#al bean's paintings are just so incredible

[dawnstarlightning]

My husband and I went on a NASA Tour and there were a lot of magical things we got to see and learn, but seeing Al Bean's mural and learning that he took the dust from his space suite and added bits into his paintings? 🤯 I do acrylic painting but that was just amazing to learn. Not to mention the SKILL he has?! Just an amazing person and so happy to hear people talk about him and other astronauts.

Adding a few of my favorite comments from others:

shinobicyrus - When they left Earth they were military pilots. When they came home they became preachers of peace, proselytizers of a unified humanity, into poets and painters. NASA may not have sent artists, but the moon made them into artists.

(Beautiful! Poetic! Couldn't have said it better myself!)

ctxrover - Alan Bean used actual moon dust and pieces of the insulation of his command module in his paintings, and he textured them with his space boot and the hammer he used to chip off moon rock to study. Like… that���s incredible. There’s just something so beautiful about that.

(Didn't know all of this about his boot or hammer, but just all the yes!)

[innytoes]

the Trope Mash-Up: 14 + 48 + Willex please? <3

Bodyguard AU + Fake Dating

Willie's been an expert at slipping away from his private security since he was twelve. It was just that they never let him do anything fun, and most of them were sticks in the mud about following his dad's rules. Which was boring. He didn't want to schmooze with rich investors or their stuck up kids. He didn't want to 'sneak off' and do cocaine in the bathroom while a bored security guard stood outside the door and pretended not to know what was happening. He wanted to raid the kitchen for desserts and then slip away to go skating.

He knew his dad had enemies, just as he was vaguely aware that not everything he did was on the right side of the law. But he never really paid it any mind. It was all just boring contracts and schmoozing and meeting shady people in his home office while Willie tried to annoy his latest security guard into going away by playing Pink Fluffy Unicorns Dancing On Rainbows on a loop while he painted.

Which had worked. Only when he snuck out of the house to go skate, a bag was put over his head and he'd been taken away. Everything after that was just a confusing blur of images he tried not to think about too much.

He'd woken up in the hospital to a face and a torso full of bruises, and a missing pinkie finger. He'd woken up to the sound of Caleb Covington’s ice cold fury as he told whoever was on the other side of the line that if the people responsible weren't mysteriously found dead by the end of the night, then maybe their daughter would be.

Willie didn't slip away from his security after that. Not even after his eighteenth birthday a week after he came home from the hospital, when technically he could refuse having them at all. Hell, he didn’t even leave the house for a couple of months, until dad forced him into therapy.

Eventually, he started to feel better. He was able to leave the house without a panic attack. He’d gotten used to holding a paintbrush with a finger less. He’d even started to annoy his bodyguards again. Dad was a lot quicker in firing and replacing them if they showed even the slightest hint of leaving him alone just because of his taste in music (five hours of uninterrupted Nyancat) or just if Willie said they gave him the creeps (that one muscle dude who made incredibly intense eye contact and muttered under his breath every time Willie ate something sugary).

Which was how Willie had ended up with Alex. Alex, who was only a few years older than him. Alex, who didn’t wear a suit and tie and those ‘try me, punk’ sunglasses, but a pink hoodie and a fanny pack instead. Alex, who hummed ‘Pink Fluffy Unicorns’ under his breath when Willie went to go get lunch after painting for two hours with it on in the background.

Alex, who had casually taken out what turned out to be a paintball gun from his waistband and had sniped a photographer’s camera when he’d snuck onto the property to try and catch pictures of Willie, before chasing him down and handing him off to his dad’s security detail.

Willie kind of adored Alex.

Out in public, Alex didn’t act like a body guard. They’d had a long talk about it, about how Willie (and Caleb, but Alex had spent the entire conversation looking at Willie, not his dad) wanted to handle it. They’d discussed the press, who had had a field day when the news leaked that Willie Covington had been kidnapped, and had tried to both vilify him (he was a troublemaker who deserved it) or tried to make him a Precious Little UwU Bean (while also sensationalizing what had happened to him).

Having visible security would only serve as a reminder of what happened to him. It might even paint a target on his back, both for his father’s enemies who would take it as a challenge, and for paparazzi to run more stories about how poor Willie Covington was too much of a baby to go anywhere alone anymore.

So when they were in public, Alex acted like he was his boyfriend. His slightly anxious boyfriend who always checked all the exits, and who sometimes leaned in to whisper things (status updates, including warnings about the press being nearby and any cute dogs in the surrounding area) into his ear because he was a bit shy. They held hands and got ice cream where the press could see them, and when Alex offered Willie a taste of his, and then laughed and gently brushed away the whipped cream from his nose, well, Willex was soon a trending topic on certain corners of the internet.

For the first time since the kidnapping, Willie felt safe. Not only safe, but happy. He and Alex could talk for hours and still find new things to talk about. If he started to get anxious or triggered when out of the house, Alex took him somewhere quiet, and safe, and knew exactly what to say or do to keep him in the present. Turned out his little fanny pack not only had a miniature med kit and a scary looking knife, he also had some grounding items, like a citrus lip balm and a fidget toy.

