#Mobius Children's Museum

[inboundremblog]

Best Things To Do, Spokane: A Guide to the Top Attractions in the City

Credit: Image by Gayatri Malhotra | Unsplash

Must Visit Things to Do in Spokane

Spokane, situated in Washington State, is an active city that captures the essence of new-age city life alongside stunning natural scenery. The city offers its visitors breathtakingly beautiful parks, significant historical monuments and buildings, a variety of attractive art immersion, and a great variety of view food. If you're seeking out things to do, Spokane will not let you down.

At the same time, almost anyone interested in this beautiful city might be satisfied, whether you are interested in nature, history, the arts, or cuisine. Spokane has a lot to offer, and the following is the list of five recommended things to do in Spokane that tourists should visit.

Explore Riverfront Park

Riverfront Park is one of the major attractions in Spokane, WashCentre's Center. It is 100 acres, so it has many sights and can provide many exciting things to do for everyone.

The park's green space was constructed initially for the 1974 World's Fair and remains a free-access cultural facility for nationals and tourists nowadays.

Iconic Spokane Falls

Of the highlighted geographical structures in the park, the most impressive feature is probably Spokane Falls. These waterfalls are significant and unique, and while there are no helicopter tours or full-on treks through Victoria Falls, several viewing platforms throughout the park allow for the breathtaking sight.

For a better perspective, spin the Spokane Falls SkyRide, a gondola ride that visually narrates the falls and their vicinity.

Numerica SkyRide

Another popular attraction is the Numerica SkyRide in Riverfront Park, quickly becoming popular. This type of gondola ride is one of the highlights of any visit to this city, as is the beautiful falls it overlooks.

The actual ride takes roughly 15 minutes, and the exciting part is that there are myriad photo-worthy views throughout the experience.

Looff Carrousel

You can ride in the historical Looff Carrousel, a centennial carousel with intricately carved wooden horses for the kids and the child in you. This fun ride attracts kids and the young due to its timeless appeal.

Skate Ribbon and Pavilion

Riverfront Park's entertainment features include an ice ribbon that turns into a roller path. Nestled to the ribbon is the U.S. Pavilion, a large facility utilized for performances, functions, and a spectacular illumination show. Due to its construction and colorful environment, the pavilion can be considered the park's Center.

The M.A.C. Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture

For those who want to understand the history and culture of the Inland Northwest area, a journey to the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (M.A.C.) is a must.

This Center is located in the city's Browne's Addition neighborhoods and has a rich collection of exhibits, including art, history, and Native American culture.

Permanent Collections

This museum's collection is focused on objects from Native American cultures, especially the Plateau cultures of the Pacific Northwest. These collections give a rich history of the Aboriginal community that lived in the area for several generations.

Rotating Exhibits

Besides the permanent collections, there are temporary exhibitions and installations in the M.A.C., focusing on such genres as contemporary art and history with integrated elements. This is usually the case because such exhibits tend to showcase the artists' creations from the region and depict topics related to the area's past and present experiences.

Campbell House

Right beside the museum is the Campbell House, an original early twentieth-century-styled mansion. Tours of the house are available and reveal what life was like in Spokane for the people living there in those days. The Campbell House is one of the city's biggest attractions and an essential exemplification of the area's historical and architectural traditions.

Enjoy Outdoor Adventures at Riverside State Park

Natural lovers should consider themselves lucky to get a taste of Rivers State Park, a treasure trove of opportunities for those who want to spend time in the open air. This is one of the biggest parks in Washington, covering 9,245 acres and four miles northwest of Spokane.

Hiking and Biking Trails

Within the park are numerous, well-marked trails for hiking and biking that pass through wooded areas, open fields, and along the river edge. Some of the most used trails are the Bowl and Pitcher Loop, which gives a perfect view of the Spokane River and remarkable bowl-shaped rocks.

Water Activities

The Spokane River surrounds the park, creating good water recreational opportunities. Canoeing, kayaking, and paddle boarding are fashionable leisure activities, and with flat water to go on, one can just rent a kayak for the day.

Fishermen can also see different kinds of fish in the river, a common feature of the water source.

Camping and Picnicking

Riverside State Park has numerous camping and picnic areas and is the best place for a weekend camping trip or any event. This natural reservation offers many opportunities for camping, picnicking, and other recreational activities due to its well-developed infrastructure and beautiful natural environment.

Manito Park and Botanical Gardens

Manito Park and Botanical Gardens is a verdant ninety-acre park home to several splendid gardens and stunning landscapes. This park is in Spokane's South Hill and is considered a garden lover's paradise or simply for people looking for a quiet area away from the hustle and bustle of life.

Duncan Garden

Duncan Garden is one of the well-known venues in Manito Park. It is a formal garden of the European style characterized by an exact repetition of plantages, trimmed lawns, and a water basin in the Center. When in bloom, the garden is bright with colorful flowers, giving visitors a colorful view and peacefulness.

Rose Hill

Rose Hill is another place one cannot afford to miss when in Manito Park. Over 150 varieties of roses are grown in this garden, making the environment sweet and aesthetically appealing. Tourists can view roses in their full glory and their varieties in the garden.

Japanese Garden

The Nishinomiya Tsutakawa Japanese Garden is a quiet place that hints at Japanese garden design. This calming place has water basins for koi fish, stone lamps, and trimmed trees and bushes. The Japanese Garden is best for meditation since it has a relaxing environment.

Gaiser Conservatory

The Gaiser Conservatory grows a collection of exotic plants and flowers worldwide. An indoor garden such as this one is a paradisiacal milieu that allows people to touch the tropics any time of the year. During the winter, it is mainly in demand, as people prefer to go there to take a warm and colorful rest from the frost.

Spokane boasts phenomenal natural views, countless historical sites and attractions, and a healthy dose of modern arts and recreational activities.

So, start packing, and let me guide you to the things you cannot miss while in Spokane, a city that offers fun, fun, and more fun for anyone who visits!

Discover more about the city’s attractions by reading our blog post at https://sweethomespokane.com/spokane-things-to-do/.

[galionne-speeding]

What're the eight gods like in your Sonic Pantheon AU?

Aah thank you so much for asking! I wasn't sure how/when to drop all the character info ; but now I've got the perfect excuse! To make it more digestible to read (and easier on myself) I'll copy/paste my character doc! (with some slight adjustments)

- - -

Name: Boreas (Also known as "The Cursed Winter", "Lord of Ice") Age: 25 Gender: Male (He/They) Species: Megaloceros Emerald: White

Several millennia ago, the last known megaloceros tribe was wiped out by its neighbors who greatly feared its people's ability to control ice and the cold. The sole survivor of the massacre, Boreas, was able to flee and it is believed he found a Chaos Emerald during his escape. Imbued with new power, he would soon return to avenge his people and slaughter those who had taken their lives ; until a small group of warriors was able to seal him deep inside an underground ice lake.

-

Name: Piia (Also known as "The Trickster", "Devil's Child", "The Moon-Kissed Spirit") Age: 8 Gender: Non-Binary (They/Them) Species: Pygmy Rabbit (Albino) Emerald: Light Blue

Piia was only a child when their village was hit by a disastrous harvest ; and they were offered as a sacrifice to the mountain their people worshiped. They were thrown into a deep crevasse and were killed on impact. However, their body had landed next to a Chaos Emerald which seemingly fed so much energy into it, Piia was brought back to life and granted an array of supernatural abilities. The young rabbit would go on to terrorize their old village, until they were tricked by another child into sealing themselves into a small mirror.

-

Name: Zeutaros (Also known as "The Storm", "The Great Dragon", "The Beast") Age: 201 (Early 40s by Zeti standards) Gender: Male (He/Him) Species: Ancient Zeti Emerald: Red

A Zeti Warlord of terrifying renown, it is believed Zeutaros fell to Mobius from the Lost Hex in ancient times. He seemingly found a Chaos Emerald near his landing site which charged him with immeasurable power and soon began ravaging the land in an enraged frenzy. The carnage would only end when Zeutaros accidentally broke the roof of a large underground cave system, where he fell and was buried by the rubble.

-

Name: Mother Agnes (Also known as "The Sunset Witch") Age: 62 Gender: Female (She/Her) Species: Luna Moth Emerald: Yellow

Little is known about Mother Agnes’ past ; only that she suffered greatly in her youth. In her early 60s she opened a boarding school for lost and troubled children which saw great success ; until all of the children put under her care began to vanish. It was soon discovered that she was in possession of a Chaos Emerald, which she was using to put the children into a comatose sleep in order to feed on their dreams. Her school was promptly swarmed by villagers and Agnes was captured and burned at the stake, at which point all of the children woke up. Her medallion is currently displayed in Sunset City’s history museum.

-

Name: Désiré (Also known as "Prince Raj", "The Adored One") Age: 17 Gender: Agender (They/Them) Species: Jacobin Pigeon Emerald: Purple

Born into wealth and nobility, Prince Raj was raised from the youngest age to be the next ruler of the kingdom and believed to have everything one could ever wish for. Yet many ; servants and nobles alike ; had noted how disheartend and dejected the prince always appeared both in public and in private. When the future sovereign turned 17 they were gifted a large purple gem which they took a particular interest in. Not long after this, communication from the kingdom to its neighbors slowly dwindled until it fell completely silent. It was soon discovered that the large purple gem gifted to Prince Raj was in fact a Chaos Emerald ; which they were using to warp the minds of the entire kingdom, so that all alike would see their lives now revolving around their new ruler as they worshipped and adored Raj day in and day out. The spell was only broken when an assassin was sent to enter the palace and successfully killed the prince.

-

Name: Malda (Also known as "The Hermit", "The Pestilence Witch") Age: 51 Gender: Female (She/Her) Species: African Common Toad Emerald: Green

Malda used to be a peaceful and solitary hermit living deep in the forest, making herbal remedies for those daring enough to visit her hut. When a villager went missing after visiting her however, she was quickly accused of causing his disappearance- as well as all others in the area. While historians now believe she was innocent, villagers at the time condemned her to death by drowning in the nearby lake. Not long following her death, the region was hit with several devastating epidemics ; which were only quelled once the lake was drained and The Pestilence Witch’s skeleton placed in an airtight coffin. A Chaos Emerald was found near her remains during the draining process.

-

Name: Manas (Also know as "Royal Seer Manas", "The Devil's Tongue") Age: 57 Gender: Male (He/Him) Species: Manul Emerald: Dark Blue

From a young age, Manas had always displayed the uncanny ability to learn everything from an individual, just by shaking their hand or touching their clothes. As this ability was sharpened over the following years, Manas began to slowly amass followers who were bewildered by his visions and predictions of the future. Little did they know, Manas was granted these abilities by a Chaos Emerald he was keeping safely hidden. As more and more people joined the ranks of his followers, the manul declared himself emperor and set his people on a path to conquer new land ; aided by his visions and knowledge. It is believed this conquest lasted for several decades and saw hundreds of war victories for the manul- until it all fell apart. One of Manas' visions turned out to be inaccurate, leading to a crushing defeat and the loss of nearly three quarters of his army. Disillusioned and under the assumption their ruler had knowingly sent them to their deaths, it is believed the survivors tracked down Manas and brutally murdered him for his failures.

-

Name: ∅ / Null Gender: ▇▇▇▇ (It/Its) Species: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Emerald: ▇▇▇▇

▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇

[leos-regression-cove]

Nothing in the Parenting Books Prepared me for This

Chapter 66: Children's Museum trip

Synopsis: Daycare is having a field trip to the nearby children’s museum! Thor and Mobius come along as chaperones. At first, everything seems chipper, but Loki is so fixated and impatient about visiting the "storybook cottage" and Mobius' hands are so full, that it's only a matter of time before things start going wrong.

