that regards.

Do I think this movie has awards chances for acting? No because again the movie is mostly sung, I believe more so than Les Mis, but for costume, music and visual effects I’d definitely think they have a chance of at least a nomination.

What’s Meh:

Alright so nothing is outrightly or offensively bad in this movie, again thinking back to Star Wars yesterday which had blatant issues, this doesn’t really have that but when it does it’s not as glaring or as troublesome as Star Wars was.

The Story:

I say the story is meh because I still don’t really understand it, what my takeaway is that there effectively a talent competition night where Judi Dench’s decides which cat will ascend to this higher realm and be reborn into another life...

That’s great...but for the one who is chosen...does that mean they die? The very definition of “reborn” usually means reincarnation which means you need to die first...so when they send the cat off in that chandelier attached to that hot air balloon, does that cat die? From oxygen starvation?

Also, they practically cement this movie as taking place in 1930s London and you see the feet of one human and hear the voice of another so this is Earth just including these particular cats, so how does no one notice a hot air balloon attached to a chandelier floating through the sky? I don’t know if the 1930s had satellites or anything but something should have picked that up?

My final point is on the term “Jellicle Cats”, I still don’t know what a Jellicle cat actually is, they don’t exactly do their best at defining what one is despite the fact they have several songs containing the word “Jellicle”. “Jellicle Cat” “Jellicle Moon” and “Jellicle Ball” just to name a few.

I mean for fans of the stage show, they may have more of an understanding because maybe that explains the term better but in terms of trying to get non-Cats fans interested...not explaining what is clearly a core concept of the movie is a bit of a misstep.

The Ending:

Of everything in this movie, the ending monologue by Judi Dench was the only thing I felt was a little bit cringeworthy. First of all, I understand the musical Cats is based on a series of poems and I also understand this ending message is about being nice to cats, but I just didn’t think it was either necessary or needed.

Also the fact that Macavity was so easily thwarted, I mean I know musicals don’t have to have the big dramatic endings for its villains but for Macavity to literally try and hitchhike on Grizbella’s ride into the great beyond only to fall and just land on the roof without any consequences aside from maybe the loss of his powers? It was a bit of a damp ending.

The Cats:

Okay so we’ve talked about what’s good and meh, now going into the cats as characters. Not a full blown character analysis breakdown but, like my song section, in sections in order of my favourites.

By far my favourite cats were Macavity and Grizabella, Idris Elba as the villainous Macavity was great in the trailers and great here. As I stated before his outfit really added another layer to his performance, he has the right acting chops to be this type of villain. I still haven’t seen Hobbs & Shaw but have heard similar praise for his role there.

Grizabella meanwhile, is Jennifer Hudson...enough said. I loved her in Dreamgirls and I love her here. I do see similarities between her character and Anne Hathaway’s character in Les Mis particularly with their big emotional songs but I enjoyed the backstory to her character here.

I would also say Mistoffelees and Victoria do a great job. While not my favourites it is almost as if we are seeing the world from Francesca Hayward’s eyes. I know she’s supposed to be a kitten but I never believed her as such. Mistoffelees meanwhile had his moment to shine towards the end of the movie and was one of the more compelling characters from the trailers.

The veteran staples Judi Dench and Ian McKellen were great in this movie, as they always are. I know Dench’s role was gender-bent from the stage show but I think she works better as a female character. Theatre Gus meanwhile is a great example of the old thespians who maybe once had their time but are just looking for another spotlight.

James Corden, Jason Derulo and Ray Winstone were all surprises for me here. I knew the first two could sing but I found Bustopher’s aristocratic nature hilarious and he really lifted the mood when he came in. Rum Tum Tugger meanwhile is dubbed “the curious cat” however by the end of his song I went from thinking he was curious to just suffering with ADHD. As for Ray Winstone, it’s Ray Winstone as a cat! It’s fantastic!

Then there are the iffy cats, namely Bombalurina, Jennyanydots and Munkustrap. Munkustrap is possibly the least offensive but that’s because his role in the movie is the same as in the stage show which is narrator. It did annoy me that he effectively butted in to a lot of people’s songs but again as narrator I guess that’s his job.

Rebel Wilson as Jennyanydots, as I said before, really confused me in terms of her outfit. I don’t understand why she didn’t just wear the pink suit and that be it instead of having to unzip the one catsuit to reveal this other catsuit. I mean I guess it helped them later in the film but still. Also the fact she wanted a different life to get out of that kitchen? Why was she trapped in the kitchen?

As for Taylor Swift, if you’ve seen her in the trailers you’ve pretty much seen her scenes. Bombalurina is literally in this movie for one scene and it is for Macavity’s musical number. She is seen once more in a slightly later scene but then it’s never quite explained what becomes of her.

Songs:

Alright so here we go with the songs of the movie, grouped in order of the songs I loved, the songs I liked, and the songs I thought were...okay.

My favourites, again, were “Macavity”, “Memory” and “Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town”. “Memory” is the only thing I knew and adored about this musical prior to this movie. The song speaks to me both as a musical fan and just a fan of great music. When I knew Jennifer Hudson would be performing it I already knew I’d love it.

“Macavity” is a very catchy song and Taylor Swift really works it. It’s not quite jazzy but it is close enough and the fact Elba also has some involvement in the song is great because I know he does also sing as a side gig. I thought it was a great character introduction despite the fact we have seen him throughout the movie.

“Bustopher Jones” was just a very fun and uplifting number, I loved James Corden’s aristocratic accent and how he moved around the streets even as fat as the character is. Interestingly I know Corden isn’t that fat anymore but again he was comfortable in himself to play it so I loved him for that.

The songs I liked were “The Rum Tum Tugger”, “Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer” and “Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat”. All three were brilliant production pieces, “Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer” was a great romp of a song, Jason Derulo brought his all to “The Rum Tum Tugger” and tap-dancing in any production will win me over let alone a tap-dancing cat.

The other songs I thought were okay on a varying scale, I don’t know why but Rebel Wilson didn’t win me over as she usually does. I think the production of her song was very off-putting. The mice with child faces and the cockroaches with female faces didn’t really work.

The others were very well sung but didn’t quite stick with me as the already mentioned ones did. Also “Beautiful Ghosts” was penned as Taylor Swift’s original song for the movie so I presumed her character would sing it, but the new girl Victoria did in the movie while Swift sang it over the credits...

Recommendation:

We’ve finally reached the end, okay so if you saw the trailers and were not one of the many haters who trolled the movie for its use of CGI and are interested in the story then go and see it because you will get something out of it. If you’re a fan of the stage production then I would still say see it because it allows you to form your own opinion.

If you are simply a casual movie-goer who wants an enjoyable two and a half hours then I would still recommend to go and see it but be prepared to be slightly confused if you don’t know what to expect.

Overall I rate this movie a 5/10, it was enjoyable and roughly 40-50% of this movie does work really well, it’s just the rest of it that needed more attention to detail in my opinion.

So that’s my review of Cats, what did you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Movie Reviews as well as other reviews and posts.

[silverlightqueen]

and here is the final Roses playlist, Roses Mixtape Pt. IIII, enjoy x

tracklist

1. Intro: Karma - y/n = Alarm - Anne-Marie

Karma is about how angry y/n is at Jimin, but also at herself for ignoring her doubts about him. How she knew he was cold and detached and that should’ve alerted her to the fact that she shouldn’t have gotten with him. And for what they both did to each other, they’re both suffering from karma now. 

2. Love Me - y/n = And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going - Jennifer Hudson

Love Me is really sad and emotional, and the part of y/n that refuses to give up on her relationship with Jimin comes out in this song. When I watch Jennifer Hudson do this song in Dreamgirls (I recommend watching it), it makes me cry every time because of the raw emotion and heartbreak you can see, and those exact same feelings come through in Love Me. 

3. Shoes - y/n = If I Were A Boy - Beyonce

Shoes is y/n saying to Jimin that if she’d been in his shoes, she’d never have done what he did to her, and she’d also never be able to get away with the way he used to behave (the random girls every night and the drugs). Again, this is a very big song and so would be super emotional and upsetting because you’d just be able to hear the hurt in y/n’s voice.

4. Comfort - y/n, Chaeyoung & Jisoo = Teddy Bear - Melanie Martinez

I was kinda reluctant about this song at first but now, I feel like it works really well. y/n’s comfort zone, away from the pressures of her job, the tour, Vic and her past with Yoongi, was Jimin. He was her teddy bear in that she felt soothed and comfortable with him, just like kids do with their teddy bears, but then that thing that gave her the most comfort turned against her, and she has nothing to turn to anymore. Chaeyoung and Jisoo’s vocals would sound super pretty on this song, and also give it a haunting and creepy feeling.

5. Victory - y/n = The Winner Takes It All - ABBA

This is y/n’s admission to Jimin, her way of saying, ‘well done, you got what you wanted, you won, how does it feel now?’ It’s also slightly teasing, as if she’s asking him how his victory feels now he doesn’t have her anymore. It’s got quite bitter and angry undertone, but it’s mainly hopeless and completely sad. 