So Alex went with him on trips to the art store, to museums, to the beach. One time, to Knott’s Berry Farm, because Alex confessed he’d never been and Willie just couldn’t let that stand. He hung onto Alex’ arm at galas and events his dad had told him he didn’t have to go to, while also implying it would be pretty beneficial if he did. When Willie finally felt ready, he asked Alex if there was a way he could go skateboarding again. And honestly, between Alex in his tiny running shorts jogging next to him, and the wind in his hair as he sailed through the streets again, it was the best day he’d had in a long, long time.

When they got home, Willie felt exhilarated. He was pleasantly sore, slightly out of breath, and he felt so free. So when he leaned over and kissed Alex, it felt natural. It felt right.

Until Alex gently pushed him away, face flushed. “I need to talk to your dad,” he said, and Willie’s world came crashing down.

“Shit, Alex, I’m sorry,” he said, even as Alex pulled away. “That wasn’t cool, you didn’t- you’re working and... I’m sorry, please don’t tell my dad, I won’t do it again, I promise, I’m so sorry.” If Alex told his dad, surely he’d get fired and sent away, and then Willie would get some other goon security guard and he’d be miserable again. He could tamp down on his crush on Alex, if it meant not losing him.

“Willie,” Alex said gently, cupping his cheek. “I need to resign.” He ran a soothing thumb over Willie’s cheekbone, wiping away a tear. “Because I can’t kiss you while you’re still a client.”

Oh.

Willie never did get a new bodyguard, but he did move in with his boyfriend Alex a few weeks later.

[collectionofcherries]

👀couldnt help but notice you talking about hannibal in your billy loomis imagine 👀 also couldnt help but to notice thats in your fandom list 👀 maybe you should shoot your shot with an imagine with hanni 👀

So over on my Naruto blog I did a little fluff piece called Morning Coffee that everyone seemed to enjoy so I thought I'd bring it here. It’s a simple concept, it follows your morning to the start of your cup to the end of it. Hope you enjoy! --- ☕ Morning Coffee ☕

---

written in the mind-frame of a Female!Reader but there are no pronouns mentioned nor gender specific anatomical body parts.  Warnings: None, flirting with the idea of smut but no actual smut. Sexual longing maybe? Word Count: 1,155

--- Hannibal Lecter

   Having coffee with a friend shouldn't have been this stressful, being this stressed in the morning couldn't be good for you but it wasn't like you could help it. How are you supposed to dress for morning coffee with a man who practically lives in three piece suits? Formal? Business casual? Casual casual? Your clothing covered floor seemed to bare no answers as you stared at what you swore was everything you owned...had everything always been this ugly? God! Why did you even propose a breakfast together? Hannibal does dinner but no you had to pitch breakfast to be different and try to impress him, yeah you're sure he'd be impressed by the amount of clothing on the floor. If you'd been like everyone else and just gone for dinner you'd have more time to try on clothes but a look at the clock told you that you had to leave now or you'd be late and that'd be terrible, that'd be rude and Hannibal can't stand people who're rude. However messy your floor was it was worth it for the compliment you got when Hannibal opened his door to greet you. “I don't see you in colour often, red looks lovely on you.”     Well, guess you're wearing red for the rest of your life.     "Oh thank you.” Finds it's way out of your throat as your face is painted the colour that apparently looks lovely on you.     “Please, come in.” He welcomes stepping to the side to allow room.    You never gave much thought to what a foyer could be, yours is technically where you just kick off your shoes and put your keys but this, this was proper foyer. Just the entrance to his house was nice. God it was big too, he could probably rent it out to a poor college kid for like 500 bucks if he wanted not that he looked like he needed the extra money. Did you even know how to say Foyer properly? You bet Hannibal did, without a doubt he knew all those fancy French words--was that word even French? Oh no, what if you were stupid and it wasn't French? What if this wasn't even a foyer? How dumb were you? H-- hands came up to your shoulders jolting you out of your spiral. Hannibal gently pulls the edges of your jacket and you immediately understand. “Thank you.” You repeat once again.    He smiles with a nod as he slides your jacket off of you with your help and hangs it up on a beautiful wood stand you're sure costs more than half your rent. Thinking about how much money was within these walls could make your head spin but that spinning is halted by the soothing tones of his voice. “Lost in thought?” He inquired.    “Uh, just early morning brain fog you know?” You try to bluff.    It's not convincing but he nods anyway. “Perhaps some coffee would help.”     “Sounds good.” You agree.    Following him through his house only furthers your awe, you could spent a lifetime in here just looking at stuff. “I thought it'd be pleasant to make breakfast together instead of having it ready, eating together is one experience but preparing a meal is another entirely.” He explained    The idea of sharing an experience with Hannibal was one that filled you with butterflies, the more you thought about it you didn't think you'd heard of Hannibal cooking with anyone else, maybe the stress of this morning would pay off after all. “I'm not a chef but I'll do my best, what're we making?”     “Uova al purgatorio.” Which leads to a bit of a blank stare on your end, as pretty as it sounds you've got no idea what that means. “It's an Italian dish, eggs in Purgatory.” He explained.    “Sounds interesting.” You quip.    “It is, the name comes from the eggs sitting in a tomato base, the white of the eggs floating within the red sauce giving the illusion of souls trapped within the unknown of Purgatory.” He explains as he prepares the boiling water for your coffee. “Even at breakfast it seems we wonder where our souls go to lay.”     “Well makes sense for Italy home of the Pope, I'm sure there's religious overtones at most meals.”    He smiles a little and nods. “During my time in Italy it truly does surround you, it's an interesting feeling, almost euphoric to be encapsulated by it at every