Word count: 6,575

Stand Alone?: yes

Warnings: 1 swear, Bucky's abandonment issues,

Notes: I think I need to stop using my plotting structure the way I have been because last time, I ended up needing to break the story up into 4 chapters, but this one is just really really L O N G

Read it on AO3!

“So, how was daycare?” Mobius asked over dinner. 

Loki had been nearly vibrating waiting to talk to his whole family about it ever since he got picked up a couple hours ago, but every time he spoke it was only met with “you’ll have to tell us about it over dinner.” Now was his chance. 

“Um!” he started to make sure that he had everyone’s attention. “Daycare’s having a field trip,” he hummed happily.

Sylvie looked astonished and slightly offended that she had not been given this news sooner, slipping slightly as she asked “Where?!” 

“The museum.”

“Oh… ew.” 

“Mm! No, not the boring one-- The fun one.” 

“Fun one?” 

“The children’s museum?” Mobius offered. 

“That one,” Loki agreed with his mouth full of mushy yam, licking his fingers. 

“What’s that?” Thor asked. 

Mobius and Loki both paused as they tried to think of how to explain it to Thor and Sylvie.

“It’s a big play area,” Mobius began. “But it’s more than just a playground. They have crafts and activities, some have science experiments and demonstrations kids can do… Once I had a case at one that was filled with dramatic play rooms. Like your corner at daycare with the salon game setup?” 

“Um, it's grocery store now,” Loki corrected. 

“Grocery store is pretty common, too. So imagine that, but it's big.”

“...A real grocery store?” Sylvie asked. 

“No, no, littles and kids run it still, y’know? And the food is fake.”

“Oh,” Sylvie seemed intrigued.

“So, anyway,” Loki started up again. “They need chaperones and I think daddy an’ Thor should come.” 

Sylvie agreed with this. 

Thor shrugged and nodded. 

“I dunno kiddo. I’m kind of swamped after last week’s attack…we’ve got a meeting with the Indonesian government next Tuesday… What day is it?”

“Um… I dunno,” Loki admitted, pretending he was very distracted by his dinner. 

“Alright, well I’ll talk to Ms.Vaughn and see if we can work something out.” 

And they did. 

Thursday, at 8:30 am sharp, Mobius, Thor, Sam Wilson, Ms.Vaughn, and twenty excited littles waited outside the daycare in the freezing cold for the bus. 

A few of the tots shivered and sat still, others warmed up by hopping in place or chasing each other around the parking lot until they were caught and given stern a talking to about safety. 

Loki had chosen to climb up his brother’s back, overseeing the lot from about nine feet up, with his legs around Thor’s neck. 

A bright yellow bus pulled into the driveway. 

The chaperones worked together to shepard the little ones, ranging between 3 and 8 in headspace, onto the bus. But they didn’t sit down quite yet like the little ones did. Mobius and Thor left Loki and Sylvie to make sure there were only two littles per seat, breaking up groups of three or four, who thought they could get away with having a friend in their lap or scrunched by the window. 

Loki sat with his daddy at the front of the bus, in a spot where he could be supervised closely by several adults. 

Regardless of the supervision, Loki still stood up on his knees and turned around to talk with Scott behind him. “Have you ever been to a children’s museum?” Loki asked. 

“Loki, sit down!” Mobius chided him, tapping on the back of his thighs.

Loki ignored him. 

“Ah, yeah. But not this one. Momma looked it up for me though and it looks fun,” Scott answered. 

“Does it?”

“Yeah, there’s a big playground, lots of playrooms, science stuff, a big garden with mud, arts, and -- oh-- you and Sylvie are gonna like the storybooks cottage a lot.”

“Storybook cottage?!” Loki repeated. 

“Loki! Sit down, now,” Mobius hissed at him again. 

Loki sat down, but still peeked around the side of the seat to look back at Sylvie and Thor a few rows back. “Sylvie! Did you hear that?” 

Sylvie crawled over Thor’s lap to look at him. “I can’t hear you!” she yelled. 

“Sylvie, let’s use our inside voices,” Mobius reminded her as he pushed Loki off his lap and back up into his seat. “Jeez, I know you kids are excited, but can you just try and behave on the bus?” he chuckled. 

The facade to the building, in its old, colonial, red brick was horribly misleading. Its quiet, historic, nature gave way to absolute chaos once Loki stepped inside.

The inside wasn’t loud, but it was echoey. Most of the building was filled with many experiments, exhibits, and toys that wound and weaved around one another throughout a maze of short walls and boundaries, not quite attached enough to make individual rooms in a traditional sense. 

Things moved throughout on their own: screens with games flashed or moved with idle waiting animations, water cycled through one exhibit, and a tiny model train circled the perimeter of the building, and those were only things Loki could pick out of the chaos of 19 other littles and four adults all trying to herd them. 

Sylvie raised herself onto her tippy-toes, then back down over and over and over again, rocking back and forth and nearly bouncing in place, flicking her attention between exit doors, and the busy, moving toys, as if looking for sneaking figures. 

Thor put a hand on her back to steady her, providing a little comfort.

 This level of excitement seemed to be relatively common, Loki observed as he held on tightly to his daddy. The only one who wasn’t experiencing the same sort of pent up energy seemed to be Bucky. 

Well, maybe that was incorrect. Bucky had pent up energy, but it wasn’t the chatty, hyperactive, and curious sort of energy. It was fearful and cautious. He looked like he was about to cry, as Sam set a head on his shoulder and rocked him back and forth in a backwards hug while keeping a straight face.

Eventually, Loki and the rest of the group were instructed to put up their “quiet coyote” hands for another roll call, an introduction to the museum, a rundown of safety information, rules, and an itinerary. 

Even as they outlined the summary, this all sounded very very boring to Loki. 

He looked to his daddy, but Mobius seemed to be paying attention. So, then the little did the next best thing. 

“Psst Thor!” he tugged on the sleeve of his brother’s shirt. 

Once he knew he got Thor’s attention, Loki waved a hand, beckoning him closer. 

Thor leaned in to let his brother whisper something in his ear. 

“This is boring!” Loki whispered. 

“I know, brother, but it is important. Try to listen.”

Sylvie came around Thor’s backside to listen in. “It is boring,” she agreed. “Can we go play over there instead?” 

“Psst!” Mobius got all of their attention. 

The three looked up to realize that the presentation had stopped and most, if not all, heads were looking at them. 

Thor gave the both of them a small elbowing. 

As soon as the presenter continued, Loki stuck his tongue out at his brother.

Apparently, he chose the wrong time to do that, as Mobius quickly picked him up. Now he was really in for a stern talking to once the groups broke. 

Halfway through the safety presentation, while they were being told when shoes need to be off and what age groups are allowed where, a phone began to ring. Loudly. 

Loki searched for the source of it, only for Sam to apologetically reach in his pocket and say “Sorry I gotta take this.” 

He stepped away, taking a quick second to reassure Bucky that this would all be fine and Mobius and Thor were here-- He was safe and with his friends-- before kissing him on the cheek. It would just be a moment. 

Bucky almost looked angry. His entire body stiffened the second that Sam left, with his only perceptible movement being a trembling lower lip. 

Loki stared at him probably longer than he should have. 

Mobius maneuvered his little into one arm, with some slight discomfort and struggle, even though Loki was happy to cooperate. 

Then with his free hand, Mobius reached out behind him, ready to take another trauma-ridden and finicky little under his wing. At least, that was how Loki interpreted it. Maybe Mobius just felt bad and knew if Bucky could trust anyone who wasn’t his daddy, it would be someone from their household. 

Metal fingers clamped onto Mobius’ jacket sleeve. Not his offered hand, nor his arm itself, but the loose fabric around his bicep. 

Mobius tried to quietly soothe the other child, but since he couldn’t speak, physical touch wasn’t something Bucky particularly liked, and he had Loki sitting in his other arm, there wasn’t much he could offer besides a sympathetic look. 

There was a moment after instructions were explained and the littles were set free into the first exhibit, where Mobius was held in place by the pinch, while Bucky kept staring out the window. 

“You wanna run along with Sylvie?” Mobius asked. “I’ll catch up to you.”

Before Loki could wiggle down onto the floor and go play, Sam turned off his phone and came inside. He had missed his opportunity to get out and curiosity now held him in place, especially since Sam did not look happy. 

Bucky and Mobius simultaneously tensed.

“I… gotta go,” Sam said apologetically. “Fury said it’s an emergency.”

“...Yeah… take all the time you need.” Mobius said. He didn’t really mean it, and Sam didn't really want to hear it. 

“You’re going to be good for me, Bucky-bear. Mobius and Ms.Vaughn are right here. All your friends are here. It’s just like being at daycare.” 

Bucky looked down away from him, but didn’t respond at all, keeping his hands held firmly at his side.

“You’re gonna run around and have fun, and I’ll be back before lunch.”  

Bucky still barely moved. “...You promise?” he mumbled. 

“Yeah bud, I promise. This is just a quick errand. I pinky promise it.” 

Bucky hesitantly hooked pinkies with his caregiver as if it were an embarrassment. Then, he got a big hug and a rub on the back before Sam went to find the busy teacher and tell her about the situation. 

Mobius looked back at Bucky. “You ready to go try and have some fun? Sylvie, Scott, Thor, and Clint are all waiting for us. We shouldn’t leave them hanging, don’t you think?” 

Bucky followed behind them from a few feet away with crossed arms, dragging his feet. Neither Loki nor Mobius were unaccustomed to this behavior, and chose to let him mope, although staying close, just in case he needed it. 

“Daddy?” Loki asked. “Can we go to the Storybook Cottage?” He was slower with his words, leaving room for a childish cadence that snuck in between syllables. 

“Let’s put a pin in that one, pumpkin, and stick with the group for now. Just until Sam comes back. Then I’ll take you.” 

Loki frowned. “Can you play?” he asked. 

Mobius looked back at Bucky again. “I think I gotta look after this big guy. I know Sylvie and your friends wanna play though.” 

Loki bit his cheek and broke away from his caregiver slowly, walking towards a climbing net and starting to put his feet in the first holds. Maybe once he reached the tubes where Sylvie and his other friends were crawling, they’d have a game for him to join. 

Unfortunately, a climbing net of this size and scope was a little tough for Loki. It was easily ten feet up, and when you’ve only got socks on a thin, rope, surface, grip can be difficult to maintain. He slinked up it, making quite the effort. 

He could see Sylvie behind a clear plastic barrier a few feet above, snickering. 

He frowned at her and tried to climb up further, slipping and nearly falling down to the cushy, padded ground. 

“Loki, you wanna come over here? There’s a tot playground that may be more your speed,” Mobius suggested. It was apparent he really was trying to be helpful. 

But Loki was big today. He wasn’t a baby. Not totally at least. 

Sylvie slid down a slide a few feet away and stood behind him. 

“Here to mock me?” he asked, way more bitterly than he really meant to sound. 

“Only if you keep speaking like a grown-up… and trying to go up the net.” 

“What’s wrong with the net?” 

“That’s not how you climb up. Look! Here are the stairs.” She showed him to a tower with a small doorway in it. Surely enough, it was a spiral staircase. 

Loki began to walk up them. 

“Move!” Sylvie commanded, giving him a slight shove. 

“I’m going! I’m going!” he shouted back, beginning to jog. 

Although the jungle gym was expansive, and Loki enjoyed seeing his friends, he was decidedly relieved when a “Ding!” noise played over the intercom system and the chaperones helped the little ones into the next room. 

Thor slid down one of the slides with Loki in his lap and Sylvie right behind the both of them. 

He picked the boy up and seemed to understand that Loki wasn’t feeling very small yet. All the little energy had seeped out of him through hours in transport and a long lecture. Not even that 20 minutes on the playground had helped him regain the childish spark he usually had. 

Thor raspberried the boy’s hands.

Loki paused, a bit taken aback as something clicked. A grin crept onto his face. 