6. Wounds - y/n & Blackpink = Bad Blood - Taylor Swift & Kendrick Lamar

This is the stage where she starts to get over the initial sadness and heartbreak and gets a bit angry at him, saying she hates him and she can never move past what he did. She’s asking him why he did it, why he ruined everything they had, because now they can never go back to how they were. It's also quite a girl-power anthem which is why Blackpink are on the song too, Lisa and Jennie doing Kendrick’s raps, and Chae, Jisoo and y/n splitting up Taylor’s bits between themselves.

7. Broken - y/n & Jennie = Moving Along - 5 Seconds of Summer

This is the point where y/n’s trying to move on, but keeps looking back at Jimin, wondering how he’s doing and feeling now, whether or not he’s still broken too. It’s quite a chill and laidback song, and I think Jennie and y/n would sound really nice on this song together.

8. Dreaming - y/n & Blackpink = Love Me Like You - Little Mix

I always listen to this song when I’m in my feels because you can relate to it, but it also puts you in a good mood because it’s just like cute and upbeat. The girls would do this song really well and it reflects that relapse that everyone has when you’re trying get over someone, when you feel like no one else is as good for you as that person is. 

9. Hero - y/n (Mariah Carey cover)

This is the main turning point in the album, where y/n realises that she can’t mope anymore, and she has to become her own hero because no else is going to do it. This song is so emotional and beautiful, and y/n would pour her heart out into it, more than doing it justice.

10. Did Me Wrong - y/n ft. Blackpink = I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor

Here’s another girl-power anthem, y/n looking back and realising that she shouldn’t have been sad over him because he’s the idiot that did her wrong and she’s better off without him. It’s got the retro feel to it and I just think it’d sound really cute but also badass with all the girls on it.

11. Save - y/n & Lisa = Goodbyes - Post Malone & Young Thug

This song is a bit more mellow and laidback, showing y/n’s rationality when it comes to how she feels about Jimin. She’s accepted that their relationship couldn’t have worked because they both had personal shit that they needed to work through and fix before they even got together. y/n would have Post Malone’s bit and Lisa would have Young Thug’s bit to liven the song up a little bit.

12. Kill This Love - y/n & Blackpink (Remix)

Need I even say anything? Kill This Love perfectly sums up y/n and Jimin’s relationship and how it cannot continue whilst they are who they are now. y/n did Jennie and Lisa’s back and forth rap during the tour so she’d do that bit along with the outro section, as well as having a completely revamped backing track.

13. Burned Bridges - y/n & Jisoo = Cry Me A River - Justin Timberlake

This song came to y/n after seeing Jimin cry at the end of their first court visit, and it’s almost as if to say it’s too little too late. Jisoo and y/n would harmonise together to give the song a more complex and layered sound, and it’d be really pretty with all the extra sounds in the background.

14. Solo - y/n & Jennie (Remix)

This song also fits really well with y/n and Jimin’s relationship and basically says to Jimin that she is better off without him, and that he’d better start looking for a replacement because she’s going solo now. And of course Jennie had to be on this song too, so she’s still got her rap after the first verse, and they do the choruses together.

15. Ego - y/n & Chaeyoung = Obsessed - Maggie Lindemann

This song actually talks about how vain Jimin used to come across to y/n. She sings about the way he’d just sleep with all these random girls (because he could get whoever he wanted) and treat everybody coldly like he was above them (but implicitly, so she’s not exposing him), before admitting at the end that part of her loves his vanity, and it’s okay because she’s vain too. Chae’s voice would really suit this song because it’s really light and cute and so is Chae.

16. In My Blood - y/n (Shawn Mendes cover)

This song speaks a bit less about the relationship, and a bit more about y/n’s own personal battle with her mind over the years. First with her nightmares about her childhood friend, and now with the depressive state she’s been in since everything happened. It discusses how close she was to giving up, alluding to suicide, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it, because she knew she had to keep on fighting and stay strong. This song’s an empowering anthem and would fit really well with the theme of this album.

17. State of Mind - y/n ft. Chaeyoung & Jisoo = No Tears Left To Cry - Ariana Grande

State of Mind discusses how y/n’s moved past her sadness and now feels stronger and happier. It does mention that she still gets a bit sad, but that’s okay because her happiness outweighs that. Jisoo and Chae would do the harmonies throughout the song and all of their voices would layer over one another in that opening section in the music video. 

18. Outro: Bad Bitch - y/n ft. Blackpink = Sorry Not Sorry - Demi Lovato

This would be the perfect closing to the album, basically a final ‘fuck you’ to Jimin, a way of y/n saying to him that he better be regretting what he did because look at her now, she’s back and she’s better than ever, so he can hold that L. Again, this is another empowering anthem, and all of the girls would equally share out this song.

taglist💕: @khaoticamour @rjsmochii @minniestudies @oodlespadoodle @shay-the-turtle @yasbts705 @goldenchemistry @arvbellas @anothershorthuman @golden-pixie-dust-200 @onlinewhale @maknaeroni @sweetchocolategoblin @conslack @missbowkimjinju @pocketfullofsuga @booklover240 @dimple-jungkook @squishyshit @sakurauchiha2018 @keylowmonie @untainted-memories @babybluebisexual @dearbangtan07 @joyful-jimin @glossdust @mayumioutloud @needyvmin @the-real96 @brinnalaine @lovebuginlove @smolchild95

[isitkillingyoulikeitskillingmee]

11/13/19

Dear Taylor,

I feel like time is moving so fast. I have so many big decisions to take and I am not ready for it. I’m still trying to work out what I will do for the winter semester and it’s really starting to stress me out.

I still haven’t found an internship. I actually have an interview this Friday, but the job isn’t what I want to do. I applied as a plan B, but they called me earlier than expected and now I’m not sure I want to go. I’m haven’t heard anything from the internship I applied to back in September and it makes me so sad. I know other people who applied and have not gotten any news either. I don’t know if they are just really slow or decided not to take anyone or if they just didn’t select me. I wanted it so bad, and I still do, but I can’t wait forever.

Seeing that other options offered are limited and not so interesting, I’m considering postponing my internship until the summer semester. I would take random classes this winter and focus on my implication with the UN simulation.

I’m do used to always follow the traced path that I feel weird deviating from the “normal road”. I know it’s not that bad, a majority of students do it. I’m just so used to have everything planned out and following that plan that it triggers me a bit to have to write a new plan. Hello anxiety.

A few months ago I would have never considered such a thing. But thinking about it now, I would rather wait to find something I really want to do, that will make me happy and motivated than be miserable for four months because I hate my job and I’m unhappy.

Sometime I hate being an adult so much. It was so much easier when everyone was taking decisions for myself.

Speaking of hate, I hate winter. It is November 13th and I’m already so over it. We had our first snow storm yesterday and I am not up for it. Snow depresses me, literally. It implicates so much management. You have to leave earlier, you have to dress up in a specific way, you have to shuffle snow, heat your car in advanced: snow makes everything more complicated. I admit it’s pretty during holidays, but other than that, it is so unnecessary.

When I got to the bus stop this morning, after an un-pleasant walk in the snow, I actually kept telling myself how much I hate winter and the cold (it was -18). Then I got an Instagram notification saying that you just posted. Well, the temperature didn’t matter anymore and off were my gloves to see what you had planned (it’s the 13th after all). I was not expecting that!!! Lover (one of the most incredible songs), Shawn Mendes and you in my ears!!! I mean, the power of that. The day Lover came out I was on the road to go to a Shawn concert, I already associate Lover to him in some kind of way.

You made my day again!

PS: 262 until Lover Fest East night 2

Love,

Anne

@taylorswift @taylornation

[sam-eulde]

The Greatest Showman

I usually don’t make movie reviews but I feel like this movie deserves so much more than the critics let on. Yes, there are flaws and let me say those first in every sections but there are good things too. I am not a movie expert but as an aspiring movie critic, here are my thoughts.

(SPOILERS AHEAD)

Plot and Characters:

To be honest, it is cliche and cheesy for the most part. Rags to riches, the classic forbidden love (2 of them, actually) and the feelsy good ‘I finally found a family’ trope. BUT I love my feelsy good 'I finally found a family’ trope. I just wish that they gave the circus folks more focus so that I could see how tight their bond is, but I did feel it in the 'This is Me’ and 'from Now On’ Song Numbers.

I am going to compare this to some stuff that I have seen so far.

Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus have a different genre overall but the thing is they focused on the Circus Folks, making us invested in them. We saw their background, their history and why they joined the circus. In my opinion, the 'This is Me’ song number would be more powerful if they did the same. I considered the running time of the movie too. Maybe they did not get the chance to put the background of these characters because the movie was getting too long. That’s why I agree with Beyond the Trailer in her review here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nriwcs4UZHc , that this should have been a Broadway musical first. Maybe they would have the time to do the character focus thing.