turn.” He remarked.    “Wow, you spent time in Italy? It looks beautiful there.” You say, trying to stray a little further from the religious aspect, you don't exactly know where Hannibal falls on that spectrum and the last thing you want to do is come across rude or disrespectful to him. “Coffee smells great.” You add as he pours the boiling water into his very fancy looking French Press.    Your attempt to change subjects doesn't go unnoticed at all but he once again nods as he looks at you. “Yes, I traveled quite a bit in my youth, I called Italy my home for some time.” He explains.     “Do you ever miss it?” You ask    “I take with me what I relish in the places I've been, while I may no longer be surrounded by the Primavera or the walls of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini they are ever present in my mind, reproduced with the utmost detail.” You could listen to Hannibal talk all day, it wouldn't matter what he said you just like the way he said things, the timbre of his voice. “Have you ever given thought to travelling?” He prodded.    “Course, who doesn't think about travelling? See far off places, experience new people, new things, different cultures.” You reminisce.    “What stops you?”     You shrug a little. “Funds mainly but I'd want to take the time to learn the language of where I'm going, understand the culture so I don't offend anyone. I don't want to be one of those tourists that makes an ass out of themselves.” You said cringing at the end.    “It's considerate to take the time to understand a culture you will not live in, many go on whims like they're visiting amusement parks.” He agreed. “Would Italy be a place you'd like to visit or would you find their taste for religion leaving a sour taste in your mouth?” He asked.    Did you really think you'd get out of a question Hannibal wanted answered? You shrugged a little once again trying to make sure you phrase things that wouldn't step on toes that were in shoes that likely cost more than your rent. “I'm unsure...I don't know if my broader and more open views would be welcome in the narrower scope of such a religious place and I wouldn't want to impose myself or my views upon anyone.” You slowly clamber out as he pours two cups of what smells like incredibly coffee. “Thank you.” You quickly add as you take it from his hands.    “While I do know you enough to welcome you into my home, I'm not sure if I know you well enough to know of the open views you believe would be scrutinized under the gaze of the Church. Do you speak a broader view of all religions? Racial rights? Sexual appetite?”     You stomach almost leaps into your throat at the last question, talking sexual appetites with someone who could feed that said appetite for the rest of your life? How were you supposed to talk about that? You didn't want to impose but you certainly didn't want to miss any chance of feeding that appetite. “All of the above, you know?” You pitch at first. “I'm a big believer in religious freedoms for everyone, from anywhere--just freedom for everyone in general.” You tackle first, that's the more important one and the one that won't get you into any trouble. “And um--yeah I suppose my sexual appetite wouldn't please the Church.” You say with a small laugh breaking your gaze from Hannibal and down at your coffee cup. “Not exactly a born again virgin.” Smooth. Great job. Wow. Fuck. Maybe you could drown yourself in this coffee? You take a sip and to spite being too shy to ask for sugar or milk this coffee is great, actually smooth. Unlike you. “This is great, what is this?” You try.    Why do you try? He always notices, you're luckier than you know that it endlessly amuses him rather than annoys him. “It's Peaberry Coffee from Tanzania, it's a rounder sweeter bean, almost tea like.” He explains, allowing for a moment for you to believe you've somehow fooled him into letting his prior question go thoroughly unanswered. “It can take a more refined palette to taste all the notes.” He remarks.    “I don't know how refined mine is, I just know it's nice.”