“He’s been revived!” he cheered.

Loki reached out and tried to wipe his spit covered hands on Sylvie. He made a gibberish yelp of “yuck!”

Thankfully for Loki, the next exhibit the littles were encouraged to explore was called the “messy room” and he was given the opportunity to wash his hands and put on a smock with all the other littles… and Thor… and Mobius? Oh! Everyone got a plastic yellow smock. 

The area was really two exhibits, not one. It was closer to a “smock zone” than anything: most of the room was filled with paints, bath crayons, paper, some sort of wheat-paste (to attach the paper to a wall), and even shaving cream, all sorts of messy substances to paint all over the room with, and on the other side was… Well, Loki didn’t care… Something else, he assumed. All he knew was he had to clean up before heading over there. His hands were too covered in child-safe liquidy-glue to think about that. He pressed ripped tissue paper against a small corner of the clear wall to create a stained glass effect, sitting on the paper-covered floor. 

A drop of paint fell on his nose. 

Loki looked up to see Thor above him, finger painting diligently and with an amount of focus almost unheard of for him. 

Then, Loki looked for the rest of his friends, still sticking scraps of paper to the wall. 

Sylvie was still at the materials table, squishing her hands in colorful slime that stuck to her. She didn’t actually seem interested in getting the mess- oh, no, nevermind. She flicked it everywhere, all over the paper floor and probably into the back of Loki’s hair. Definitely into Thor’s. 

Mobius was on the other side of the glass with Bucky, not many littles were. It was further from the materials section and the floor paper didn’t stretch so far, so most tots just stuck to the closer side. They were drawing with bath crayons and quietly talking. Mobius was trying so hard to be peaceful, really channeling his inner Mister Rogers. Just looking at them almost made Loki want to yawn and put his thumb in his mouth, an urge he needed to resist. 

Loki stood up to grab more paper, almost bumping Thor and a few other littles as he did so. 

“Loki! Look!” Thor called. “Come see what I made, brother!”

Loki stood close to him while wiping his hand on his smock. He could not figure out what he was looking at.

Thor must’ve noticed. “That ones me, and there’s Sylvie, and you, and then there’s da-- your daddy. When we got that big monster!” 

Loki sucked in his cheeks and nodded understandingly. 

“You don’t like it?” Thor asked, heartbroken by Loki’s reserved reaction. 

“Is good,” Loki hurriedly added, but maybe Thor didn’t hear him. 

“Sylvie! Look what I painted!” he called.

Mobius looked up from what he was doing at the same time Sylvie did. 

She brought her green goop with her, sliding it around in her hands, staining them as she joined the brothers in admiring the work. “Is that us?” she asked with a certain performative enthusiasm: Her caregiving voice. 

Thor nodded, rather pleased with himself. 

“We should get daddy to take a picture, don’t you think?”

“Yeah!” Loki agreed, slapping the glass.

Mobius paused and told Bucky something before walking around. His eyebrows were just slightly knitted with concern, but he smiled anyway. 

“Woah, hey Thor, did you paint that?” Mobius asked, looking at the stick figures. “We look great!” 

“Take a photo of it! For the fridge!” Sylvie  suggested.

Mobius fumbled in his pocket for his phone and took a snapshot, before showing it to the littles, and Thor just to make sure they liked it. 

Thor grinned and tapped his feet, making a girlish squeal.

“Saved!” he smiled, before patting Thor on the shoulder and returning to his own drawing. Later on, Loki would catch him taking a photo of his own handiwork, and several other of the littles’ creations. He showed Bucky his phone. “Should I send that one to your daddy?” he asked. 

Bucky had silently nodded. 

Meanwhile, Loki had decided he was done with this activity, even if the alarm hadn’t rung yet. He needed to see where the other littles were doing on the far side of the room. 

He washed his hands, and encouraged Sylvie and Thor to do the same. 

“You took me away from slime for this?” Sylvie asked incredulously. “For water?”

Apparently, the other, not-so-messy activity was a large water table. 

Although Sylvie immediately went back to her green ooblek, Thor definitely took interest, maybe even more than Loki. He picked up a plastic frog and set it into the water, running it under a waterfall and then setting it into the bucket of a water wheel. 

Loki stood next to him, but really didn’t get involved as much as he simply watched his big brother who… probably should’ve been watching other littles. Maybe that defense would still work. Loki looked up. There were two other tots at the water table. Three out of 20… not great, but still, that area needed a little supervision. 

Loki set some marbles into a run, sending them down a slide of rushing, babbling fluid. He clapped and giggled when they plunked into the water. 

Then, he grabbed one, and shoved it into one of the rushing water pipes with his finger. He pushed against the current with his hands, and then when he couldn’t use those anymore, he switched to magic trying to see how far down the clear pipe he could get it. Then, when the pumping fan began to sputter, he let it out, watching the ball float back up and out into the water. 

Thor raced a boat from one end to another as Loki messed with all the dials, buttons, and levers on enticingly lit and bubbling tubes of water, but even then, he had something else on his mind. 

“Um, Thor?”

“Yes, brother?” Thor asked, slightly distractedly.

“Can we go? I wanna see the Storybook Cottage…”

Thor grinned and almost agreed, but his face then fell. “I need to watch over the little ones…” 

“I’ma little one!” 

“Yeah but…” Thor drew a deep breath considering his words carefully. “I’m having fun.” … Okay maybe not too carefully. 

Loki whined and stomped his feet. “Please?” 

“Can’t you just enjoy all this? It’s magical!” 

Loki scrunched up his nose at that. None of this was magic. It was kind of interesting, but it was NOT magic. He knew magic. 

The plastic frog spit at Thor and waves upon waves began to rock the table, sending Thor’s wooden boat capsizing as the tides crashed against him. His whole front was being drenched. 

“Loki! Don’t lose your temper at me!” the god giggled as he was hit with a beam of spraying water from a “malfunctioning” tube. He really meant for it to sound intimidating, but how could it?

“Loki!” Mobius was not so lenient. He ran over and pulled Loki up against his clean smock, breaking the little’s concentration and the streams of water. “What do you think you’re doing?” 

Loki hesitated, trying to think of an excuse. Then he put a hand in his mouth and teared up. 

“That’s not gonna work this time. bud. You gotta talk to me. What’s got you spraying Thor with water? C’mon, I know you’ve got a nice big headspace today.” 

“He said no!” 

“No to…”

“Going to the storybook cottage!” 

“Oh, Loki, we’ll get there eventually. Be patient. You wanna maybe regress down a bit? Play with some of the extra stuff that the big kids don’t get to? That’ll keep ya busy.” He reached into his pocket, having trouble with the yellow smock around him to find Loki’s pacifier. 

Loki furrowed his brows as he took it. 

“You wanna hold my hand until we get to the next room?” 

“No?” Loki mumbled. 

Mobius didn’t answer that, and Loki knew he didn’t really have a choice unless he wanted to be sitting in the quiet sensory room the whole trip. 

The loudspeaker finally rang like the daycare bell, signaling the little ones to head to the next activity room (after they cleaned up, of course, which was a more daunting task for some than others.)

The next room, Loki didn’t really care about. He didn’t like that there was ANOTHER room. He wanted to go to the cottage, an outbuilding in the backyard he could see from the windows of the main museum. 

But he had already tried to make that known and look where it had gotten him, being pulled by the wrist into the next room alongside his daddy and fussy, sad, Bucky Barnes, who still refused to lighten up, even after a whole hour. 

Although, to be fair, Loki hadn’t done much lightening up, himself. 

Oh more science. How special. Loki wasn’t so big of a fan of the STEM push. No Migardian trick of science could impress him. Especially not something like wind. 

Clear, bendable tubes covered one wall, where littles were instructed to connect them together in interesting paths to float a ball of yarn through. 

Similarly, a tube of wind stood in the center of the room with written instructions about how to make and test the flying capabilities of different objects. 

Loki looked at it and slid his hand into the vortex before Mobius caught him by the collar and pulled him away, pointing to a red icon on the sign. 

The little frowned at him and then crossed his arms. 

“You can play with it, just maybe don’t stick your hand up there,” Mobius tried to explain. 

Any notion of fun had already been ruined though. Loki furrowed his brows, starting to stomp again and throw a fit. 

But Mobius didn’t listen. He was running over to talk to two kids who looked like they were getting into a fight and then stop three curious littles looking out the door towards the next exhibit. 

Thor was busy helping Sylvie connect wind tubes together. They appeared to be enjoying themselves, Loki noted. 

He sat in a corner with his back pressed up against the large windows of the room like a dramatic princess, people watching a little more than he cared to admit.

There was a moment where Thor seemed to remember why he was here and briefly left Sylvie’s side to attend to Clint and Scott who were asking him when lunch was and if he could do tricks with the wind too, if he was so good with thunder. 

Loki rolled his eyes at their praises of him. As if he was a celebrity and not their coworker and friend’s big brother. Why didn’t they ever talk to him like that? Loki pushed something invisible with his foot, administering a small kick towards the empty space in front of him. 

But, there was something he could use in this situation… 

“Sylvie?” he asked, as casually as he could. “Are you bored? As bored as I am?” 

She shrugged. “A little bit.” 

“Wind’s not very fun… Would you like to do something else?” 

She shrugged again, not really paying attention to him as she adjusted two plastic tubes to fit together. “Maybe…” She prompted. 

“Can we go to the story cottage?” 

Sylvie weighed her options, looked at the other littles, the adults, and then back at Loki. “Fine. But only for a moment so you can get a look at it. Daddy said we’re having lunch soon.” 

Loki grinned. “Thank you thank you thank you!” he repeated. 

He didn’t bother casting doubles today. He was already so tired, and Mobius’ hands were too full to really realize if they were gone. Bucky at some angles sort of looked like him. That would fill any gap he left in the classroom ecosystem.

Mobius looked around the room rather frantically. It felt like every time he solved one issue, another three cropped up. He wasn’t the only chaperone, but Ms. Vaughn was running around just as busily as he was and… Thor had seemingly joined the other team. As much as the god had said “regression wasn’t for him”, it sure did feel like it was. 

20 and a half littles to watch between two caregivers… that was a lot, especially with 6 superpowered ones. He wished Sam was back, probably just as much as Bucky did. He looked back at the little guy, just to make sure he was doing alright.

It also seemed like things had gotten suddenly quieter. None of the super littles were the ones being loud or aggressive with one another. It was mostly the normal ones Mobius found himself watching out for, as Thor kept the other fi-- wait.. Hang on. There were only three littles working with Thor… Then Mobius stopped, counted and… shit. 

The door to the cottage was unlocked and opened immediately, even though Sylvie had obviously planned on kicking it down. 

The inside was a bit cramped, but more in a cozy sense than anything. Loki crept inside, before realizing that the floor was heavily cushioned and his head clipped the top of the ceiling. So, he instead, after glancing at Sylvie, crouched down, and then crawled. 

“It’s just another baby exhibit, Loki,” Sylvie told him. 

She could still comfortably stand, even though she needed to avoid pillows, stuffed animals, and child-sized scene setting furniture. 

Loki stopped and took a book off a shelf, opening it to peer at the pictures while cushioned by pillows. 

“It’s no different from the reading corner at school.” 

He ignored her, shuffling on his knees into the other rooms of the cottage, exploring the kitchen and bedrooms curiously. 

“Loki!” she whined as she followed him around. “Don’t make me mummy for you right now… please? Now you’ve seen it, let’s just go back to Daddy and Thor. They’ll bring you over later! I’m too small to be a good big sister!” 

Loki paused when she finally caught him, pulling him back, away from the 3 bears beds and into her arms. He mumbled while pulling away from her grasp around his wrists until she finally restrained him into her lap. 

“We’ll come back after lunch! That’s what daddy said! There’s other baby things for you to play with in the normal room!” 