I also considered that the movie is called 'The Greatest Showman’ not 'The Greatest Circus’ or something. Which is fair. Speaking of which, P.T Barnum reminds me a lot of A. Hamilton. (I am referring to the character in the movie, not the real P.T. Barnum.) Besides their aspirations and visions, they are basically the same person. A once, poor young orphan who married a rich woman (who is basically the best of wives, best of women *wink*), learned to stand up and strive for what they wanted and got overwhelmed with success that they lost sight of their true vision because of this one woman. The difference is Barnum snapped out of it. (out of topic, kinda: the fact that there is a Philip in both made me chuckle. Good thing TGS Philip survived lol.)

I get that the critics are whining about how P.T. Barnum is not realistic. He is not a good person in real life. We get that but it said 'Inspired by true Story’, not 'Based on True Story’. Think of the movie like an AU where Barnum is a better person. If you are looking for a realistic portrayal or anything about the real P.T. Barnum, watch documentaries or read any articles about him. This movie is completely fictional. Never expect anything realistic in a musical, people. I personally just enjoyed the shit out of the P.T. Barnum  that was presented to me. Hugh Jackman was AMAZING in this role. You can’t say that he did not enjoy playing The greatest Showman. We don’t deserve him, honestly. I am praising him because if he wasn’t as enthusiastic as he is, the movie won’t be as amazing. Even though J. Franco won that award, you are the winner of our hearts, sir. Zac and Zendaya have great chemistry on screen. I wish we focused a biiit more on these two and their relationship as well. Their love story is nothing new but, again, if you feel the love of those characters, it is presented well.

I think they had enough focus on the Barnum family. Again, reminds me so much of  the Hamilton family. I have nothing to say here, honestly. Miss Rebecca Ferguson was great at being Jenny Lind. Shame that she did not really sing Never Enough. I don’t know the whole story but my guess is, she can;t hit that high note or her voice is just not as powerful? Why not Miss Loren Allred as Jenny? Maybe she looks too young for Mister Jackman? Who knows? Like I said before, I wish that they focused more on the Circus folks but Miss Keala Settle was sassy and fantastic. Her voice was fantastic. Mister Sam Humphrey was cute and amazing too. i love that he’s the first one that Barnum discovered. I just wish that they did not lower his voice that much. I saw this one video of him and I think he’s fine having that voice in the movie.

Visuals and Choreography: I have nothing bad to say in this section because EVERYTHING WAS GORGEOUS. Sure, the steps might not be nothing new but the way they are presented makes up for that. The part/song where the choreography shined, in my opinion, is 'Rewrite the Stars’. Considering that Zendaya did most of her stunts, it was a big bonus too. She and Zac made that big stage small with just the two of them on it. They got creative with the ropes and the other things that they had.

The choreography of Mister bartender in 'The Other Side’ was brilliant. If you made a movie where almost everyone is praising an extra with no name, you are doing something right. 'This is Me’ has this aggression to it and it made me feelings aggressive too, which is good. The other songs have nice dance numbers as well but I have favorites and those are those three.

The costumes are creative and beautiful. Zendaya with pink hair and violet costume is fabulous. I like Miss Keala’s dress too but I feel awkward whenever she does this one dance step. Maybe that’s just me though, I don’t know. Oh, Miss Rebecca’s wardrobe was just elegant and pretty. Like, I want those dresses, stat. It’s funny how she always appears so angelic since she wears white so much lol.

The settings are nice too. My favorites are the bar, that stage where zac and zendaya trapezed (?) in and the rooftops because they showed how they can get creative in those spaces.

Music: This soundtrack was gorgeous. Some may shrug it off as forgettable and some may say that some songs are unnecessary but to me, it’s the lyrics  that always catches my eyes. Lemme try to break down the songs and what happened during these numbers.

The Greatest Show An obligatory opening number and a good one at that. It’s not my favorite (am not a fan of opening numbers in ANY musicals though so that’s just me) but I do find myself humming and bobbing my head when it comes on. They pulled out their nice and flashy visuals for this one, which makes sense. It is introducing you to their circus.

A Million Dreams This introduces you to the character and the aspirations that young Barnum has. As the song progresses, it became what young Barnum held onto even when going through shit in his life.  this song is also the transition of young Barnum to being Adult Barnum. it also shows that Adult Barnum still have bigger dreams and he’s not there yet.

A Million Dreams (reprise) Now, I don’t really consider reprises an actual number since it has the same tune and lyrics (mostly) but what I like about them is how the characters progressed over time. Are they still feeling these feelings? What this number did was it reminded Barnum what his true dreams were by his own daughters. Simple as that.

Come Alive I think this is already obvious. It’s about opening their Circus to the public and how fun it is for the people who are seeing it. The visual and choreography are beautiful as always. It kinda sounds like a Michael jackson song, not gonna lie.

The Other Side One of my favorites because of the creativity with the glasses and shots. The glass hitting and siliding on the table adds to it and I am glad that some as in the soundtrack. It is a negotiation music number. This is a big deal because Carlyle is risking a lot in the deal. it is hard to break out of the routine that you are used to. In a way, it is an intro to Carlyle’s character. My only problem with this is it sounds so Pop? Hearing Hugh jackman sing it is like watching my dad sing an HSM song, which it weird. But the bridge part makes up for it. I love that bridge.

Never Enough Jenny is a singer so of course she gets a song. But during this one, seeing Hugh’s expression just made it more powerful than it is. Miss Rebecca was alone in that stage but Miss Loren’s voice filled the room and filled every empty space. It’s just so beautiful. They could have made this song number just be Miss Rebecca singing but it also showed 2 things. Barnum’s expression. He was moved along with the crowd and his song describes him. Even after all his success, he still wants more. Charity saw this and judging by her expression, she was saddened/scared of what Barnum might be thinking but she trusts him and his promises and clapped for Jenny. The second thing is Philip and Anne’s relationship. the song also describes it. Just being beside each other, seeing each other was never enough. They wanted to progress but it showed that Philip is still afraid of what other people will think of them. (I heard from a reviewer that it is like a taylor swift song and I was like dude, just because she repeated 'Never’ doesn’t mean it’s already like a Taylor Swift song lol)

This is Me This song won the award. yay~ Good props for them. The message of this was simple yet inspiring. The beats and the tune made it more powerful. Kudos to Miss Keala again for giving her best performance in this. I just wish that there are more focus on the circus folks like, maybe, Barnum not really paying attention to them, a family moment or one of them being attacked by a protester or smth. Little moments like those building up to this song would make it more powerful. That aside, this is beautiful as it is. fighting for being free, being who you are. It just hits me all the time.

Rewrite the stars this one had a build up to it so it did make it more special. they had a scene prior to this song and it made it better. The song is catchy and the visual is not colorful but it is creative with their props and I loved it very much. Zac singing made it feel like I’m watching 'Breaking free’ or something. I just love it. Zendaya’s stunts were amazing. It has a simple thing that it wants to convey. Forbidden love. Boy wants girl, girl reminds him that it can’t be. That’s it. Without it, I don’t think you’ll be invested with their reationship.

Tightrope now, everyone may have mixed feelings about this but Miss Michelle’s voice was just so pretty in this one. The downside is that onscreen, you will see montages, which may take away your attention to the lyrics of the song or, maybe, the song itself. Think of this as a milder version of Hamilton’s 'Burn’. Feeling of being betrayed, broken promises and such. the difference is Charity is not really angry in this one. She still hopes that Burnam will remember how they were before like she is doing at the beginning of this song. I just think this song is underappreciated, which is a shame. I love this one too.

Never Enough (Reprise) Well, another reprise. In the original one, Jenny is singing about what some people in the room are feeling. In this one it feels like she realized that she has been singing about Barnum all along. She realized that he never loved her the way she loved him. in a way, she’s now singing about herself too. She may be the character we have close to a villain but i feel her in this one.

From Now On This is like a Gospel song but I love gospel songs so.. That’s a plus. At first I was skeptical about this song but it got catchier and catchier the more I hear it. We are also back at the bar, which is great. They have more people in it and it was amazing. It’s a party and I just wanna dance with them. this is simply about Barnum realizing his mistakes and what he would do to make it right. So basically, it is promise again.