You admit with a small laugh.    “Usually our tongues know more than we think, close your eyes and allow the flavours to dance over your tongue.” He instructed.    Hannibal could tell you to jump off a cliff and if he said it nice enough you probably would. You take a small breath and take another sip and try your damnest to impress Hannibal if only even a little but as you swallow you know your guesses are little more than shots in the dark. “It's sweet...kind of like a berry...?” You weakly pitch.    You're not wrong but Hannibal can tell your guess isn't confident. “Do you know you have a habit of coming in on yourself when you're unsure of what you're saying?” He asks letting you know he's been on to you for much longer than you would have hoped. He comes around from his large kitchen island to stand in front of you and you fight the urge to step back and away which only adds to how hard your heart beats in your chest. “Coming in on ones self allows negative neurons to fire, by simply lifting your head you'll allude more confidence and though red looks lovely on you so does that.” That compliment alone made your head spin so his next action of bringing his warm hand up to gently lift your head? Your entire body felt weak. It was laughable that the simple touch of his thumb resting on your chin and his forefinger below it could have such an effect on you, looking up at him him with unsure eyes as to where this went next was laughable to him. You were putty in his hands, vulnerable in every meaning of the word. "Try again, close your eyes and when you take a sip allow it to work around your mouth, to explore every inch of your tongue.”    Was this porn? This could be porn, this might as well be porn as far as your body was concerned apparently. It took you a moment to actually get your limbs to move and grab your coffee again and it felt good to close your eyes, you liked Hannibal but being so close and having him stare back at you was overwhelming. And he knew it, there was something very satisfying about your kind of vulnerability, it was raw and open for him to touch and mold with his hands. You brought the cup to your lips and took another sip and once again tried to find a defined note in this coffee and maybe it was having your head tilted up, maybe it was having him so close but an answer did come from your mouth. “Cedar?”    Opening your eyes you knew you'd gotten it right by the contented look you were rewarded with. "I had a hunch your tongue knew more than you were letting on.” He teased.    He let his thumb trail back and forth on your chin before moving it away and your head felt like it was floating. “What does your tongue taste? I'm sure it's much more experienced than mine.”     You're sure if you didn't feel so floaty such a blatantly flirty question wouldn't have come out of you but it seemed to fly just fine as a small amused breath made it's way out of him. “Your assumption would be correct.” He let you know. “The notes in this coffee I've become very acquainted with over the years so it wouldn't be much of an exercise in taste for me to tell you them all. Perhaps another breakfast we could expand upon both our tongues.” Your entire body clenched and you had to practically drown out your whine of want by taking a sip of your coffee. “For now we'll be expanding on yours, come, wash up I'll show you how to make uova al purgatorio, a taste from my past.” He said walking back around the kitchen island.    You follow him around the island and with one last sip put your empty coffee cup into the sink. --- ~Admin Coral 🍒 Buy Me A Coffee?

[alternislatronemhq]

Congrats, EMILIA, you have been accepted to AL for the role of OC OPHELIA ROWLE (FC: Imaan Hammam). Ahhh, wow, Emilia, I absolutely adore Ophelia already! Your application was wonderful and you’ve built an incredible character. I can’t wait to see her come to life in the midst of our plot! Your writing was absolutely beautiful and I’m delighted that you’re joining us!! Please send in your blog (no sideblogs for first characters, please) in the next 24 hours and be sure to take a look at our new player checklist. Welcome home (once again), we’re so excited to have you join the family!

OOC

name — Emilia age — 19 pronouns — She/ Her timezone — EST activity level — As of now I have a lot of free time and can be very active, especially on weekends.

IC Overview

name — Ophelia Rowle faceclaim — Imaan Hammam, Jessica Parker Kennedy, or Rania Benchegra age — 26 gender — Female sexuality — Bisexual

patronus — A coyote.  Just like her patronus, Ophelia could be dropped just about anywhere and find a way to make it out on top. And yet, also like the coyote, Ophelia is often misunderstood and painted as a villain.

boggart — She despises the fact that it’s her mother. Then again, a shiver still runs up her spine every time she thinks about that woman. She can never forget how her voice boomed like thunder when she was angry, nor the sound of glass shattering when thrown against a wall. Ophelia sees all the qualities she hates in herself stem from her.

IC In Depth

personality traits —

+Resourceful

Ophelia finds a way to get things done. She uses quick wit to evaluate situations; to puzzle together the bigger picture and see things for how they are and how they could be.

+Industrious

When Ophelia works towards a goal, she’ll be damned before she allows someone to stand in her way. Years of having her ambitions trampled on by her father in favor of her older brother have left her diligent and downright ruthless in order to get what she desires.

- Guarded

Ophelia resembles a bear trap: get too close and she’ll snap shut, but not without taking a piece of you with her. She finds comfort within the walls she’s built up, careful not to let anyone inside. She’ll inevitably disappoint them, anyway.

- No Self-Esteem

Nothing she does is ever good enough. Ophelia tends to push herself to the absolute limit in order to prove her worth, but it will never satisfy her. She has to do her best, to be the best and she cannot accept that she’s only human. It’s only a matter of time before she breaks.

character biography —

Born in Louisiana, her earliest memories were dotted with the warmth of the summer sun and only contrasted with the polar blue of her mother’s eyes and the chill of her father’s indifference. By the time she’s five, Ophelia’s all too familiar with the metallic taste of blood in her mouth from biting her tongue too hard. Pureblood girls should be seen rather than heard, according to her mother. One off hand comment about thinking marriage is ‘icky’ and Ophelia winds up jinxed with a mouthful of soap bubbles. A life long aversion to the pink-speckled Bertie Bott jelly bean and a reluctance to argue with her mother follows. She has three older siblings, only her brother Otto makes time for her.