Loki thrashed against her, kicking into some of the pillows and started to cry. 

“Loki! You’re being loud!” She shushed him.

But it wasn’t the thought of having to leave that got Loki so upset. 

“I’m going and you’re going to come with me or not. Your choice.” 

When she let him go, Loki resigned himself to a corner, just like he had in the wind room. She was right. It was just like the reading corner at school or their living room at home. There was nothing special about it. Even the stories inside were the same ones he had been read over and over again. “The Classics” as the adults liked to call them. Hey Diddle Diddle and all those rhymes and songs that masqueraded as stories. 

The decor was… fine, but it was probably just as interesting as anything else in the museum. Maybe even less interesting. It did remind him of home, a bit, with its muted Victorian browns and bronzes but it wasn’t satisfying in any special way. 

Reluctantly, he took Sylvie’s hand and followed her outside, dropping the fringed pillow he was clutching.

She shut the door behind him and seemed almost satisfied with herself. They went back through the same glass door they had come through, but it looked like the group had already moved on to the next activity. 

The little ones searched the big, open, echoey areas for their daddy and Thor. Being alone in such a place almost seemed like a dream come true but neither of them really felt any mischievous inclination. 

Loki sat down, once they had circled the first floor and returned to moping. 

“Stop that!” Sylvie commanded him, administering a small kick to his midsection, more in a nudging way than one meant to cause pain. 

“There you two are!” Sam said. 

Somehow, in the time they were gone, there was a chance for the entire group to disappear, and for Sam to come back. He was carrying Bucky on his back, but the little’s face wasn’t visible. 

“You know where the lunch room is, right?” he asked. 

Loki shook his head and Sylvie stared at him blankly. 

“Here, follow me.” 

Loki took his hand and tried not to look like he had been crying too hard. 

Sylvie didn’t bother with either of those, simply walking within the caregiver’s line of sight to prove how much of a big girl she was.

The lunch room was behind a regular door that looked like it should have been labeled “Employees only”. It was small, too. Mostly used for birthday parties and the like. 

Mobius wasn’t there though, something Loki immediately noticed as he broke away from Sylvie, Sam, and the lunch line. 

The door to the yard was propped open, opening into a tall and thick garden of flowers and edible plants, filled with bees and butterflies. 

And, as Loki got closer, on the stoop, he saw who else, but his daddy, looking much more distraught than normal. 

Loki sat down next to him, blocking the doorway. 

Mobius wiped a wet eye with his sleeve. “Hey, there you are! You had me scared for a minute there,” he laughed. 

Loki wasn’t used to seeing him cry. He almost put his guards up, but instead decided to let his shoulders droop and share in a little momentary misery as his daddy wrapped an arm around him. 

“I didn’t realize how stressful it was looking after so many kids,” Mobius smiled. “I thought with two Lokis I’d be able to handle anything.” 

Loki nodded to show he was listening. 

“But jeez… ten littles! Handling ten littles alone, and the only ones I couldn’t keep track of were my own. You two made me feel like a pretty crappy caregiver.” 

Loki frowned a little more. 

“Well… You did! It’s not the same when you sneak off at the grocery store. This is different, bud. I’ve got a lot more things at stake here!”

Loki tried not to take it too personally, patting Mobius’ arm. If they hadn’t been at a children’s museum, the poor man probably would’ve been having a smoke. He wasn’t even much of a smoker but when he got stressed the rules tended to bend. 

“Where’d you even sneak off to, anyway?” 

Now it was Loki’s turn to stop comforting and start letting his emotions loose. “Story Cottage…” he answered lamely. 

“Not so fun?” 

The little shook his head and shuttered as he tried not to cry, trying to harness his big kid voice. “I-- I wasted all of it!” he spilled. “The whole day!” 

Mobius pulled him into his lap. “You know what I think we both need, little drama queen?”

“You too!” Loki interjected. 

“Yeah, I guess I’m a drama queen, too… but I think we could both get something to eat.” He picked Loki up and brought him over to wash his hands and grabbed him the lunches they had packed that morning. 

There were still many things left to play with and explore after lunch as Loki stayed tethered to his daddy, probably more than he really should have, insisting on being held after a filling, and quite frankly, tiring lunch. A task that really wasn’t so bad until Mobius realized he was about to try to climb two flights of stairs and was still supervising a good number of littles. At least Sam was there to ease some of the tension off, now. 

“Woah…” Thor said. 

“Oh,” Sylvie agreed. 

Loki furrowed his eyebrows, and turned around in his daddy’s arms. What was so great that they-- 

This wasn’t a room. It was a hall of rooms, probably a dozen. It was a little city, kitted with everything littles could ever want. Tricycles and riding toys were available on the “streets”, and in each of the buildings was a usable pretend play area pertaining to a profession. 

Sylvie however, was more drawn to an artificial treehouse on the far side. A massive climbable playground for the big kids that appeared to come out of the wall, with a tinier, baby area underneath it for aspiring climbers. 

“Why don’t we do that for you?” Mobius suggested trying to lead Loki over to the toddler area. 

But Loki was pulled in a different direction. “Loki! Come look at this!” Thor yelled excitedly. 

Mobius closed his mouth tightly, and looked up at the large climbing tree, unsure if he should leave Sylvie and a couple other littles there without a supervisor as Loki pulled him away. 

“Daddy! C’mon!” Loki shouted excitedly. 

“You go ahead… I think I need to stay here.”

Sylvie threw a foam apple at Mobius’ head. “Go! I’m a big girl! I’m safe!” She shooed him. 

Mobius rubbed his head as if that had hurt before giving her an “I’m watching you” gesture and backing away. 

Loki stepped behind the counter at a “pizza restaurant” with Thor. 

It was probably the busiest room in the whole little town, but with so many rooms to choose from, that still only meant it maybe had three or four other littles. 

Mobius tried to follow them into the kitchen, but Thor put his hand up. 

Loki understood what this meant. “Daddy,” he began as politely as he could manage, “you’re not allowed over here… We’re the chefs. You’re the customer.” 

Mobius got up on a stool at the front counter as he watched Thor try to give Loki a child-sized apron and Loki attempt to put it on, just to find it couldn’t tie in back and only covered his chest. 

Then, it seemed they went over the directions carefully together, with Thor reading the instructions slowly and out loud, as if he were just learning to read for the first time. He was always a slow reader, and Loki wasn’t going to wait around. Instead, he began rolling out the pizza dough with a roller as he carefully looked at the pictures. The dough itself was felt, or some sort of beige fabric like it.

When Thor finished reading, he didn’t immediately begin following the instructions, instead opening up the fake refrigerator and pantries to inspect what materials were at their disposal first. 

Mobius fake coughed, just to see if he could break either of them from what they were doing. 

Loki ran up first. He looked slightly annoyed to be distracted from his busy, busy task. 

“Aren’t you gonna take my order?” Mobius asked. 

Loki crossed his arms. “Okay… what do you want?” he asked. 

“I just can’t get any good customer service in a place like this, can I?” he sarcastically asked. “Hawaiian sounds good. Think you can make me a large Hawaiian pizza?” 

Loki nodded slowly, the gears turning in his head just a little harder to remember what that meant. It was unfortunate that the instructions didn’t include a recipe book. 

Mobius watched patiently as Loki put seemingly random velcro toppings from a myriad of labeled pots onto the pizza before putting it in the “oven” to bake. 

The “food” was taking ages, especially as the brothers got caught up “cutting” wooden fruit and giggling at the floppy, uncanny, rubber meats in the fridge. 

“Ding!” Loki suddenly said out loud. He ran over to grab his oven mitts and take out the pizza from the oven instead. 

Then, after “cutting” it, he brought the tray with the pizza to Mobius.

It was Thor’s turn to take over and explain. Loki had gone up and tugged on his sleeve. 

“We wanted to make you feel less stressed out!” Thor tried. “So we wanted to make you a pizza!”  

Mobius grinned and took an imaginary slice of pizza, “Send my compliments to the chef.” 

Loki nearly cried, whining and whimpering when the timer rang, and begging to stay. There was still so much to explore! Even with double the time of a normal exhibit, he still hadn’t played much with the train station or the post office. 

Mobius kept him in a cozy hug of a carry, while Thor lifted a giggling, screaming Sylvie over his shoulder and teased her about using her inside voice. 

She was crying with laughter and nearly couldn’t breathe through it. Whatever joke had been told might have been the funniest thing she had ever heard, and Thor’s rough, awkward way of carrying her had only exacerbated the condition. 

The last event of the day seemed to be more like a checklist item than a real activity. Next to the story cottage that Loki finally got the opportunity to show his daddy, was a puppet show theater. 

One of the museum’s employees was put behind the curtain as the littles were corralled and instructed to sit down to watch a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. 

Loki positioned himself in Mobius’ lap, holding his daddy’s hands in place around his chest and playing with his arms. 

He felt Mobius come up to rest his chin on his shoulder, but it was hardly registered as anything more than a familiar reminder of his presence and a little bit of extra warmth around him. That was, until Mobius made a little grunt, which turned to a slightly louder, longer one. 

Sylvie looked over at them.

Loki stared at her back without any explanation. 

“He’s… asleep!” she whisper-giggled. 

“Shh… let him. He’s worked hard,” Sam told them.

Loki held his daddy’s hand a little tighter. 

[atangledfate]

☤ — a memory of death/loss for Jewel

Her eyes lay focused upon her hands, now a sheen of silver that was slowly creeping up her arms. She had heard enough stories from Tangle to know what was happening. To know the fate of her and these two children. But that didn't make it easier for her to bare, it didn't make it easier for her to accept. She was shaking all over, fighting back her tears and her fear. Was this how her story ended? Was this the End? Tangle had just told her how Tails lost the data for the cure which meant--- She was doomed.

Her antenna twitched as the child behind her's sobbing got her attention and she turned to see the two whom had gotten infected first. There infection was further along and like her they were also scared. She knelt down and looked both of them in the eyes and smiled as warm as she could! she had to stay strong for them, to comfort them! at least she can do this one last act before the end.

" Shhhh... hey it'll be ok... Miss Amy will come for us and save us ... don't worry! "

She wouldn't, there would be no rescue, not for the infected.

" So why don't you two go try to play a board game or, some video games i'm sure Tangle won't mind you using her console... "

the boy nodded his head, and took the hand of his brother walking over to the TV in the room. She never let her eyes off of them as she walked across the room to her computer. She pushed a button to activate the Security in the Museum, which made bullet proof glass slide down over all the widows. A feature installed after the Rogues attack and one that would keep them inside.

She let out a soft sigh giving a glance over to the two boys, watching as they tried to distract themselves. Despite the pain, despite the fever, Despite knowing deep down there was no hope for them. Jewel picked up the phone off her desk and dialed Tangle's Number. She had to stop her before she got here, she knew what she would do and it was to late for her.

" Jewel? Jewel?! we are on our way Jewel! just site tight! and we'll get you out of there! "

Tangle's voice was one filled with Panic and worry.

" Angela... "

She used Tangle's real name to get her attention

" I've been infected... by the time you get here i don't know if i'll even be me. "

The Lemur's voice was full of fear

" No we'll... Tails will... Amy will... "

Jewel held the phone tightly in her hands

" Listen to me Angela... Its to late, you know that and i know that. You need to save who you can... You know, you've always been the Sister i never had. The friend i always needed... and i would go to the ends of mobius for you! I just wanted you to know that... in case this is the last time we get to talk.. Thanks for always being there for me! for protecting me... for ... for supporting me, and for being my friend "

She tried to hold her tears back but it failed

" Goodbye Tangle... and please--- Stay Safe..."

She dropped the phone and broke down, and sobbed as she lay her head down on the Desk and closed her eyes. It wouldn't be long now... she wondered---if it hurt.