So in conclusion, are some of the songs unnecessary? Not exactly. They all conveyed strong feelings at certain plot points. Also, they only have 11 music numbers. For a musical movie, I think that is a decent amount. La la Land had the same amount plus 4. Broadway musical to film had a lot more so I think It is just right. Are they out of place? With the setting, of course they are.  Is that bad? Not in my opinion. If you are talking about out of place  soundtrack and setting, just look at Hamilton. But it does not automatically make it bad. You can’t just hate on the soundtrack to be honest. It is one of its charms. The film is trying to tackle every character that they could but it failed that we only got a glimpse of what they might be trying to do. Its heart is in the right place and you could see what it wants to do. It wanna make you feel good after watching it and it worked for me, and a lot others too. It’s just there were things that they could have done if they had more running time. (i guess you could say that it is 'Never Enough’ *wink*)You could see that the actors are enjoying what they are doing and for a first movie of a new director, this was pretty darn impressive. The passion is there, the talent and skills are there. Besides the lack of character exploration aside from Barnum’s, it was a great movie. Visually, this was a treat.  I just wish that it has more recognition. If I hadn’t seen gifs or fanarts of it, I would not have heard of so, the fans are doing a great job too. A great way to end 2017 OR start 2018, depending when you saw it. To be honest, it looks like a nice Christmas film. I could see that I would watch it with kids during Christmas. I love it.

[slothrusts]

Hey @taylorswift ! Since you made a playlist for us, I thought I’d make one for you. Music is my life, I even study it at school, and my favorite thing about music is songwriting (which is probably why I love you so much). Lyrics are the most important part of a song to me, but soundscapes are also really rad. So here’s 19 songs that I adore, both lyrically and sonically, and hope that you will also like! @taylornation and fellow swifties feel free to listen in as well :)

Also, Taylor, look beneath the Read More for the track listing and me talking about each song like I know what I’m talking about lol

1.) Lit Me Up- Brand New 

     This is the best opening song of all opening songs. Brand New has created such an interesting soundscape and feel with the whole Science Fiction Album. It’s creepy, but great. Taylor I feel like you’d really enjoy some of the binaural action going on.

2.) Turn Out the Lights- Julien Baker @julienbaker

     Julien Baker is one of THE BEST lyricists I have ever found (besides you of course Tay). Everything she writes is heart-wrenching  and beautiful and I love it. I mean, come on “When I turn out the lights/there’s no one left/between myself and me” (lyk if u cri evrytim). This is a single from her forthcoming album by the same name and I highly recommend you listen to her debut Sprained Ankle cause damn is it good. 

3.) Horseshoe Crab- Slothrust 

     This song is a trip man. Slothrust (its Sloth-rust not Slo-thrust fyi) is this cool little rock/jazz/blues band from Brooklyn that I ADORE. Leah writes some outlandish but still poignant af lyrics. Notably: “Sometimes I feel like I’m a sea horse/Sometimes I think that I’m a horseshoe crab/I don’t have anything in common with myself/Except that I came from the sea just like everyone else did”

4.) Ready to Go- Hurts @adam-hurts

     Suggested activity while listening to this song is dancing because damn it’s a certifiable BOP. 

5.) Queen- Flint Eastwood @flinteastwooddetroit

     You’ve probably never seen these guys play live but Jax Anderson is a hype beast like no other and can get a crowd full of people who have never heard her music to sing and jump along like they’re the headliners. The chorus gets u going and I think that reputation era Taylor would appreciate “I’m a queen not a soldier”

6.) I Forgive No One- Citizen 

     While I’m not sure if this genre/sound is your thing Taylor, it does remind me a lot of the whole reputation era mindset. “I forgive no one for anything/I forgive no one for what can change”

7.) Moonshine- Lights @lightsalot

     Another great bop about staying up late and partying. Also Lights wrote and drew an entire comic book series to go along with this concept album?? How fucking cool is that?? It reminds a bit of New Romantics in the attitude of “who gives a shit lets go party anyway!!” 

8.) Sunshine Type- Turnover @turnoverva

     Turnover is my go-to feel good band. This song actually sounds like the way sunshine feels. “I was thinking that you could love a song that I hate/I’d still play it for you”. 

9.) Separate- Pvris @thisispvris

     I’d imagine that swimming underneath an iceberg sounds like this song. Pvris (pronounced like Paris not p-virus or puh-vris) makes some super spooky but beautiful things. And can we talk about “There’s always been a disconnect/Running from my heart to my head/And no it’s never made much sense” as well as “Pull away the world from me I don’t mind/As long as they don’t separate you from me I’ll be fine”. It’s almost the opposite of Clean, but in a good way. This entire album has got some killer outros btw.

10.) Burn it Down- Daughter 

      Elena Tonra from Daughter is SUCH a GREAT lyricist. You, her, and Julien are probably the best lyricists that I know of honestly. Plus, her, Remi, and Igor as a band make some DOPE soundscapes that you can get actually physically lost in. “Always said I was a good kid/Always said I had a way with words/Never knew I could be speechless/Don’t know how I’ll ever break this curse”. They wrote this album for a video game soundtrack, but the one before this one Not to Disappear is lyrically so powerful I cry every time I see them live lol.

11.) Trainwreck- Banks

     Banks is a bad ass bitch and I think you and her would get along swimmingly. Also perhaps invite her to sing this with you on the rep tour?? (hint hint wink wink) “Born to take care of you, or I thought so/Maybe it was just a phase” It’s like an updated more sonically banging Dear John imo

12.) Helicopter- Deerhunter

     Back on the soundscape train Deerhunter just sounds cool as shit. The lyrics to this one are story-based and talk about some guy who was a victim of human trafficking. BUT Bradford Cox makes it sound cerebral and plucky.

13.) Deadcrush- alt-J

     I love this song cause it has the coolest premise. It’s about the Dead Crushes of the band members. So like, dead people that the band members admire. The crushes are Anne Boleyn and Lee Miller. I particularly enjoy the music video for this song which is weird as all hell. The pulsing beat that drives this song is something that I think you would appreciate, Taylor. This is one of the songs where it feels more like the words are meant to be a part of a music rather than their own separate piece if that makes sense.

14.) SGL- Now, Now @nownowband

     SGL stands for “Shot Gun Lover” and holy heck does this lyrically resemble some of your stuff! Sign me the fuck up for “Starry-eyed/I was young and undone/But I could’ve died/With you there in the sun”. I’ve been listening to this band for almost as long as I’ve listened to you but they recently got a more pop sound and I am LIVING for it

15.) Lose Myself- From Indian Lakes @fromindianlakes

     I saw on your playlist that you like Cigarettes After Sex and so I thought you might also enjoy the recent stuff by From Indian Lakes. This is the kind of song you listen to when driving home from a date. Ponder closely, “Am I the worm on a lover’s hook/And now I’m right where I’m supposed to be/But something still feels wrong with me”

16.) You and I (stripped version)- Pvris

     Pvris gets to be on here twice cause they are that good sorry but I don’t make the rules (wait yes I do). The lyrics here also remind me of you and how we all just have way too many feelings and our best shot at figuring things out is through writing about them. You and I is about a love that’s not working but that is still desperately wanted, “I know it’s cold when we’re apart/And I hate to feel this die/But  you can’t give me what I want/Just give it time”. Listen to this stripped version to hear how beautiful and lilting Lynn’s voice is and listen to the full band version to hear how much of a powerhouse her voice can be.

17.) Jesus Christ- Brand New

     Yes another Brand New song. You know why? Cause they are also fucking amazing. Taylor, I recommend you listen to this song while lying in your bed staring up at the ceiling and thinking “How the hell did I get here, and how the hell am I gonna leave?” (here can be anywhere, your hotel room, you home, this universe). The next time you read a shitty headline about you in a tabloid think about the lyrics, “We all got wood and nails/And we turn out hate in factories/We all got wood and nails/And we sleep inside of this machine”

18.) Townie- Mitski @whoismitski

     “I want a love that falls as fast as a body from the balcony/And I want a kiss like my heart is hitting the ground/I’m holding my breath with a baseball bat though I don’t know what I’m waiting for/I’m not gonna be who my daddy wants me to be”…… do I need to say anything else? Hopefully you’ve already heard some of Mitski’s stuff cause she’s gonna be on tour with your homegirl @lordemusic this next spring!

19.) Pigpen- Slothrust

     Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with the post-chorus riff from this song in my head. Taylor, the lyrics I’d want you to hear the most from this one are; “I would spread my wings/If they weren’t so god damn heavy/Yeah I would spread my wings/If they weren’t coated in honey” 

And that’s everyone!! I hope you liked at least one of these songs @taylorswift . Love you eternally and catch you on the flipside!!!

[femmesfollesnebraska]

We Shall Overcome: Rona Geffen and Ann Streichman

Thrilled to present the second in Les Femmes Folles’ We Shall Over Come series, featuring an interview with Rona Geffen and Ann Streichman, producers/writers/composers of the electronic opera STRIKE! (http://striketlvlg.wixsite. com/strike), a modern feminist adaption to the story of Lysistrata by Aristophanes and supporting and presenting solidarity and non violence civilian resistance.

Photo by Good Jud; From left to right: Hilit Rozental, Rona Geffen, Ann Streichman

Where are you from? How did you get into creative work and what is your impetus for creating?