At eleven she stands dead-center of a gordian knot. Ophelia stares back at the four statues in front of her, insides fluttering. The whole school is looking at her from the balcony and the dark wood paneling of the entrance hall feels as though it’s closing in. She looks up to the balcony, and there he is. Her brother’s smile is crooked and good-natured. Two statues move forward: Wampus, who favors warriors and Horned Serpent, who favors scholars. Ophelia will later wonder how her life would have been different if she had joined Wampus. Either way, she prospered in Horned Serpent, her keen mind soaking up all she could get her hands on to read. Ophelia’s grades were outstanding, but it wasn’t enough. The best and only the best was all she would accept. Anything less was a failure.  Ilvermorny became her home; a place where she could flourish. She was safe behind the castle walls, even as whispers of war sailed in from across the Atlantic.

She’s fifteen when Otto is disowned. His smile was still crooked as he cursed their family name with a mouthful of blood. Ophelia watched from afar with her other siblings as her mother’s silvery voice contorted into a roar more akin to a Hungarian Horntail than a five-foot-two woman. She flinches whenever an impossibly straight red jet of light hits the young man in the chest. He goes down with a cry of unbearable pain and Ophelia’s mind drifts to Christmas, only three days away. She’s always loved the holiday. With the twinkling lights and the annual parties, or when their family tolerates each other long enough to sit at a family dinner. Now, all she sees is her brother begging for mercy on the floor. She doesn’t like the holiday season after that ever again.

England is foreign to her. The craggy cliffs of Dorset where her cousins reside are so far away from the muddy Mississippi River. But she steels herself and pulls through because that’s what she has to do. Her aunt and uncle talk about their Dark Lord with all the fervor of the religious zealots back home. He’s a messiah in their eyes, giving their hatred for no maj-borns a platform. Ophelia hears him speak at a party a few days before she turns sixteen. He’s charismatic, she’ll give him that, but there’s something about him that makes her want to turn tail and run for the hills. At Hogwarts she’s sorted into her second house with a snake as its mascot. Slytherin house is not as warm as Horned Serpent, and it is not her home. More than often she finds it hard to sleep in that cold, damp dungeon. But this is her life now, and she adapts. For the next two years she claws her way to academic success, but stays notoriously aloof to her fellow peers. There are times she feels as though there is something wrong with her. She feels empty inside, as if someone took a melon baller and scooped out everything good about her.

She doesn’t return to America when she graduates. War gives her reasons to burn bridges, makes it easier for her to claim, ‘oh, I’m busy’ and move on with her day. Ophelia gets her training as an auror and right off the bat her family disapproves. It goes against her childhood teachings of ���seen, not heard,’ and arguments are futile. No matter how many times she claims it’s to get a foothold in the Ministry, her family finds it a waste of her time. She could do much more as a servant to the Dark Lord (by this time his name has become synonymous with the taste of bile and a retch of disgust). It’s too late anyways, Ophelia already has her mind set and by God she’d like to see them try and stop her. She will be the servant of no one, thank you very much. Her outlook on the Order isn’t much better, though. So what if they get rid of Voldemort? There will be another like him. And another after that, and so on and so forth. Maybe she’s just a cynic, but history continues to prove her right. What makes this time different? Not a goddamn thing. But there’s a part of her that wants them to prove her wrong— a first in her life, given she hates being wrong. The part of her who remembers her brother smiling with a mouthful of blood in a final act of defiance. Because Ophelia is cynical enough to know there will always be another Dark Lord, but the determined bit of hope left in her heart knows there will always be more willing to fight against him. Will she be one of them?

plot ideas — 

I think Ophelia needs someone to see through her air of indifference. She needs someone to prove to her there’s much more to life than power and control. It doesn’t matter whether it’s romantic or platonic, she just needs someone she can trust. She’s set such unrealistic standards for herself that she’s completely convinced that she’s not good enough. It’d be interesting to see how she could react to someone accepting her flaws and all… or at least calling her out on her bullshit.

Something steeped in political intrigue is right up her alley. Perhaps something sways her from her neutral position and she gets wrapped up in it. Maybe one side offers her something she desires or the other twists her arm into helping them. Even if it’s something as simple (and potentially hilarious) as sleazing it up with people in high positions of power, I really think she’d thrive in that kind of situation.

extra —

Headcannons

She’s never been in a serious relationship before besides a few noncommittal flings. Ophelia’s never really been good at keeping friends, either, because she holds them at such a far distance. She turns into a bumbling mess when it comes to talking about feelings.

Ophelia, unlike her family, doesn’t give a damn about blood politics. She only values hard work and intelligence in others.

Despite being in not one, but two houses with serpents as their mascots, Ophelia’s actually terrified of snakes. When she was a toddler, her oldest brother tossed a corn snake into her cradle and she’s hated the things ever since.