[scottbcrowley2]

Coloring contest: Give us a hand celebrating winter - Thu, 12 Dec 2019 PST

Young artists, it’s cold outside, and that means it’s time for The Spokesman-Review’s winter coloring contest. So you better scurry and get your crayons, paints and stickers ready for some art. The contest is open to children ages 12 and younger. Entries will be judged by a panel of Spokesman-Review staffers who will choose winners in three divisions: ages 4 and younger, ages 5 to 7 and ages 8 to 12. Winners will receive a gift certificate to Mobius, good for admission to either the Children’s Museum or the Science Center, and their entries will be printed in the newspaper on Dec. 21. As many entries as possible will be displayed at Mobius Kids in the lower level of River Park Square. TO ENTER: Mail your entry to The Spokesman-Review Coloring Contest, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210, or deliver them to the S-R office at 999 W. Riverside Ave. Entries must be received no later than 5 p.m. Dec. 16 and cannot be returned. Be sure to attach a separate piece of paper that includes your name, address and telephone number so we can contact you if you win. Photocopies of the form are acceptable, and a copy of the form can be downloaded at spokesman.com/coloring-contest. Coloring contest: Give us a hand celebrating winter - Thu, 12 Dec 2019 PST

[biofunmy]

It might take a while to warm up to, but once you do ‘Outer Wilds’ is quite an adventure

Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital)

Outer Wilds

Developed by: Mobius Digital

Published By: Annapurna Interactive

Available on: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One,

It took me a while to warm up to “Outer Wilds,” the new space exploration game that tasks players with investigating time loops, supernovas, black holes, planetary surface integrity, and other cosmic curiosities. At first I found the game bewildering, even off-putting. In hindsight, though, my initial reaction strikes me as a testament to how well the game succeeds on its own terms. Given that “Outer Wilds” is all about discovering the sort of phenomena that once astonished and befuddled an advanced alien civilization, it seems right that I should have been unsettled by it at first.

“Outer Wilds” begins with your character opening his eyes and gazing at the stars. Training your vision forward reveals one of your fellow four-eyed Hearthians seated before a campfire. If you so choose, the first action you can perform in the game is to roast a marshmallow and eat it. Before you can access your ship, which rests on an elevated platform nearby, you must acquire launch codes from your Outer Wilds Ventures supervisor. Making your way to the observatory, you’ll notice wooden houses with right-triangle frames, and a scattering of Timber Hearth’s inhabitants who are happy to chitchat for a spell.

Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital)

On the ground floor of the observatory there is a small museum that contains artifacts from a long-vanished civilization called the Nomai. These fur-clad, three-eyed beings left traces of themselves throughout the solar system, but no one knows where the Nomai originated or what led to the collapse of their civilization. Recent advances in technology, however, have led to the manufacture of a tool that can translate the Nomai’s spiral script. And in a head-scratching display of confidence, this precious tool has been entrusted to you for use on your maiden voyage.

There is a tweeness to the game’s aesthetics that put me in mind of Wes Anderson’s movies — Timber Hearth looks like a summer camp, and the Hearthians’ ramshackle spaceships resemble children’s toys. But such cuteness belies the fact that “Outer Wilds” asks a fair amount from the player in terms of conceptual thinking. You are given remarkably little direction as to how you should proceed in the game apart from the advice to go forth and explore. As such, for the first several hours I found myself irritated that I was at a loss as to how to proceed in the most efficient manner. Questions like, “in what order should I visit the planets,” and “am I remotely on the right track with what I’m doing” nagged at me because, of course, as a critic I felt the pressure to not futz around. While I found it mildly interesting that I could, say, land my ship on a comet, there is no way I would have guessed that I could access the comet’s core by waiting for it to fly close enough to the sun without consulting the Internet.

Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital)

Eventually things began to coalesce as I found and translated more samples of Nomai writing. I don’t want to share too much of what I’ve found since fumbling in the dark is an essential component to how the game operates. I will say that after spending more than twenty hours with it, its mysteries revolve around something that is older than the universe itself.

As I’ve chipped away at “Outer Wilds,” my appreciation of it has grown exponentially. I admire how it plays with scientific concepts like quantum matter that can appear and disappear when you look at it, then look away, then look back. Also, I liked how different places in the game are only accessible when a planet — which is small and easy to navigate around — is in a certain phase of its orbital rotation. I’m not used to entertaining such thoughts in a video game, which makes doing so a pleasure.

Approached with patience, “Outer Wilds” offers quite the adventure.

Christopher Byrd is a Brooklyn-based writer. His work has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, the New Yorker and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter @Chris_Byrd.

Recent game reviews:

‘Draugen’ is a picturesque game about delusional thinking

Like many VR games right now, ‘Blood & Truth’ coasts on its novelty

A powerful combination of art direction, action and voice acting makes ‘A Plague Tale: Innocence’ a game worth your time

‘Rage 2’ is a game that’s confidently bland

Sahred From Source link Entertainment

from WordPress http://bit.ly/2IeNXw0 via IFTTT

[tyleroakley-obsessed]

Another exciting fall weekend is here, and there’s plenty going on in Memphis! Here are the five things you won’t want to miss, plus a few extras. Photo by Andrea Zucker But first, be sure you didn’t miss anything on the blog lately: – It’s Happening! Everything You Need To Know About ESPN’s GameDay Coming To Memphis  – Tigers Fans Speak Out: What GameDay Means To Us (going live soon) – The 22nd Indie Memphis Film Festival Is Happening Now – Don’t Wait Until The Day Before Thanksgiving To Decide You Want To Volunteer – There’s A Dia De Los Muertos Parade and Free Festival On Saturday – Downtown Dining Week Is Back! Eat Cheap Downtown 1. Indie Memphis Film Festival, Various Locations, through Nov. 4 (with encores through Nov. 7), $10 per film/$100 film pass, all ages (parental discretion advised) The 22nd Annual Indie Memphis Film Festival kicks off today (Oct. 30) and goes through November 4th, plus encore days November 5th through 7th. We’re in for more than a week of feature films, shorts, documentaries, music videos, parties, panels, and much more. 2. Stuntarious IV EP Release: A Night Of Disruption, Playhouse on the Square, Friday, 8:30 p.m., free, all ages Unapologetic creative group hosts the Indie Memphis Block Party this year, shutting down Cooper Street from Union to Monroe on Friday night for live music, art, limited edition merch, and more. Expect performances from Sapphire, HANNYA CHA0$, Hippy Soul, Boss Ladi, Daz Rinko, Eillo, She’Chinah, Cameron Bethany, Aaron James, PreauXX, Kid Maestro, AWFM and IMAKEMADBEATS. Read more from my pals at Choose 901. 3. ESPN College GameDay + Tigers v. Mustangs, Beale Street + Liberty Bowl, Saturday, all day, $35 – $45, all ages Is Saturday the biggest day in Memphis football history? That’s what folks are saying. ESPN comes to Beale Street for their GameDay show broadcast on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fans will get there as early as 5:30 a.m. to grab a spot on TV or to start partying. Tiger Lane opens at noon for tailgating, a beer garden, and food trucks. And almost sold-out football game kicks off at the Liberty Bowl at 6:30 p.m. As of this writing, there are a very few number of tickets left. Read the full ESPN College GameDay Guide right here. 4. Dia de los Muertos Parade & Festival, Brooks Museum, Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-3:30p.m., free event, all ages Families are invited to celebrate Dia de los Muertos at the Brooks Museum of Art. The parade will begin in Overton Square with floats and performers at 11:30 a.m. and will arrive at the Brooks Museum a bit after noon. After the parade, there will be a community celebration inside the museum with face painting, music, dance performances, food trucks, and more. 5. India Fest, Agricenter, Sunday, 10 a.m.-8:00 p.m.,$5 for adults, $1 for children, free for children under 5, all ages Organized by the India Association of Memphis, this festival showcases the art, culture, music, cuisine, and heritage of India’s diverse cultures. Bonus idea… Broad Avenue Art Walk, Saturday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., free, all ages/kid-friendly Broad Avenue’s Art Walk is back and bigger than ever, with an all day, free, fun way to explore the street, get some shopping done, and support local businesses. There’s an artist’s market with 40 vendors, ten food trucks, live music, Arrow Creative’s grand opening, a kids’ play area, and more. Holiday Market, Crosstown Brewing, Saturday 1 p.m. – 8 p.m., free, all ages/kid-friendly Mobius Theory and Crosstown Brewing host a holiday market with more than 20 artists and vendors, live music, food trucks, desserts, and adoptable dogs! For more, check out the blog’s calendar. Are you a home owner in Memphis, with a broken garage door? Call ASAP garage door today at 901-461-0385 or checkout https://ift.tt/1B5z3Pc

https://ilovememphisblog.com/2019/10/5-things-to-do-this-weekend-11-1-11-3/

[jazzworldquest-blog]

USA: The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) Announces 2017 Jazz Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Candace Avery

International Songwriting Competition

615.251.4441

press@songwritingcompetition.com

www.songwritingcompetition.com

The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) Announces 2017 Jazz Winners

Judges Include Billy Cobham, Lonnie Liston-Smith, Danilo Perez, John Burk (President, Concord Label Group), And More

April 19, 2018 -- The International Songwriting Competition (ISC), widely recognized as the most prestigious and respected songwriting competition in the world, is pleased to announce its 2017 winners. Created in 2002, ISC received more than 16,000 entries from almost 140 countries. Total prizes include more than $175,000 in cash and merchandise, including a Grand Prize consisting of $25,000 in cash (USD) and over $35,000 in additional prizes.

The Grand Prize winners this year are Nicholas Miller (better known as Illenium), Annika Wells, Kate Morgan, and Michael Biancaniello for the EDM song “Crawl Outta Love Ft. Annika Wells."

Taking home First Place in the Jazz category is Hiroe Sekine (Kiryushi, Gumma, Japan) for the song “Nippon Barre.” Second Place is awarded to Hayley Lam (New York, NY, USA) for “The Unknown Bell II,” and Third Place goes to Mads Mathias (Copenhagen, Denmark) for “I’m All Ears.”

“The winners reflect a wide range of styles within the jazz idiom, “ says Candace Avery, ISC Founder and Director. “However, the common thread in the winners is the depth of songwriting talent displayed. They are extraordinarily accomplished, and we are proud to honor them and celebrate their artistry.”

ISC winners hail from all over the world (61% of this year’s winners come from outside the USA) and range from talented amateurs to seasoned songwriting veterans. The 23 categories include all genres of contemporary music, from Jazz to EDM to Rock to Pop to R&B/Hip-Hop and more.

For a complete list of ISC 2017 winners and to hear the winning songs, go to: http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/winners.

The complete panel of 2017 judges includes:

Recording Artists

Lorde; Tom Waits; Ziggy Marley; American Authors; Nancy Wilson (Heart); Martie Maguire (Dixie Chicks); Booker T. Jones; The Mavericks; Sara Evans; Bastille; Keane; Hardwell; Danilo Perez; James McNally (Afro Celt Sound System); Billy Cobham; Gerald Casale (Devo); Natalie Grant; Krewella; Matt Nathanson; Amadou & Miriam; John Tibbs; Kaskade; John Mayall; Joe Louis Walker; Nicholas Gunn; Ashwin Batish; Lonnie Liston Smith; Walter Trout; Trilok Gurtu; Tommy Chong; and Tony Joe White.