Rona: Originally from Israel and now based in Berlin. I’ve always been into creative and especially music, as a child I played the piano, clarinet and guitar but never really connected to the instruments and their sound. When electronic music exploded in Israel with its crazy rave scene I knew this is what I want to do and started studying and practicing it. I felt that I finally found my sound and rhythm I could relate and connect with. My impetus is just the need to create and express, I am fully invested in music and sound and believe they are methods of communication and growing. I think musicians and artists have a mission to help humanity grow emotionally and spiritually and even physically and I embrace this mission with love and an open mind and heart.

Ann: I’m originally from Israel, I moved to New York City 2.5 years ago where I currently live. I started playing different musical instruments from a very young age, and while growing up I focused mostly on the piano and various synthesizers. I graduated from high-school with a degree in classical music. I started writing original music when I was 12, first composing melodies and later writing lyrics. Writing music gave me a great way to express my creativity and my emotions. It was also a great way of escapism into a world that was truly mine. To this day, I feel most fulfilled when I’m writing and producing my own music.

Tell me about your current/upcoming show/exhibit/book/project and why it’s important to you. What do you hope people get out of your work?

Rona: I am currently working intensely on a geometrical mathematical sound-healing project that will be realized in 2017 on 4DSOUND system in the Institute For Spatial Sound in Budapest. The work is based on my personal experience and observations as well as Acutonics sound healing method. I believe this project eventually has the power to change human consciousness and widen it as well as change our approach to medicine, making self healing and non invasive healing a method used in medicinal institutes to solve a wide range of illnesses and aches people are suffering from. This work is incorporated with a sound healing experiment Im conducting here in Berlin and various collaborations such as with voice researcher Aramet Arenheim and Dr. of Chinese medicine Erin Taylor and the brilliant Amira Val Baker from H.I.U.P.. I'm also working on a new av performance for my latest album Blood Of My Blood with the wonderful visual artist Alessandra Leone and video for a song from this album with the talented animator and visual artist Darya Krasnova.

Ann: These days I’m hard at work on my latest EP which is focused on electronic dance music. I always try to find new ways to produce, arrange and mix my music. I think it keeps me alert and helps me create fresh and exciting tracks.

Does collaboration play a role in your work—whether with your community, artists or others? How so and how does this impact your work?

Rona: I find myself always working on projects both 100% solo and in a full collaboration, its always somehow balanced so I have at least one big project that is totally solo where I can express myself and point of view freely and one that is more collaborative in its nature. Whether its STRIKE!, Female:Pressure projects or radio show I’m co hosting or the book publication “Sifrey Yonatan” where I work closely with other artists. I find this to be a good balance to keep yourself humble and 100% on fire and creative. When we created STRIKE! is was very important to us to make it in a form of an “open-code” project so that everyone can work with this project and relate to according to their point of view and we tried working under this guideline in all stages of the work - from recording and producing the album to creating it as a full-on electronic opera on stage. Being 3 very different musicians (with Ann Streichman and Hilit Rozental) it was very important to us to let each one’s voice to shine and support each other, this is why the opera is so diverse musically but still the songs and tracks really work well together. Everything was done with full collaboration and respect.

Ann: Most of the time I collaborate with other artists; whether they are musicians with whom I compose, produce and perform with, or visual artists for whom I provide music for their art such as fashion, animation or video. Whenever I collaborate with someone else I try to listen to their world of sounds, their story and their message, and later I apply my vision in a way that hopefully is organic and complementary  to the specific collaboration. Whenever I work with someone else I write music that I would never have written by myself. This is why collaborations are a great gift and are so important to me as an artist.

Considering the political climate, how do you think the temperature is for the arts right now, what/how do you hope it may change or make a difference?

Rona: naturally I believe there is always a place for art, I believe in political art and its capabilities and mission to outline and spotlight society’s problems. I believe artists are somewhat modern day's profits and have the responsibility to help humanity grow and evolve. For example our electronic opera STRIKE! which is our personal view on war, feminism and the power of nonviolent civilian resistance incorporated in a wide scale and open minded artistic and musical vision. When we created STRIKE! we wanted to speak out our mind about these burning issues in a fun and even popy way, so the show itself is very fun and funny and been getting great reviews from teens to people in their 70s. I just love seeing the sparkly eyes after the show is over and knowing that little by little we are planting the ideas discussed in the opera and its songs in people’s minds. We also wanted to honor electronic music and show that you can tell a story with a wide range of emotions with it as its usually perceived as “flat” wrongfully.

Ann: I think art has a special place when it comes to critique of current events, political and social views. Artists have been challenging the social climate of their surroundings for as long as art exists, and hopefully will continue to do so in these tumultuous present days. I think nowadays artists must create a voice of reason and hope in these uncertain times. Art has a way of reaching people’s hearts and minds like no other medium especially when it has a strong message.

Artist Wanda Ewing, who curated and titled the original LFF exhibit, examined the perspective of femininity and race in her work, and spoke positively of feminism, saying “yes, it is still relevant” to have exhibits and forums for women in art; does feminism play a role in your work?

Rona: Yes feminism plays a significant role in my creation - whether its in sex themed releases and videos “Just Fuck Me” or “Pussy In My Ear” which is a porn-parody. I believe women’s sexual oppression is a medium to control women and by sexual liberation and sexual empowerment of women much can be achieved in our fight for equality. With women  the sexual is the political from prostitution to birth control to slut shaming to rape and sexual abuse and harassment - sex is a mean patriarchy is using to control women and this must stop. I also try working with as many women and queer artists as possible, especially for paid jobs as I know they are more likely to get less calls due to their gender and I always believe in helping a sister. And of course our electronic opera STRIKE!  which is a radical feminist manifesto and was built and produced as a feminist project throughout all its stages.

Ann: Yes of course, feminism is a way of life and it is affecting everything I do and how I think and that includes my art. Even when I choose not to address it, it is a conscious choice.

Ewing’s advice to aspiring artists was “you’ve got to develop the skill of when to listen and when not to;” and “Leave. Gain perspective.”  What is your favorite advice you have received or given?

Rona: My mom always taught us to follow our hearts. I think there were times she wished she’d taught us to be more obedient but I can’t stress enough how important it was and is for me to have that kind of belief and “back”. I would add - Dream big, Work hard, Be you and dont let no one discourage you.

Ann: The best advice I got was “Just do it”.

- Rona Geffen RG // SNDCLD // UTUBE FB // BNDCMP // TWTTR

Links: Site: http://striketlvlg.wixsite.com/strike Music: https://soundcloud.com/striketlvlg Download Music (free): https://strikemusic.bandcamp.com/

SPECIAL SERIES:

WE SHALL OVERCOME

With political unrest in the US, all I can think about is what to do next. What to tell our kids, how to look up and move forward. I feel a major arts movement coming on. What are you doing? What are you creating in response? Inspired by the civil rights song (after Reverend Charles Tindley of Philadelphia’s turn of the 20th century hymn)  Joan Baez popularized in the 1960s, We Shall Overcome, if you are a self-identified woman artist of any media, genre, level, style, send your work that looks forward and up, and tell me how it expresses this. Ongoing series, no work minimum or maximum. Send images as .jpgs and text in email to sallydeskins@yahoo.com.

~

Les Femmes Folles is a volunteer organization founded in 2011 with the mission to support and promote women in all forms, styles and levels of art from around the world with the online journal, print annuals, exhibitions and events; originally inspired by artist Wanda Ewing and her curated exhibit by the name Les Femmes Folles (Wild Women). LFF was created and is curated by Sally Deskins.  LFF Books is a micro-feminist press that publishes 1-2 books per year by the creators of Les Femmes Folles including the award-winning Intimates & Fools (Laura Madeline Wiseman, 2014), The Hunger of the Cheeky Sisters: Ten Tales (Laura Madeline Wiseman/Lauren Rinaldi, 2015) and BARED: Contemporary Poetry & Art by Women (Edited by Laura Madeline Wiseman, 2017). Other titles include Les Femmes Folles: The Women 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 available on blurb.com, including art, poetry and interview excerpts from women artists. See the latest call for work on the Submissions page!

[dreaminglesbian]

So this is the end of the year meme I’ve been doing since ‘10! I’ve been doing it on LJ tho, but since I never go on there anymore I have been bringing it to tumblr!

I am tagging all my followers and friends to do this! Cause I always have a lot of fun doing this! 

END OF THE YEAR FANDOM MEME 2016!

Your main fandom of the year?

Shadowhunters!! I could not stop talking about Shadowhunters this entire year and I’m so happy it is back! Also Star Trek fandom and anime fandom. I didn’t really engage in these fandoms but I was creeping lol

Your favourite film watched this year?

Star Trek Beyond! I also super loved Zooptopia, Ghostbusters, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Moana, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, and Finding Dory. Also Free! Starting Days, cause it was super fun but I also watched it with people who made that movie super fun. It was a good year at the cinema lol 

Your favourite book read this year?