[mikkock]

HELLO I ADORE YOUR OCS SO MUCH WILL YOU TELL ME ABOUT KAI HE LOOKS LIKE A TOTAL "YOUR DAUGHTER CALLS ME DADDY TOO" DOUCHEBAG AND I FUCKING LOVE HIM AND WANNA KNOW MORE ABOUT HIM

LBLMVBGK THANK U OMG love it when ppl like my kids, im a proud dad rn

ALSO wrow congrats on ur on point analysis, cause, that’s the Essence Of His Being (fun fact since i got two characters who go by the name of kai -cause fuck that basic writing tip that says ‘dont have two characters named the same thing- i usually refer to him as The Bad Kai cuz he a bad bitch)

so lets unwrap that dude shall we uwu 

SO this dude was created when i realised my story didnt have antagonists so i made a bunch of Bad People and then they all became good people after i started giving them more personnality somehow eXCEPt him for some reason, the only survivor of the “everyone will be baby” plague, the only rude bitch in this house, the only guy who’s still on the dark grey side of morally grey...but tbh im in love with him cause he’s an asshole and im an idiot so like.

His base concept was basically something along the lines of “fuckboy but make it Couture”, like douchebag indeed But Gotta Be Fancy at being one, gotta add a pinch of Sneaky Bitch in the pot. His aesthetic is Chillin, gettin in ur pants, then moving on for some more chillin and more pants. So if you’re into some funky sexy time with no pressure and no ties, ya gon get along, your goals meet, time to have fun.

All that is supported by his charisma, cause unless ya got some nasty history, he’ll just look like that charming bad-boy “oho hot dude with a dangerous but not agressive” vibed person, and he’s quite a sweet-talker. He’s probs not only the ‘your daughter calls me daddy’ kind but also ‘and so will YOU, i’m scoring with the whole family and you wont stop me (and you wont WANT to stop me)’ 

He got that handsome ppl priviledge ya feel

but also, he wouldnt be a rude guy if he was just the ‘i enjoy chill frick-fracking and im just so sexy that no one can say no to that booty’ guy

Dude got quiiite some spite-fueled ego and Does Not Take losing well, and will not, in fact, let himself lose on any objective he has, and when that objective is A Person, he gets ugly. Being good at sweet talking also means being good at small stuff like “not saying exactly the truth always when it would be more beneficial not to”, “deliberately using euphemistic, ambiguous or obscure language so to mask wrong doings and technically saying the truth but in such a way that it becomes completely masked by a thick fog of bullshit”, and “use words and behaviour in general to influence others unscrupulously so to get something in return”. Even a little “playing with their perception in order to make them doubt in their thoughts and selves”. In short dude got no qualms about using all the tools of manipulation available if it means that he comes on top (or on bottom if the goal was getting an assful eeeeeey we’re masters of comedy here) It tends to be all for short term results tho, so not much your ‘boyfriend who convinces you you’re nothing without him” and more of a “you thought you were dating but only you were thinking that as he always kept it just vague enough to have you not official yet convinced of his and now you’re blaming yourself for believing you were together”

master of getting ass, also master of Ugly Ass Breakups, and master of suddenly dissapearing from your life so hard that you wonder if it was just your imagination all along (he got ugly past with a bunch of other ocs especially he’s ex boyfriend with two that are now together cause i dig that sort of drama the sAME dUDe gave u the trust issues that held u from going full lovey dovey ? i fucking lIVE off that kinda shit wait until he pops back like ‘oho hello fancy seeing YOU TWO here my two fave exes together incredible what a small world”)

Though I have to rework on all that cause that backstory is oLD AS SHIT (like prolly i built it in what, 2016? ew ugly) I had that stem from some sort of neglect-fueled inferiority complex. I had given him a kinda cold family with a bunch of siblings who got Way More Nurtured due to their respective talents and achievements, having him left behind and feeling like he got nothing. SO that’s basically the explanation as of today but i dont like iiiiit anymooooore so I’ll have to work on it to make it something i dig, cause idk, bitch feels flat so far.

BUT i do intend on keeping the whole concept of ~Loneliness~, and of him working alone and quite hard for anything he gets. And the general need of proving himself that had come from the WIP backstory. I don’t exactly see him as an overachiever at all, but definitly as an obstinate and persevering hardworking guy, because “Look YALL I WAS aBLE TO DO THIS YALL THOUGHT I COULDNT HUH YALL LOOK DOWN ON ME well fuck u cause idc im better than u now also ur mum’s into bondage i kno from experience bye”. So tbh pair up with him for group projects, you’ll be sure his share of the work will be done (but also if you dont do yours then he’s probably going to be a bITCh about it, no remorse in leaving blank slides in the middle of the powerpoint and then loudly proclaiming ‘OH RIGHT This was supposed to be Kevin’s part but I suppose he never sent it to me, despite the numerous reminders i sent him, no big deal, no hard feelings, its ok sweetie we all sometimes feel too lazy i forgive u :)” )

Also he’d be Chill to hang out with for like, parties, nights out at the bar, that kinda shit. He definetly has some beans to spill about quite some people, he gathers the goss as he gathers lovers (i was gonna end that in “as he spreads legs” but it sounded too PG-18 for this good Well Behaved family friendly blog) and Will Not stay tight lipped, and Will be a bitch when trashtalking people, and It Will Be Entertaining as it always is when you’re hearing about crazy exes and you’ve had some beers. 