Industry Executives:

Gregg Nadel (President, Elektra Records); Seymour Stein (Chairman/CEO, Sire Records); Daniel Glass (President, Glassnote Records); John Esposito (Chairman/CEO, Warner Music Nashville); John Burk (President, Concord Label Group); Ed Vetri (President, Wind-Up Records); Bruce Iglauer (Founder/President, Alligator Records); Steve Yegelwel (Sr. VP, Island Records); Nate Albert (Executive VP of A&R, Capitol Records); Jacob Edgar (Founder, Cumbancha); Aaron Bay-Schuck (President of A&R, Interscope Records); Mike Easterlin (President, Fueled By Ramen/Roadrunner Records); Josh Bailey (Senior VP of A&R, Word Entertainment); Gordon Kerr (CEO, Black River Entertainment); Richard Stumpf (CEO, Atlas Publishing); Steve Greenberg (CEO, S-Curve Records); Kim Buie (VP of A&R, New West Records); AJ Tobey (Head of A&R, Rough Trade Publishing); Cory Robbins (Founder/President, Robbins Entertainment); Angel Carrasco (Latin Music Consultant); Julie Kertes (Editor/Manager, Hot Diggity Media); Laura Margolin (Publishing, Glassnote Records); Leib Ostrow (Founder/CEO, Music For Little People); Katherine Danes (Co-President, The Children’s Music Network); Claire S. Green (President, Parent’s Choice Foundation); Benjamin Groff (Founder, The Brill Building); Sas Metcalfe (President, Global Creative, Kobalt Music); Golnar Khosrowshahi (President, Reservoir Media Management); Carianne Marshall (Partner, Songs Music Publishing); Tamara Conniff (EVP, Roc Nation); Dara Frank (Head of Comedy Central Records/Viacom); Carl Caprioglio (Founder/CEO, Oglio Entertainment); and Elena Epstein (Director, National Parenting Product Awards).

ISC is sponsored by: AKG By Harman; Berklee College of Music; Celebrity Access; D'Addario; Dark Horse Institute; Disc Makers; Eventric; Gig Salad; JBL Professional by Harman; Lurrsen Mastering; Merch Cat; Musician Wellness; Musician’s Institute; ONErpm; PreSonus; SongU.com; Sweetwater Sound; PAWW Premium Sound; and Tunedly.

Entries are now open for the 2018 competition. For more information and to enter, go to https://www.songwritingcompetition.com.

For low-res photos of all winners, go to https://songwritingcompetition.com/winners

For high-res photos, please contact Candace Avery at press@songwritingcompetition.com

Jazz Winners

First Place

“Nippon Barre” – Hiroe Sekine – (Kiryushi, Gumma, Japan)

Hiroe Sekine, an accomplished jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and arranger, studied at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music and has performed at many venues, including the highly prestigious Jazz Concert Series at Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Her debut album, a-mé (rain), was released in 2010 and was selected one of the best 25 jazz albums of the year by the prestigious “All About Jazz”. Her most recent album, “One World One Sun,” was released by Sony Music Direct in 2017. The New York-based Aquarian Weekly magazine chose this album as the best Worldbeat CD of 2017. More recently, nationwide Japanese FM station J-WAVE adopted Hiroe’s arrangements for their station jingle for use on air.

Second Place

“The Unknown Bell II” – Hayley Lam – New York, NY, USA

Hayley Lam is an award-winning composer who specializes in both contemporary jazz and classical music. She began her studies in music at a very young age, earning her Associate Diploma, ATCL Recital Piano from the Trinity College of London when she was just eleven. She then proceeded to earn her Licentiate Diploma, LTCL Recital Piano and Associate Diploma, ATCL Recital Violin a couple of years later. With a profound interest in contemporary and jazz music, she was awarded a scholarship to further her studies at Berklee College of Music.

With her musicianship compared to as "Stravinsky meets Brookmeyer," she was selected as the Finalist at the Seattle Women's Jazz Orchestra (SWOJO) Annual Jazz Composition Contest for Women Composer in 2016. She is also the Global Music Awards (GMA) bronze winner in the Composer and Jazz Big Band category. In 2017, her piano solo work won the Contemporary Piano International Composition Competition held at Athens. She was also selected as the composer showcase winner of the International Jazz Conference JEN at New Orleans. Her other accomplishments include 2018 The American Prize in Composition, 2018 KMEA Composition Competition Winner, 2018 Semi finalist of Maurice Ravel Composition Competition, and many more. 

Third Place

“I’m All Ears”– Mads Mathias – Vancouver, BC, Canada

Mads Mathias is a singer, saxophonist, and composer who was brought up partly in Tanzania and partly in Denmark in a home with 46 musical instruments that he explored from an early age. He began concentrating on playing the piano at the age of seven and saxophone from the age of 11. He played his first gigs as a saxophonist and singer at the age of 14. He later attended the Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, from which he graduated. Since then, he has toured with different bands, among them his own band, Six City Stompers. His album, Free Falling, won him a Danish Music Award for Best New Danish Jazz Artist of the Year.

Honorable Mention

 “Africa Suite” - Andy Atwill, Greg Heath (Andy Atwill) - Gisborne, GI, New Zealand

 “Algebra Of Chaos” - Martino Vercesi - Milan, MI, Italy

 “Biorhythm” - Towa Kitagawa - Yokohama, Japan

 “Harlem Hoedown” - Jason Yeager (Jason Yeager And Jason Anick) - Framingham, MA, USA

 “J-HO, From The Block” - Adam Waldmann (Kairos 4Tet) - London, England

 “Mobius” - Pete Levin - Boston, MA, USA

 “Moon Longing Sun” - EIshin Nose - Otaru, Japan

 “Probing Steps” - Thomas Winther Andersen (Winther-Storm) - Amsterdam, Netherlands

 “Sanctuary City” - Cat Toren (Cat Toren's HUMAN KIND) - Vancouver, BC, Canada

 “Schizma” - Slawek Dudar (Slawek Dudar Quartet) – Poland

 “Step Right Up!” - David Laborier – Luxembourg

 “The Great Journey” - Jonathan Saraga - New York, NY, USA

 “Waterfall” - Mamiko Watanabe - Fukuoka, Japan

  “Word Games” - Bruce Gertz (Bruce Gertz Group) - Melrose, MA, USA

via Blogger https://ift.tt/2HQngMq

[dontpostme]

Forest Lawn at Downs & Ross 03 November — 17 December 2017, New York

Joshua Nathanson

The last beam of sun softly cuddles the skin. Children’s groans can be heard dissolving in the rocky ochre landscape as the strong yet gracile fever that stems from the first glass of absinthe rings the end of the day and the beginning of the long-awaited aperitif. This Provençal scene taken from the patio of a Mas overlooking the Aubagne lowland could have been the daily rituel of Joshua Nathanson. A Marcel Pagnol ecstasy that has haunted an incalculable amount of T Magazine readers. Yet, Nathanson has not grown desperately seeking the maternal shadow of a cedar tree. He has instead been shrouded by Los Angeles’ purified and controlled air conditioning system that connects all of the metropolis’ interior – Frank Gehry’s poorly renovated mall in Santa Monica to the diffuse atmosphere of the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Nathanson’s paintings depict Californian scènes de vie that are captured on site via pencil drawings, routed through his iPad’s drawing apps, and become the basis for paintings accrued of both computed and caressed gestures. While technically bearing allegiance to the assimilative method of the light-based realm started in the late 50’s with Gerhard Richter and prolonged by Albert Oehlen, his research sidesteps the materialist critiques of contemporary image-making. Instead, his plein-air digital renderings reflect life at some closeness to the screen. At this range, the internet savvy concept of attention deficit disorder becomes all the more apparent. If Nathanson shares the Impressionists’ ambitions to translate contemporary modes of perception, he is less concerned with light, and its reflections on the variegated textures of modern life, than with showing a conflation between the city’s early-20th-century pastoral dream and an Oldenburgian distended optimism. Forgotten is the time when the Californian pavilion for the World Exhibition in 1893 was a massive bell composed of fresh citrus; yet, even then, nature was treated as a brand. In a city which has obliterated the concept of public spaces, Nathanson wanders between Vito Acconci’s Mobius Bench II in Pasadena and the Borghesian Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Housing a complete collection of replicas of Michelangelo’s sculptures, the park sits dangerously close to the Warner Bros. Studios. Only now it is possible to picture Nathanson walking through The Grove like Walter Benjamin did in the arcades of Paris, a post-situ explorer capturing Hollister tee-shirt buyers, synthetic pink ice-cream consumers, agitated conversations at the Cheesecake Factory, and kids in Lisa Frank under palm trees. Like Rousseau in Ermenonville, he is the promeneur of Huntington Park. A dreamer who has integrated the beauty of impermanence and the variation of flux into his contemplations. An acute observer who mobilizes different registers of perceptions, seizing the picturesque, appropriating the poetry of the place, feeling its romantic emanation. No great divide – forget Frankfurt school and French post-structuralism. The flâneur in Los Angeles collects expensive Uber bills and has a desperately high carbon foot print. Here, if there is a kind of pastoralism cherished by Le Lorrain or Poussin it has been screened out with the degraded image produced in Paint. The spectacle of seasons is dissected with a loose, balletic hand. Chronicler of the transitory, amateur of enchanted nights, or simply a Baudelairian chatbot in the city of Quartz. – Pierre Alexandre Mateos & Charles Teyssou

Joshua Nathanson (b. 1976, Washington, D.C., lives and works in Los Angeles, CA) received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts, New York, NY, and his MFA from Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA. Recent group exhibitions include: The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; Whitechapel Gallery, London: the Yokohama Museum; ARNDT, Singapore; and 356 S. Mission, Los Angeles. Solo exhibitions include: Various Small Fires, Los Angeles; Luce Gallery, Turin; and Kaikai Kiki Gallery, Tokyo. His work is the subject of an upcoming solo exhibition at Yuz Museum, Shanghai, in 2018, and is included in the permanent collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

[finishinglinepress]

FINISHING LINE PRESS BOOK OF THE DAY: Proposition at the Walk-In Infinity Chamber by Bobbie Lee Lovell $14.99, paper https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/proposition-at-the-walk-in-infinity-chamberby-bobbie-lee-lovell/ Bobbie Lee Lovell grew up writing, drawing and dreaming on Lake Michigan’s western shore. She studied visual art and pursued a graphic communications career, but words are her favorite medium. Bobbie has worked as a magazine art director, a freelance graphic designer and a corporate print producer. Her poems have received honors via the Peninsula Pulse’s Hal Prize and the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets’ Muse and Triad contests. She won the 2016 Kay Saunders Memorial New Poet Award and has been a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee. This is her first chapbook. Bobbie remains in Wisconsin with her two children and a vibrant poetry community. Her hiking shoes and camera get much use — often simultaneously. She does, in fact, behave appropriately at art museums and expects that you would too. Proposition at the Walk-In Infinity Chamber is about relationships, decision-making and resilience. Bobbie Lee Lovell freezes time at critical moments and romanticizes her own predicaments to forge connections with readers. Her poems are infused with ekphrastic and speculative elements, and her voice ranges from wistful to brazen. In poems that are beautifully smart and wondrously sensual, Lovell invites readers into a world of love, loss and possibility. Set against a backdrop of art, science and fairy tale, these poems hang like “little rainbow[s]” in a dark sky. There are risks and safety nets, there are close-calls — too many to count. Yet, Lovell is a poet who “still believes in light,” still believes in the delicious possibility of flight. — Karla Huston, Wisconsin Poet Laureate 2017-18, author of Grief Bone, Five Oaks Press: 2017 and A Theory of Lipstick, Main Street Rag Publications: 2013 Lovell and her poems scale rocks and hopes. Sometimes she’s dazzling as love’s proposals, “… the words hung in the air / like a little rainbow.” Other times she’s drawn to fall, “… not fathoms / but parsecs … the pull so profound / not even light wants out.” Reading these, you’ll agree, “… you were born / to die climbing — // not mountains, exactly. / They’re just metaphors.” — Michael Kriesel, 2015 North American Review Hearst Prize winner Proposition at the Walk-In Infinity Chamber excites me as a poet, editor, and reader of speculative poetry. In particular, I’m a fan of the multi-layerings of meaning, trope and narrative displayed here. The poet’s relationships and severances are presented in science-fiction or fairy-tale contexts, which at the same time that they alienate us with inexpressible distances have the cozy reassurance of our childhood’s fantastic movie matinees. Lovell is in love with the universe, despite its sorrows: “They say it’s just an illusion, / but let’s take our chances.” Proposition is itself a reflective chamber of mirrors turned both inward and outward: “all outcomes reduced to stay or go.” These poems present life as a heroic quest. — F.J. Bergmann, editor of Star*Line, the journal of the Science Fiction Poetry Association; and Mobius: The Journal of Social Change PREORDER PURCHASE SHIPS JULY 14, 2017 RESERVE YOUR COPY TODAY https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/proposition-at-the-walk-in-infinity-chamberby-bobbie-lee-lovell/ #poetry

[marketingadvisorvietnam]

Saigon’s sidewalk revolution will not be motorized

Marketing Advisor đã viết bài trên http://www.ticvietnam.vn/saigons-sidewalk-revolution-will-not-be-motorized/

Saigon’s sidewalk revolution will not be motorized

Saigon’s sidewalk revolution will not be motorized

The pavement has been liberated; long live pedestrians!