I read the book Boring Girls by Sara Taylor and it is my favourite book I have read in a long time! 

Your favourite album or song to listen to this year?

Mind of Mine was clearly the one I was most hyped for! I LOVE the music Zayn did this year, anything Zayn sang this year was my fave song lol. I loved the Ariana Grande Dangerous Woman album, Little Mix’s Glory Days album, and Fifth Harmony’s 7/27 album. The songs I loved were Still Falling for You by Ellie Goulding, and anything by The Weeknd. I loved a lot of other songs and albums as well but that’s what came to mind.

Your favourite TV shows of the year?

SHADOWHUNTERS! I rewatched the first season 3 times (and also a bit more than three times tbh lol). I love me some silly fantasy with canon gay characters! YAS SHADOWHUNTERS! lol

I also loved a bunch of anime this year. I went to Japan and came back a weeb lol. I loved Yuri!!! On Ice, Sound Euphonium, Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Maji Love Legend Star, and Owari no Seraph. 

I was also super feeling MTV Scream, Voltron, and Super Girl really brought it this year!   

Your best new TV discovery of the year?

Shadowhunters!!! Hahaha. I really didn’t think I was gonna love it so much lol

I also really like the show Humans even though it is very scary to me lol (robots are the worrrst). Also I watched Please Like me and RuPaul's Drag Race which were both very good! 

Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year?

There was a lot of sadness this year. I was very sad (still am sad) when Anton Yelchin died. Grieving a celebrity is so hard because you can never fully believe they are gone. 

The continued heteronormativity on Girl Meets World. Any scene with Auggie and Ava is the worst. That show is the straight agenda in those scenes.

Faking it ended with a whimper and not a bang. It kept going around in circles and it was getting tiring. The show really wimped out in a lot of ways.

Agents of Shield was skimpy with the amount of Gemma and Skye scenes this season! 

While I was so impressed OITNB actually did make Poussey and Soso canon obviously it did not end well. I was really excited over this pairing and I wasn’t sure if they were actually going to become canon. They did though and we got so much more from them than I thought we would. I was very surprised OITNB followed into the dead lesbian trope. I’ve had people argue with me ‘but they’re all lesbians’ (which is not true but anyways) but it followed the whole idea of a happy lesbian couple finally being together but then cut short. I thought OITNB was better than that. 

Teen Wolf has lost its charm which sucks cause I used to be so jazzed for that show. 

Your TV boyfriend of the year?

I take this question as ‘males you rooted for in tv this year’ lol. It’s usually a pretty small list

Yurio from Yuri!!! On Ice, Alec and Magnus on Shadowhunters and Zayn. Also Jamal from Empire but Jamal hasn’t been true to himself lately lol. 

Your TV girlfriend of the year?

I determine this question as celeb crushes this year lol

First of: My wife, Alicia Vikander.

I cannot lie that Kylie Jenner was a big crush of mine this year. She’s gorgess and has MANY dogs, I’m weak. 

Also Katherine McNamara/Clary on Shadowhunters and Emeraude Toubia/Izzy on Shadowhunters. Also Floriana Lima/Maggie on Super Girl. They have their own little subsection as I super crushed on their characters as well.

I super loved the model Taylor Marie Hill, and a bunch of other models this year. I got super into models especially the ones that walked the Victoria Secret Fashion Show. So much life goals or wife goals lol. I liked Kendall Jenner, Jade and Leigh-Anne of Little Mix, Gigi and Bella Hadid, Louisa Johnson, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Chloe Bennet, Dove Cameron and Sofia Carson! Kanan from Love Live! Sunshine!! lol

Your biggest squee moment of the year?

Star Trek Beyond, for just existing! The cast was so close during this promo tour and it was very sad but also very sweet to see.

Shadowhunters! As I said I have seen that show A LOT, but I got those stupid fangirl squeals whenever I watched it! I haven’t been a giggly fangirl like that in a long time lol. All the Malec moments and Alec being a baby gay, YAS. I would say any clizzy moment but we didn’t really have any lol

The release of Pillowtalk!! OMG I was soooo excited to hear Zayn’s music! I was so excited when he released his album and did tons of other songs! It was a great year for being a Zayn fan! 

Alex and Maggie on Supergirl! I LOVE LOVE!! I love seeing a good thought out lesbian relationship on tv. It’s such a good thought provoking relationship, i’m so jazzed about these two! *heart eyes emoji*

Yuri!!! On Ice, that show DID IT. Every episode had a squee moment, it had tons of likable cute characters and lots of fun pairings to ship! Love, love. 

On Scream how Audrey loved Emma the whole time on Scream. 

Sound! Euphonium because Kumiko and Reina are so canon.

The most missed of your old fandoms?

Always Star Trek. Especially when a new movie comes out it makes me super miss the old fandom.

One Direction fandom, I miss when we were all friendly and not in competition. I wish people weren’t so fickle but here we are.

The TV you haven’t tried yet, but want to?

I would like to try Westworld (yay, more robots). Mr. Robot has been on my list for years and I have to get started lol. Steven Universe, I started it a while ago but clearly I need to pay it more attention. 

Your biggest fan anticipations for the New Year?

Star Trek: Discovery! I am very excited to see what they will do with it! I’m hoping to love the characters and get very attached to them haha

I am looking forward to Thor: Ragnarok, I love Thor and I love me some Thorki! I’m very excitied for Wonderwoman, don’t let me down DC, you always do lol! I’m excited for the next Star Wars movie, make that money Disney, yaaas, hahaha. Also the film Coco by Disney and Pixar cause I’m excited for anything Disney.

Also the new season of Shadowhunters lol

Fave ships of 2016?

I had a lot! Which was very awesome.

Magnus/Alec (Shadowhunters)

Clary/Izzy  (Shadowhunters)

Simon/Raphael (Shadowhunters) 

Jace/Alec (Shadowhunters) *yas pining

Alex/Maggie (Supergirl)

Lena/Kara (Supergirl)

Kirk/Spock (Star Trek)

Yurio/Otabek (Yuri!!! On Ice)

Yuri/Victor (Yuri!!! On Ice) 

Kumiko/Reina  (Sound! Euphonium)

Kanan/Mari (Love Live! Sunshine!!)

Mika/Yuu (Owari no Seraph)   

Maya/Riley (Girl Meets World)

Shiro/Keith (Voltron)

Most listened to songs of the year

1. Touch - Little Mix

2. Nothing Else Matters - Little Mix

3. Your Love - Little Mix

4. Sleeping - Once (Original Broadway cast)

5. Oops - Little Mix ft. Charlie Puth

6. Tell your Friends - The Weeknd

7. Angel  - The Weeknd

8. Down & Dirty - Little Mix

9.  Power - Little Mix

10. Freak -  Little Mix

(I’m a bit surprised by this list hahaha)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

[makeuptips10-blog]

19 Celebrity Couples with Seriously Significant Age Differences

New Post has been published on https://www.claritymakeupartistry.com/19-celebrity-couples-with-seriously-significant-age-differences/

19 Celebrity Couples with Seriously Significant Age Differences

While there’s no hard-and-fast rule when it comes to falling in love, many people find their most compatible partners to be close to their age. But in Hollywood, it would appear age is but a number. And by that, we mean that celebrities don’t seem to see sizable age differences. In fact, some stars have found love with partners whose age is decades away from their own. Hey, whatever floats your boat, right?

Admittedly, these sorts of lopsided relationships can feel a bit dicey if you do the math. Do we really want to dwell on the fact David Foster was 32 years old when now-fiancée Katharine McPhee was born? Then again, who are we to judge? If two people find each other when they’re both consenting adults—no matter how far apart they are on the spectrum—there’s technically nothing anyone can say about it.

Besides, life is short. If these celebrity couples with huge age gaps make each other happy, well, we say why not?

Originally posted on SheKnows.

Bruce & Emma Willis

In 2007, Bruce Willis met model Emma Willis (née Heming)—who is 23 years younger than him—at their mutual trainer’s gym. They were married two years later, and today the couple has two daughters: Mabel Ray and Evelyn Penn.

Photo: Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images.

Amber Tamblyn & David Cross

Despite their 19-year age difference, actor Amber Tamblyn and comedian David Cross must be doing something right. The impassioned pair got hitched in 2012 and welcomed daughter Marlow Alice in 2017.

Photo: Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan Via Getty Images.

Kevin Costner & Christine Baumgartner

After briefly breaking up in 2002, actor Kevin Costner and model-turned-handbag designer Christine Baumgartner reconciled. The duo, with 22 years difference between them, went on to get married in Aspen in 2004. Today, they have three children together: Cayden, Hayes and Grace.

Photo: Presley Ann/Getty Images.

Catherine Zeta-Jones & Michael Douglas

Although much was made of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas’ 25-year age gap when they got married, the happy couple got the last laugh—they’ve been married for almost two decades. “It’s a long road and I think people are so quick to throw in the towel on marriage,” she told the Daily Mail in 2016. “You have to give it your best shot and not give up when the first problem arises, because that won’t be the last problem. There will be many more down the road.”