Now trivia that idk where else to write cause idk i stupid or more like disorganised :

- he digs red ale beer like if ya wanna win him over with the appropriate alcohol offer there u go

- he’s a fake blonde (cause my hobby is painting regrowth roots on hair)

- his design is a mixture of those 3dgy denim boys u see on pinterest and the specific brand of fuckboys that are french-L-section-chic-grunge-hipster-fuckboys (L section is like a branch of highschool)(that word combo is a so specific kinda guy)(its kinda like a softboi but more arrogant but in a lowkey way)(also they rich)(but he’s not rich so guess that should make him Less Arrogant)

-im constantly dead afraid of giving him more characteristics and story or whatveer cause he’s the only meanie i got left and i do Not want him to stop being an asshole but everytime i develop a character they end up nice or redeemed or whatever and i wanna keep him a bitch so i neglect him (just like his parents in his 2016 version wow)

he smokes (prolly started quite early to Be Kool and now relies on it for stress relief)

he’s outspoken and extraverted and prolly the guy who had a lot to say when you were doing debates in class (there’s always that person who has a Lot to argument about)(its him) but outside of a Set and Defined debate structure he probably doesnt give his mind voraciously 

he’s a law student and despite saying he’s the one bad guy left he probably wont be a corrupt lawyer or judge or whatever like come on he will do his job properly he worked hARD FOR THIS justice may be served

he’s not the kind to openly hate or even dislike anyone cause what’s the point of wasting your energy on that? its much funnier to him to be obnoxiously Neutral with someone and basically ignore them but still strike them with some Spikes of passive-agressive comments, let them be Mad at your calmness

he’s 177cm tall (that’s like 5.8 according to google)

honestly if you’re bros with him he’s fun to be with the being a jerk is completly coincidental 

he probably ranks high in the list of “those criminals who steal big lighters from their friends” 

i think at a point his design had tattoos but i forgot the designs of those so now he doesnt anymore

a dog person

i think ive run out of facts (or my brain dead) so im leavin with a shirtless pic cause my hobby is drawing tits

in short, charming asshole who can get ugly, secretly feels lonely and small, works hard for himself, better have him as a friend than as a foe though probably not the most frontally agressive enemy, and also, your booty, hand it over.

[spudandemdotravels-blog]

New Zealand - Auckland and the Bay of Islands

Kia Ora from New Zealand!

We can’t quite believe it, but this is our LAST stop! That being said, we still have over five weeks to go and we are in a country that we are both very excited about so its not all bad.

After expecting Virgin Australia to be a decent airline with reclining chairs and media screens, we were thoroughly disappointed when we found out that it is in fact Australasia’s answer to RyanAir. As the saying goes, there is always a silver lining, and after preparing ourselves for 10+ hours of flights we found out that the flight to Brisbane was about four hours, and onto Auckland was only three! This made putting up with the incredibly uncomfortable chairs and distinct lack of entertainment considerably easier to endure, and to be honest the food wasn’t all that terrible either.

We touched down in Auckland feeling relatively fresh and sorted our car within very good time. Our chariot for the next month and a bit is the almighty Hyundai Getz. We won’t brag by posting a picture of it right now, but feel free to paint a picture in your head of a golden baked bean can on trolley wheels with a lawnmower engine. This is the weapon that we will be travelling thousands of kilometres around both the North and South Islands, and will be sharing with another couple for three of the five weeks we are here for. Wish us luck!

Once the car was sorted we made our way to Auckland city centre where we would be staying with Tom and Leonie for two nights. We know Tom and Leonie through Ed and Kate, and can’t thank them enough for their hospitality. Not only did they help us by letting us use their flat as a base to set ourselves up with camping gear, they also very kindly agreed to buy and collect our tent for us on TradeMe before we even arrived. A huge thank you to them, and we hope we can repay the favour in the future! Our first night was a good one for three reasons. We were in the company of familiar faces, we had a decent bed and bathroom, and because Spud drank ale for the first time in four months. We had homemade pizzas for dinner, then headed to a local pub for drinks. It was a great night and it certainly felt like we were back in Western civilisation. We managed to catch up with Ed and Kate that night and hit the sack at gone 1am. Our bodies were still telling us that it was 8pm so we were in for a rough day the next day.

We woke up at around 9am definitely feeling like it was 4am. We were groggy and a little jaded from the booze the night before, but we turfed ourselves out to The Warehouse to buy some camping kit and to have the AC tested on the car. We were quietly hoping that it wasn’t working so that we got another car but the hire company spent the time proving to us that it was working so we left with our tails tucked between our legs. That afternoon we visited the Coopers Creek winery. Tom and Leonie had seen that a jazz band were playing, so we bought some picnic stuff and enjoyed a couple of bottles of their delicious white wine listening to some cracking live music. There’s nothing like sun, live tunes and hair of the dog drinking to sort you out. We felt much better by the end of the gig, and once we got back to the flat we walked into the centre of Auckland for an ice cream and wander around the docklands.