Saigon isn’t exactly pedestrian-friendly. The city’s many broken sidewalks often double as motorbike parking lots.

In heavy traffic, they triple as emergency lanes.

The tropical climate (hot and/or wet) isn’t conducive to strolling, but the political one is changing.

A no-nonsense campaign has kicked off in earnest, scraping sidewalks clear of everything from police shelters to illegal signs.

Grab a bottle of water and step out into the brave new pavement.

 Le Duan-Nguyen Binh Khiem, District 1

A leisurely walk under the trees

Leafy April 30th Park offers a place for young people to eat, sing and snack.

Begin in their midst and proceed past the sprawling consulates lining Le Duan Boulevard to the front entrance of the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens.

If you get arrive at the right time, you may just get a chance to stop in and feed the giraffes. Otherwise, follow the breeze toward the river.

Traffic remains perennially light along this shaded section of Nguyen Binh Kiem thanks to a double-row of towering dau rai trees.

Pham Duy, perhaps the country’s most prolific songwriter, rhapsodized how their falling leaves led young lovers to the nearby Trung Vuong High School, which initially served as a hospital for French military officers.

Finish your walk by popping in to check out the awesome dinosaur mural that flanks the back wall of the museum of Geology, which feels more like a museum of a museum.

Ly Tu Trong Street

Street of interesting stops

Catinat Building at 26 Ly Tu Trong

Begin under the dense (and doomed) canopy on Ton Duc Thang street and walk south against traffic.

You’ll soon find yourself standing in front of Children’s Hospital 2, one of the oldest in Asia, according to Tim Doling, author of the walking guidebook Exploring Ho Chi Minh City.

“Set amidst lush gardens and shady trees, Children’s Hospital 2 has been cited as a prime example of how good architecture can make a healthcare environment welcoming to patients and their families, rather than treating them as victims in a stark and sterile space,” Doling wrote on his site, Historic Vietnam,

Further down the street, drop into the Catinat Building [26 Ly Tu Trong] and explore the galleries, cafés, restaurant, clothing stores and a cooking classrooms that cling to the stone building’s winding stone staircase. According to Doling’s research, the building sits just next door to the CIA office, where helicopters once swooped down to evacuate agents in the final hours of the US-backed regime.

Sadly, visitors aren’t permitted on the roof and the Catinat is slated for “re-development.”

Proceed further down sidewalks shaded by tamarind trees and dip into alley 177 for fresh cut fruit, crushed ice and yogurt (AKA Trai Cay To).

Truong Dinh – Ba Huyen Thanh Quan 

Bright by day, cool by night

Start at Tao Dan Park, a 10-hectare park at the center of the city that contains everything from ancient tombstones and a popular morning hangout for songbird enthusiasts. You could literally spend all day here, doing aerobics, playing tennis and swimming laps.

The narrow grid of streets immediately west of the park offers a wonderful density of beautiful colonial-era villas and mansions, many of them crumbling, a few threatened, but a few more mercifully restored.

The jewel in the crown may be the multi-million dollar Phuong Nam Mansion, which occupies an entire block at the corner of Vo Van Tan and Ba Huyen Thanh Quan.

In the evening, the area’s significant density of cafes and bars fills with young folks out in search of noodles and live music.

Pop in to the always-packed Acoustic Bar (on Ngo Thoi Nhiem St.) and slowly eat your way to the relaxing and cozy Yoko Bar (on Nguyen Thi Dieu St) for a cold beer and some original tunes.

Peanut roasters in Vuon Chuoi

Ban Co area 

Get Lost in the Checkerboard

Leave your smart phone at home and take a step into the frenetic Vuon Chuoi Market, a two-story concrete structure packed to exploding with people in search of everything from cheap clocks to fresh seafood.

Tents extend from the market’s rear exits into the twisted guts of Saigon’s sprawling Ban Co (“Checkerboard”) neighborhood.

Step gingerly through the frogs, vegetables and meat laid out on the ground behind the market and get lost amid the slender homes, temples and restaurants utterly insulated from the chaos and noise of the city—a labyrinth in want of a Minotaur.

Families living in these “matchbook” homes tend to leave their front doors open for insulation, so the casual stroller quickly becomes an observer of lives: lunches eaten, arguments had, naps taken.

The place is a voyeur’s paradise—a Mobius strip of daily life.

The whole thing seems like it may go on forever and ever, until you emerge, dazed and confused, into the noise and movement of an actual street.

[caveartfair]

15 Must-See Works at NADA New York

Photo by Casey Kelbaugh, Courtesy of NADA New York.

NADA New York opened its sixth edition on Wednesday. This year, the fair breaks tradition with its former May date, coinciding with Frieze New York, to run in tandem with The Armory Show instead. This edition also sees the fair swap its former Lower East Side digs, Basketball City, for SoHo’s more central Skylight Clarkson North.

At noon sharp, an art-world crowd eagerly crammed into the industrial elevators of the new venue, anxious to get a first look. The fair, known for emerging programs and strong mid-sized galleries, presented over 100 exhibitors from 37 cities worldwide. Perhaps in response to the uncertain state of the emerging art market, these galleries primarily focused on new and prime works by their most sought-after artists, in lieu of the never-before-seen artists that fair has been known for in the past. Below, we share 15 standout works from this year’s fair.

Peter Granados, Lake Francis, 2017

ON VIEW AT NADA NEW YORK:

PAGE (NYC), Booth 2.37

Peter Granados, Lake Francis, 2017. Image courtesy of Page NYC.

Inspired by a lake Granados visited during childhood, this work draws imagery from the artist’s personal experience as well as the theater—like the masks, motifs, and props of Greek tragedies. To make his work, the Northern California-raised, New York-based painter combines a number of drawings onto a single canvas, intermingling scenes of people, nature, and theater among vibrant, sweeping brushstrokes. Like this piece on offer at NADA, Lake Francis (2017; $5,500), all of his works are inspired by personal experiences.

Jesse Wine, Strong in body, strong in mind, 2016

On view at NADA New York:

Éric Hussenot, Booth 4.05

 Jesse Wine, Strong in body, strong in mind, 2016. Courtesy of Éric Hussenot.

This large-scale sculpture by the sought-after British ceramic artist depicts a lounging nude figure, made from four separate pieces. The work, priced at $15,000, was created in Wine’s whimsical style, and finished in the traditional white-and-blue ceramic palette. One side of the figure is male, while on the other it’s female—a delightful contemporary take on the classical reclining nude found throughout European art history.

Siebren Versteeg, Fake News 4K, 2017

On view at NADA New York:

bitforms, Booth 6.15

Siebren Versteeg, fake news (4K), 2017. Image courtesy of bitforms gallery.

This new two-screen, internet-connected installation responds to the current dialogue around fake news. Versteeg, who is primarily a digital painter, wrote an algorithm to cull images from CNN and collage them with digital brushstrokes to create a new painting every minute, which appears on one screen. On the second screen, that same artwork is featured in a rendered gallery space in situ, which also changes every minute. The installation addresses not only the dissemination of fake news, but also the breakneck pace that some artists keep to make and display their work. It is priced at $65,000, and three editions of each individual screen are also on offer for $35,000 apiece.

Aidas Bareikis, Too Much Seaweed, 2016

ON VIEW AT NADA NEW YORK:

CANADA, Booth 5.06

Aidas Bareikis, Too Much Seaweed, 2016. Image courtesy of CANADA.

Bareikis’s work is a timely comment on international relations and politics, depicting worlds that appear to be imploding, though they’re being held together by thread. This work, priced at $11,000, sees two globes and scraps of fabric perched atop a flower pot stand. In his former life, the Lithuanian artist fought in the Soviet Army in Afghanistan; he sickened himself in order to be discharged, and went on to pursue art, earning a Fulbright and an MFA from Hunter College. He’s now based in Gowanus, where he primarily creates his works from found objects.

​Anna Rosen, Mirage Bed, 2017

ON VIEW AT NADA NEW YORK:

Night Gallery, Booth 4.13

Anna Rosen, Mirage Bed, 2017. Image courtesy of Night Gallery.

Often centering her paintings around a single object, Rosen began this five-part painting with a floral scarf that belonged to her grandmother. The work is created in the palette Rosen has taken inspiration from since her grandmother, a craft painter, left her a set of paints when she died. The swirling, figurative scene is made up of paint, caulking, and canvas, though also skillfully incorporates clay, twine, and a variety of unexpected objects and materials—two bamboo shades, a placemat, and a broken ceramic cup among them.

Meriem Bennani, iButt, 2015

ON VIEW AT NADA NEW YORK:

SIGNAL, Booth 6.03

Meriem Bennani, iButt, 2015. Image courtesy of Signal. 

What appears to be an iPhone charging in the corner of a booth is actually an artwork by Bennani, the Rabat-born, New York-based artist who had her first solo museum show at MoMA PS1 last summer. Look closely and you’ll see that the phone is streaming a video: A black screen features a luminous Apple logo modified with a butt crack, which dances to a 1960s Egyptian song, on a 30-second loop. “She tweaks very contemporary ideas, looking at them through a Muslim or Moroccan lens,” says SIGNAL co-founder Kyle Clairmont-Jacques.

AES+F, Inverso Mundus, 2015

ON VIEW AT NADA NEW YORK:

TRANSFER Gallery and Mobius Gallery, Booth 5.14

Still from AES+F, Inverso Mundus, 2015. Courtesy of the artists, Mobius Gallery, and Transfer Gallery.

Four-person Russian artist collective AES+F is known for large-scale video works that delve into global issues and conflict. This stunning video installation sends the viewer into an apocalyptic underworld where children box with senior citizens, and stylish sanitation workers flood the streets with waste. Inspired by 16th-century medieval engravings, it’s an alarming though transfixing vision of dystopia, all the more powerful given the current state of political unrest. The HD single-channel video is accompanied by stills that are priced at $2,500–$5,000.

Luc Paradis, Spinner, 2016

ON VIEW AT NADA NEW YORK:

Parisian Laundry, Booth 6.17

Luc Paradis, Spinner, 2016. Image courtesy of Parisian Laundry.

This new work by Montreal-based artist Paradis makes evident his interests in modern painting and graphic design. The sleek, minimal painting (priced at $5,000) has hints of Picasso in its treatment of the figure, and the Surrealist works of Dalí and Tanguy in its texture. Paradis leads the viewer to focus on the figure’s form, placing emphasis on its elongated body parts, rather than its identity.

Walter Robinson, Polyamory, 2017

ON VIEW AT NADA NEW YORK:

Galerie Sébastien Bertrand, Booth 5.02

Walter Robinson, Polyamory (Macy’s Levi’s and More for Him and Her), 2017. Image courtesy of Galerie Bertrand.