Photo: Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic/Getty Images.

David Hasselhoff & Hayley Roberts

There’s a 27-year age difference between actor-singer David Hasselhoff and model Hayley Roberts, but they don’t let it get in their way. The couple, who met when she asked for his autograph seven years ago, married in a small ceremony in Italy in 2018.

Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images.

Patrick Stewart & Sunny Ozell

Photo: Dan MacMedan/WireImage/Getty Images.

Jason Statham & Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

There’s a 20-year age gap between Jason Statham and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley but, really, who can fault the universe for bringing this picture-perfect pair together? The engaged couple welcomed their first child together, son Jack, in 2017.

Photo: JB Lacroix/WireImage/Getty Images.

Harrison Ford & Calista Flockhart

Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart are both acutely aware of their 22-year age gap. They just don’t really care. “I was 60 when I fell in love with Calista,” Harrison told Hello! in 2009. “What surprised me most was that I was still capable of establishing a long-lasting relationship, making a serious commitment. With my children, in my private life or my work, I try to learn from my mistakes and evolve.” The couple married in 2010.

Photo: Ian West/PA Images Via Getty Images.

Ellen DeGeneres & Portia de Rossi

It was practically love at first sight for Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres when they met on a photo shoot in 2004. “She took my breath away,” de Rossi told The Advocate the following year. “That had never happened to me in my life, where I saw somebody and [experienced] all of those things you hear about in songs and read about in poetry. My knees were weak. It was amazing. And it was very hard for me to get her out of my mind after that.”

DeGeneres and de Rossi, who have a 15-years age difference, got married in 2008.

Photo: Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images For Fashion Media.

Kris Jenner & Corey Gamble

Despite their 25-year age gap, KarJenner matriarch Kris Jenner and boyfriend Corey Gamble still seem to be on steady footing after four years together. However, that’s not to say she’s ready to walk down the aisle with her much-younger boyfriend anytime soon. Or ever. “You know you never say never,” Jenner told E! News about getting married again. “But I often say it’s just not what I need to do again based on my past.”

Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images.

Warren Beatty & Annette Bening

Warren Beatty and Annette Bening embrace their more-than-two-decade age difference. “He’s 21 years older than I am and we’ve always been at different stages of life,” Bening told the U.K.’s Times. “He’s got a lot of experience. But we’re very different in many ways. The crucial thing is that while we want many of the same things in life, we’ve thrived because we approach things very differently.”

Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images.

Jeff Goldblum & Emilie Livingston

One of the larger age gaps on the list, actor Jeff Goldblum and gymnast Emilie Livingston have a 30-year age difference. The pair tied the knot in 2014 and continue to pack on the PDA.

Photo: Mike Marsland/WireImage/Getty Images.

George & Amal Clooney

George and Amal Clooney, who first met in 2013 through a mutual friend, have a 17-year age gap. They married in Italy in 2014 and welcomed twins Ella and Alexander in 2017. And, you know, they’re totally #goals.

Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images.

Alec & Hilaria Baldwin

Actor Alec Baldwin and yoga instructor Hilaria Baldwin (née Thomas) tied the knot in 2012 and have since had four children together. Their age difference? Twenty-six years.

Photo: Roy Rochlin/FilmMagic/Getty Images.

Katharine McPhee & David Foster

There might be a 34-year age gap between Katharine McPhee and David Foster, but the engaged couple says their relationship just feels right. “It doesn’t make sense to a lot of people, but it does to us,” she told People.

Photo: Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images.

Mary-Kate Olsen & Olivier Sarkozy

Mary-Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy have a 17-year age difference, but the reclusive couple certainly doesn’t seem to let comments about the age gap get them down. They got married in 2015 and can occasionally even be caught strolling around NYC together.

Photo: John Lamparski/WireImage/Getty Images.

Rod Stewart & Penny Lancaster

Odds are good that Rod Stewart has, in fact, told wife Penny Lancaster he loves her lately. The pair, who are 27 years apart in age, got hitched in 2007 and have two sons together.

Photo: David M. Benett/Getty Images.

Sam & Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Sam and Aaron Taylor-Johnson certainly set tongues wagging when they began dating—thanks largely to their 24-year age gap. He was 18 and she was 42 when they struck up their romance. Still, they seem pretty unflappable. In addition to being stepfather to her daughters from a previous marriage, Aaron fathered two daughters with Sam. In 2018, Sam directed her now-husband in the upcoming adaptation of James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces and called the opportunity “a dream.”

Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images.

Sarah Paulson & Holland Taylor

Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor have a 32-year age gap, but this couple honestly couldn’t get any cuter. After meeting over a decade ago, they decided to keep in touch. That turned into dating in 2015, and the women routinely gush about each other in interviews.

Photo: Earl Gibson III/Getty Images.

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Victoria Beckham’s Fashion Evolution from Posh to Powerful

Source: http://stylecaster.com/celebrity-couples-age-differences/

[melindarowens]

Weekend Reads: Retirement Dreams, Summertime, and Learning to Say No

It may be my age or that summer is almost upon us in the United States, but lately sunshine and lazy days are my siren song, calling me to contemplate the possibility of a permanent vacation — retirement.

What a lovely sounding word that is.

Of course, I am romanticizing the idea. I envision long, leisurely days spent reading books or hiking with my spouse and my dog, always in perpetual sunshine, without a care in the world, financial or otherwise.

Perhaps that was the original goal when the concept of retirement was invented in 1881. How did it happen? “Otto von Bismarck, the conservative minister president of Prussia, presented a radical idea to the Reichstag: government-run financial support for older members of society,” Sarah Laskow writes. Bismarck argued that those who can longer work, whether due to age or disability, “have a well-grounded claim to care from the state.” It would take eight years to come to fruition, but by 1890, “the German government would create a retirement system, which provided for citizens over the age of 70 — if they lived that long.”

In the United States, the American Express Company offered private pensions beginning in 1875. But it was not until the 1920s, that “a variety of American industries, from railroads to oil to banking, were promising their workers some sort of support for their later years.” Hence the concept of retirement took hold. (The Atlantic)

Unfortunately, all too often these days, reality intrudes on our visions of retirement bliss.

“Many Americans are unprepared for retirement,” says Dave Evans. His top retirement-related concerns? Running out of money, not having enough to maintain one’s current lifestyle and spending level, and rising health-care costs. Clearly, having sufficient income to live on is the underlying theme. And rightfully so: “Almost one-quarter of workers say they and their spouse combined have less than $1,000 saved for retirement,” according to Kate Lobosco. Nearly half of those surveyed by the Employee Benefit Research Institute said they had less than $25,000. A sizable percentage — 41% — couldn’t even guess how big their retirement nest egg should be to begin with. (Independent Agent, CNNMoney)

Perhaps some of this confusion and fear is to be expected. “The retirement system simply defies human behavior,” writes Teresa Ghilarducci. “Basing a system on people’s voluntarily saving for 40 years and evaluating the relevant information for sound investment choices is like asking the family pet to dance on two legs.” Ghilarducci outlines how failure is an inevitable part of “the voluntary, self-directed, commercially run retirement plans system” by listing six variables that must be nailed down in order for your plan to work perfectly. I think I am successful in only one of the six. Maybe this is another clear indicator of the work financial advisers still need to do to adequately prepare their clients for this phase of their lives. (The New York Times)

Despite these concerns, I will continue to dream. Particularly about the beaches of Portugal, Malta, or Costa Rica. I hope they allow dogs. (CNBC)

Speaking of summer, two of my dear friends are elementary school teachers. Both look forward to the summer months with just as much anticipation as their students. I have great respect for teachers and often think of these friends when an article about their profession crosses my path. This one got me thinking. Personally, I loved the movie Freedom Writers. But I watched it through the lens of my individual story, a simplified narrative formed by my own personal experience. As Anne Beatty writes:

“Effective teachers, though, begin to understand the complexity of their role, and its power, by remembering how complicated their students are. Only then can teachers see what their students lose in a classroom that reflects and reinforces the power structure that exists outside schoolhouse walls, and especially in popular culture.” (The Atlantic)

Another piece of teacher-related content that left an impression is this TED Talk by Taylor Mali about “What Teachers Make.” I have watched it several times, and it never fails to make me appreciate those who engage in this herculean task. “Teachers make a difference, now what about you?” Mali asks. (TED)

Hopefully, the slower pace of summer will give teachers, and all of us, some time to think. As someone put it back in 1911:

“My impression is that we need now some time to think, in order that reflection and study of principle, and grasp upon realities, may take the place of perpetual discussion and exposition, partly of what is, partly of what never was, partly of what never can be. . . . ‘But when, friend, dost thee think?’” (Conversable Economist)

Part of my contemplative process involves reviewing the day’s events, conversations, and nuances. Often I consider what I could have done better, what I can learn for the next time. One thing I’m no longer afraid to say: “I don’t know.” Many people, I’ve found, won’t utter these three words, ever. They’ll change the subject, offer justifications, or obfuscate just enough so that they don’t have to admit their lack of knowledge. “Not knowing what you don’t know is dangerous indeed,” Shane Parrish observes. “In this position, you are clueless as to how to minimize gaps in your knowledge, which could hinder your ability to excel in business and in life.” And honestly, “who needs more ignorance in a world that’s already full of it?” (Farnam Street)

“No” is another word we have difficulty with. I see this quite often with both work and volunteer requests. “It’s in our nature to be socially obliging, and the word no feels like a confrontation that threatens a potential bond,” writes Kristin Wong. So we acquiesce when all the while we know that a yes is not a good idea. “When we dole out an easy yes instead of a difficult no,” Wong continues, “we tend to overcommit our time, energy and finances.” She provides some tips for effectively communicating no, because, as she says, “learning to say no comes in handy.” Yes it does. (The New York Times)

For fun, I have to include this story about tree-climbing goats. Who knew goats could climb trees? I sure didn’t. A new study addresses the question of whether trees grow from seeds that goats eat and later expel. “The answer has important consequences for the birth of baby trees — in particular, the gnarled argan tree of Morocco,” Marc Silver notes. “Goats are encouraged to climb, dine and deliver the seeds to earth, where they are collected by humans and eventually turned into argan oil.” Go figure. (NPR)

Finally, in the midst of the current global turmoil and vitriolic media coverage, keep in mind this beautiful letter written by E.B. White to a correspondent who had lost his faith in humanity: “Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.” Happy weekend. (Farnam Street)

If you liked this post, don’t forget to subscribe to the Enterprising Investor.

All posts are the opinion of the author. As such, they should not be construed as investment advice, nor do the opinions expressed necessarily reflect the views of CFA Institute or the author’s employer.

Image credit: ©Getty Images/M&S Lurch

Susan Hoover

Susan Hoover is the digital editor, Enterprising Investor blog, CFA Institute. Previously, she worked for McCallum & Kudravetz, PC, and the U.S. Department of the Navy in real estate and labor law. Hoover earned the Claritas™ Investment Certificate and holds a BA degree from Lehigh University and a JD degree from the Washington College of Law, American University.

Source link

source http://capitalisthq.com/weekend-reads-retirement-dreams-summertime-and-learning-to-say-no/ from CapitalistHQ http://capitalisthq.blogspot.com/2017/06/weekend-reads-retirement-dreams.html

[everettwilkinson]

Weekend Reads: Retirement Dreams, Summertime, and Learning to Say No

It may be my age or that summer is almost upon us in the United States, but lately sunshine and lazy days are my siren song, calling me to contemplate the possibility of a permanent vacation — retirement.

What a lovely sounding word that is.

Of course, I am romanticizing the idea. I envision long, leisurely days spent reading books or hiking with my spouse and my dog, always in perpetual sunshine, without a care in the world, financial or otherwise.

Perhaps that was the original goal when the concept of retirement was invented in 1881. How did it happen? “Otto von Bismarck, the conservative minister president of Prussia, presented a radical idea to the Reichstag: government-run financial support for older members of society,” Sarah Laskow writes. Bismarck argued that those who can longer work, whether due to age or disability, “have a well-grounded claim to care from the state.” It would take eight years to come to fruition, but by 1890, “the German government would create a retirement system, which provided for citizens over the age of 70 — if they lived that long.”

In the United States, the American Express Company offered private pensions beginning in 1875. But it was not until the 1920s, that “a variety of American industries, from railroads to oil to banking, were promising their workers some sort of support for their later years.” Hence the concept of retirement took hold. (The Atlantic)

Unfortunately, all too often these days, reality intrudes on our visions of retirement bliss.

“Many Americans are unprepared for retirement,” says Dave Evans. His top retirement-related concerns? Running out of money, not having enough to maintain one’s current lifestyle and spending level, and rising health-care costs. Clearly, having sufficient income to live on is the underlying theme. And rightfully so: “Almost one-quarter of workers say they and their spouse combined have less than $1,000 saved for retirement,” according to Kate Lobosco. Nearly half of those surveyed by the Employee Benefit Research Institute said they had less than $25,000. A sizable percentage — 41% — couldn’t even guess how big their retirement nest egg should be to begin with. (Independent Agent, CNNMoney)

Perhaps some of this confusion and fear is to be expected. “The retirement system simply defies human behavior,” writes Teresa Ghilarducci. “Basing a system on people’s voluntarily saving for 40 years and evaluating the relevant information for sound investment choices is like asking the family pet to dance on two legs.” Ghilarducci outlines how failure is an inevitable part of “the voluntary, self-directed, commercially run retirement plans system” by listing six variables that must be nailed down in order for your plan to work perfectly. I think I am successful in only one of the six. Maybe this is another clear indicator of the work financial advisers still need to do to adequately prepare their clients for this phase of their lives. (The New York Times)

Despite these concerns, I will continue to dream. Particularly about the beaches of Portugal, Malta, or Costa Rica. I hope they allow dogs. (CNBC)

Speaking of summer, two of my dear friends are elementary school teachers. Both look forward to the summer months with just as much anticipation as their students. I have great respect for teachers and often think of these friends when an article about their profession crosses my path. This one got me thinking. Personally, I loved the movie Freedom Writers. But I watched it through the lens of my individual story, a simplified narrative formed by my own personal experience. As Anne Beatty writes:

“Effective teachers, though, begin to understand the complexity of their role, and its power, by remembering how complicated their students are. Only then can teachers see what their students lose in a classroom that reflects and reinforces the power structure that exists outside schoolhouse walls, and especially in popular culture.” (The Atlantic)

Another piece of teacher-related content that left an impression is this TED Talk by Taylor Mali about “What Teachers Make.” I have watched it several times, and it never fails to make me appreciate those who engage in this herculean task. “Teachers make a difference, now what about you?” Mali asks. (TED)

Hopefully, the slower pace of summer will give teachers, and all of us, some time to think. As someone put it back in 1911:

“My impression is that we need now some time to think, in order that reflection and study of principle, and grasp upon realities, may take the place of perpetual discussion and exposition, partly of what is, partly of what never was, partly of what never can be. . . . ‘But when, friend, dost thee think?’” (Conversable Economist)

Part of my contemplative process involves reviewing the day’s events, conversations, and nuances. Often I consider what I could have done better, what I can learn for the next time. One thing I’m no longer afraid to say: “I don’t know.” Many people, I’ve found, won’t utter these three words, ever. They’ll change the subject, offer justifications, or obfuscate just enough so that they don’t have to admit their lack of knowledge. “Not knowing what you don’t know is dangerous indeed,” Shane Parrish observes. “In this position, you are clueless as to how to minimize gaps in your knowledge, which could hinder your ability to excel in business and in life.” And honestly, “who needs more ignorance in a world that’s already full of it?” (Farnam Street)

“No” is another word we have difficulty with. I see this quite often with both work and volunteer requests. “It’s in our nature to be socially obliging, and the word no feels like a confrontation that threatens a potential bond,” writes Kristin Wong. So we acquiesce when all the while we know that a yes is not a good idea. “When we dole out an easy yes instead of a difficult no,” Wong continues, “we tend to overcommit our time, energy and finances.” She provides some tips for effectively communicating no, because, as she says, “learning to say no comes in handy.” Yes it does. (The New York Times)

For fun, I have to include this story about tree-climbing goats. Who knew goats could climb trees? I sure didn’t. A new study addresses the question of whether trees grow from seeds that goats eat and later expel. “The answer has important consequences for the birth of baby trees — in particular, the gnarled argan tree of Morocco,” Marc Silver notes. “Goats are encouraged to climb, dine and deliver the seeds to earth, where they are collected by humans and eventually turned into argan oil.” Go figure. (NPR)

Finally, in the midst of the current global turmoil and vitriolic media coverage, keep in mind this beautiful letter written by E.B. White to a correspondent who had lost his faith in humanity: “Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.” Happy weekend. (Farnam Street)

If you liked this post, don’t forget to subscribe to the Enterprising Investor.

All posts are the opinion of the author. As such, they should not be construed as investment advice, nor do the opinions expressed necessarily reflect the views of CFA Institute or the author’s employer.

Image credit: ©Getty Images/M&S Lurch

Susan Hoover

Susan Hoover is the digital editor, Enterprising Investor blog, CFA Institute. Previously, she worked for McCallum & Kudravetz, PC, and the U.S. Department of the Navy in real estate and labor law. Hoover earned the Claritas™ Investment Certificate and holds a BA degree from Lehigh University and a JD degree from the Washington College of Law, American University.

Source link

from CapitalistHQ.com http://capitalisthq.com/weekend-reads-retirement-dreams-summertime-and-learning-to-say-no/