Finished just weeks ago, this acrylic painting is part of the artist’s “Normcore” series, inspired by the unisex fashion trend popularized in 2014 that saw hipsters wearing brands not normally associated with style, like L.L. Bean or Nike. For the series, Robinson mines source imagery of models in such clothing from catalogues and newspaper inserts. This particular work (priced at $23,000) draws from a Macy’s ad, and plays up the staged expressions and posture of the related models in thick brushstrokes. With its title, Polyamory, it also eroticizes the jubilant fivesome.

Amy Brener, Invisibler (breeze), 2017

ON VIEW AT NADA NEW YORK:

315 Gallery, Booth 6.07

Amy Brener, Invisibler (breeze), 2017. Courtesy of the artist and 315 Gallery.

Brener addresses the obsolescence of everyday objects with these elegant, otherworldly silicone sculptures. This work, priced at $5,000, bears the impressions of discarded tools and technology, like keyboards and flanges, and contains a taxonomy of small found objects and dollar-store purchases in shades of blue (birthday candles, qtips, and rubber bands among them). Somewhat autobiographical, the dress-like form also incorporates the impression of the face of the artist’s father (Roland Brener, who was also an artist), which she cast shortly after he passed away and has been using in her work ever since.

Andi Schmied, Noguchi Town, 2017

ON VIEW AT NADA NEW YORK:

Trápez, Booth 2.30

Andi Schmied, Noguchi Town, 2017. Courtesy of Trápez.

This site-specific installation by young Budapest-based artist Schmied depicts an imagined city, “Noguchi Town,” which is comprised of tiny replicas of Isamu Noguchi’s art and architecture found in Japan. A surrealist, miniature landscape of concrete and fake grass, the work also includes two small projectors that stream videos capturing absurd moments of daily life the artist shot in Japan, as well as similarly bizarre photographs, like one that catches a deer walking through a public restroom. The installation is priced at $14,000, and photographs can be purchased individually for $1,400.

Jacolby Satterwhite, Domestika, 2017

ON VIEW AT NADA NEW YORK:

Moran Bondaroff, booth 4.11

Jacolby Satterwhite, Domestika, 2017. Courtesy of the artist and Moran Bondaroff.

This virtual reality work, which viewers can watch in an Oculus Rift headset, is a precursor to Satterwhite’s forthcoming VR and 3D-animated visual album, which will be released soon. The work (part of a booth presentation the artist describes as “a map of [his] catharsis”), carries the viewer through a star-filled, pink and purple cosmos with gyrating dancers, set to tracks from electronic band Patricia.

Thomas Kovachevich, Rave, 2016

ON VIEW AT NADA NEW YORK:

Callicoon Fine Arts, Booth 4.14

Thomas Kovachevich, Rave, 2016. Image courtesy Callicoon Fine Arts.

This giant acrylic painting on black corrugated plastic is part of Kovachevich’s newest body of work, which he developed by combining two aspects of his previous work: small-scale paintings on black backgrounds, and the plastic materials he was using for sculpture. Rave pictures imagined botanical forms that almost appear to glow, their vibrant hues and dark surrounding recalling underwater sea life like jellyfish and coral.

Elizabeth Jaeger, Taches, 2017

ON VIEW AT NADA NEW YORK:

Jack Hanley Gallery, Booth 5.07

Elizabeth Jaeger, Taches, 2017. Courtesy of Jack Hanley Gallery.

Fresh from Jaeger’s studio, this piece builds upon the artist’s recent sculptural works each comprised of a single object perched upon a small table. Taches sees a table covered with a taxonomy of the young Brooklyn artist’s ceramic works. Debuting two weeks ahead of her new show at Jack Hanley Gallery, the work is comprised of dozens of pieces, spanning Etruscan-inspired vessels, long-stemmed flowers, pinch pots, and a turtle that’s been sliced in half, all done in her signature matte black glaze. The work, on offer for $18,000, can be seen as a culmination or celebration of Jaeger’s recent practice.

Vanessa Maltese, Heading Home, 2017

ON VIEW AT NADA NEW YORK:

Cooper Cole, Booth 6.01

Vanessa Maltese, Heading Home, 2017. Courtesy of the artist and Cooper Cole.

This tondo is among the 28-year-old Canadian artist’s newest works, which are meticulous abstract fields of pattern and color. Like many of the works, Heading Home is adorned with sculptural magnetic pieces along the edges of its frame, which mimic the shapes found in the composition. Maltese creates her work by painting on a panel, then adding fine, exacting lines to her compositions by scraping into the paint. Influenced by the Memphis Group, the artist recently had a two-person show with Nathalie du Pasquier, as well as a solo show at Cooper Cole.

—Casey Lesser

from Artsy News

[bissynutblog]

Here at Möbius Children's Museum, Gabby is so excited with all the activities. #mobiuschildrensmuseum #toddlers #activities #motherdaughter #play (at Mobius Kids Children's Museum)

[scottbcrowley2]

Annual Halloween coloring contest: Craft the perfect pumpkin - Wed, 02 Oct 2019 PST

Fall is here and it’s time for our annual Halloween coloring contest. The contest is open to children ages 12 and younger. Entries will be judged by a panel of Spokesman-Review staffers who will choose winners in three divisions: ages 4 and younger, ages 5 to 7 and ages 8 to 12. Winners will receive a gift certificate to Mobius, good for admission to either the Children’s Museum or the Science Center, and their entries will be printed in the newspaper on Oct. 26. As many entries as possible will be displayed at Mobius Kids in the lower level of River Park Square beginning Oct. 28. TO ENTER: Mail your entry to The Spokesman-Review Coloring Contest, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210, or deliver them to the S-R office at 999 W. Riverside Ave. Entries must be received no later than 5 p.m. Oct. 21 and cannot be returned. Be sure to attach a separate piece of paper that includes your name, address and telephone number so we can contact you if you win. Photocopies of the form are acceptable, and a copy of the form can be downloaded at spokesman.com/coloring-contest. Annual Halloween coloring contest: Craft the perfect pumpkin - Wed, 02 Oct 2019 PST

[scottbcrowley2]

Finding the color of love - Thu, 24 Jan 2019 PST

If you love to color or paint, here’s your chance. It’s time for The Spokesman-Review’s annual Valentine Coloring Contest. The contest is open to children 12 and younger. Entries will be judged by a panel of Spokesman-Review staffers who will choose winners in three divisions: age 4 and younger, ages 5 to 7, and ages 8 to 12. Winners will receive a gift certificate to Mobius, good for admission to either the Children’s Museum or the Science Center, and their entries will be printed in the newspaper Feb. 14. As many entries as possible will be displayed at Mobius Kids, in the lower level of River Park Square. TO ENTER: Mail your entry to The Spokesman-Review Coloring Contest, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210, or deliver them to the S-R office at 999 W. Riverside Ave. Entries must be received no later than 5 p.m., Feb. 11, and cannot be returned. Be sure to attach a separate piece of paper that includes your name, address and telephone number so we can contact you if you win. Photocopies of the form are acceptable, and a copy of the form can be downloaded at www.spokesman.com/cc. Finding the color of love - Thu, 24 Jan 2019 PST

[marketingadvisorvietnam]

Saigon’s sidewalk revolution will not be motorized

Marketing Advisor đã viết bài trên http://www.ticvietnam.vn/saigons-sidewalk-revolution-will-not-be-motorized/

Saigon’s sidewalk revolution will not be motorized

Saigon’s sidewalk revolution will not be motorized

The pavement has been liberated; long live pedestrians!

Saigon isn’t exactly pedestrian-friendly. The city’s many broken sidewalks often double as motorbike parking lots.

In heavy traffic, they triple as emergency lanes.

The tropical climate (hot and/or wet) isn’t conducive to strolling, but the political one is changing.

A no-nonsense campaign has kicked off in earnest, scraping sidewalks clear of everything from police shelters to illegal signs.

Grab a bottle of water and step out into the brave new pavement.

 Le Duan-Nguyen Binh Khiem, District 1

A leisurely walk under the trees

Leafy April 30th Park offers a place for young people to eat, sing and snack.

Begin in their midst and proceed past the sprawling consulates lining Le Duan Boulevard to the front entrance of the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens.

If you get arrive at the right time, you may just get a chance to stop in and feed the giraffes. Otherwise, follow the breeze toward the river.

Traffic remains perennially light along this shaded section of Nguyen Binh Kiem thanks to a double-row of towering dau rai trees.

Pham Duy, perhaps the country’s most prolific songwriter, rhapsodized how their falling leaves led young lovers to the nearby Trung Vuong High School, which initially served as a hospital for French military officers.

Finish your walk by popping in to check out the awesome dinosaur mural that flanks the back wall of the museum of Geology, which feels more like a museum of a museum.

Ly Tu Trong Street

Street of interesting stops

Catinat Building at 26 Ly Tu Trong

Begin under the dense (and doomed) canopy on Ton Duc Thang street and walk south against traffic.

You’ll soon find yourself standing in front of Children’s Hospital 2, one of the oldest in Asia, according to Tim Doling, author of the walking guidebook Exploring Ho Chi Minh City.

“Set amidst lush gardens and shady trees, Children’s Hospital 2 has been cited as a prime example of how good architecture can make a healthcare environment welcoming to patients and their families, rather than treating them as victims in a stark and sterile space,” Doling wrote on his site, Historic Vietnam,

Further down the street, drop into the Catinat Building [26 Ly Tu Trong] and explore the galleries, cafés, restaurant, clothing stores and a cooking classrooms that cling to the stone building’s winding stone staircase. According to Doling’s research, the building sits just next door to the CIA office, where helicopters once swooped down to evacuate agents in the final hours of the US-backed regime.

Sadly, visitors aren’t permitted on the roof and the Catinat is slated for “re-development.”

Proceed further down sidewalks shaded by tamarind trees and dip into alley 177 for fresh cut fruit, crushed ice and yogurt (AKA Trai Cay To).

Truong Dinh – Ba Huyen Thanh Quan 

Bright by day, cool by night

Start at Tao Dan Park, a 10-hectare park at the center of the city that contains everything from ancient tombstones and a popular morning hangout for songbird enthusiasts. You could literally spend all day here, doing aerobics, playing tennis and swimming laps.

The narrow grid of streets immediately west of the park offers a wonderful density of beautiful colonial-era villas and mansions, many of them crumbling, a few threatened, but a few more mercifully restored.

The jewel in the crown may be the multi-million dollar Phuong Nam Mansion, which occupies an entire block at the corner of Vo Van Tan and Ba Huyen Thanh Quan.

In the evening, the area’s significant density of cafes and bars fills with young folks out in search of noodles and live music.

Pop in to the always-packed Acoustic Bar (on Ngo Thoi Nhiem St.) and slowly eat your way to the relaxing and cozy Yoko Bar (on Nguyen Thi Dieu St) for a cold beer and some original tunes.

Peanut roasters in Vuon Chuoi

Ban Co area 

Get Lost in the Checkerboard

Leave your smart phone at home and take a step into the frenetic Vuon Chuoi Market, a two-story concrete structure packed to exploding with people in search of everything from cheap clocks to fresh seafood.

Tents extend from the market’s rear exits into the twisted guts of Saigon’s sprawling Ban Co (“Checkerboard”) neighborhood.

Step gingerly through the frogs, vegetables and meat laid out on the ground behind the market and get lost amid the slender homes, temples and restaurants utterly insulated from the chaos and noise of the city—a labyrinth in want of a Minotaur.

Families living in these “matchbook” homes tend to leave their front doors open for insulation, so the casual stroller quickly becomes an observer of lives: lunches eaten, arguments had, naps taken.

The place is a voyeur’s paradise—a Mobius strip of daily life.

The whole thing seems like it may go on forever and ever, until you emerge, dazed and confused, into the noise and movement of an actual street.