As the jet lag was still affecting us slightly we got a relatively early night so that we were fresh for the next day. After saying our goodbyes we made our way to another The Warehouse and a couple of charity shops to collect the rest of the camping kit we needed. We were a bit anxious about all of the stuff that we had bought, given that we still needed to fit two extra people and their baggage in the car, so for our drive north we decided to dry run putting some of the kit on the roof of the car. It all worked out pretty well and head room wasn’t compromised by the straps, so we put some miles behind us up to the Bay of Islands. The drive was pretty scenic and some of the views of the headlands and islands off the east coast were spectacular. What we didn’t expect was how quickly we would get cut off from civilisation once we left the highway. We knew that we needed to pick up a gas bottle for the cooking stove, but we inadvertently missed our last opportunity to buy one before we got to the camp site. So, we had a salad for dinner and overnight oats for breakfast, and Emily sweet talked our neighbours into boiling some water for tea for us the next morning.

The campsite we stayed in was called Puriri Bay. We recommend it to anyone exploring the North Island. It is a well sheltered, tranquil campsite right on the coast where you can swim over oyster beds if you want to. It has an amazing view over the bay and mountains on the opposite side, with ample and clean facilities for at least a few nights. We stayed for two nights, and on our full day headed to Russell, Paihia, and Waitangi before heading back to the campsite including a full 20 kilometres on gravel tracks through a forest (not the shortcut that Emily had planned)! On the day that we headed back south we started the day off with a short circular walk around the headland near to the campsite to get the blood flowing, before driving to Waipu to check out the glow worm caves. What a spectacle they were! It can only be explained as being able to see a galaxy of stars on the ceiling of a cave. We walked a fair way into the cave itself and gawped at the worms in two caverns, the second being linked to the first by a small tunnel that you have to duck walk through water to get to. We couldn’t believe what we were seeing; the feeling was on par with the bioluminescent plankton in Thailand.

Time was ticking on and we had a few hours of driving ahead of us to our next destination; Browns Bay just north of Auckland. We had organised to stay with friends of Nick and Karen for the next two nights and we were warmly welcomed by Jenny and Graham at around 6pm that night. It was so nice to eat some home cooked food and we were thoroughly made to feel at home even though we had only just met them. We both slept like logs that night.

We woke up to rain the next day. Boooo! So, we used our time wisely and cracked on with organising other parts of the trip, and to contact some estate agents for our move to Bristol. It all felt a bit strange that the time for us to start putting things together for our return to the UK had come around. The clouds broke by the afternoon so we ventured out to Devonport. We walked around the sea front and up the cannon mount that was put in in the early 1900’s. Apparently the cannon was only fired once, at a target on nearby Rangitoto (a dormant volcano) just to check that it worked. The cannon broke a lot of windows of nearby properties, so after a lot of complaints it was never fired again... After a coffee and muffin we made our way back to Browns Bay via yet another The Warehouse to pick up a pool noodle which we cut in half to make roof bars out of. We re-tested putting stuff on the roof and before we knew it Jenny was cooking us in for steaks and wine which we obviously thoroughly enjoyed!

The following day Em had arranged to catch up with a Simon a old uni friend who now manages the NZ cricket team. We met at Eden Park stadium where he works, and before we knew it we were in the All Black’s changing rooms, the coaches box, and walking around the edge of the grounds! Afterwards we grabbed a coffee and as we had free time, Si drove us to Piha beach which is about 50 minutes east of Auckland. The drive was pretty windy and after the booze the night before and coffee, we were both feeling pretty rough by the time we arrived, but the drive was definitely worth it. Piha is a popular surfing beach and there is a programme dedicated to televising surf rescues in the area. The surf wasn’t huge, but we could tell from the behaviour of the water and the surrounding cliffs and rocks in the water that this break was for experienced surfers only! We walked up a giant mound that split the beach in two, took in the view and then had to head back to Auckland. We felt equally as ill by the time we got back, so after saying goodby we had to almost immediately stop for a rest and something to eat before we started our drive south to Rotorua.

Love,

Spud & Em

[quoth-the-sparrow]

Happy Birthday Sparrow! (hope this makes you smile)

It was a crisp autumn night on that November night. Daniel pulled his purple and black scarf tighter around his neck to keep the chill out, savoring the light crunch of dead leaves beneath his feet, as he walked to the home of his tutor. Ordinarily they met every late afternoon on Fridays at Panera, but this time his math tutor requested they have their tutoring session at his place. It’s not that Daniel minded going to the part-time tutor/full time teacher’s house. Weird as it may have seemed, he actually really liked Logan Sanders. Almost as much as he hated math, which was quite a lot. He’d come to think of his college professor as a father figure really. But like, the actually good kind. Daniel had even gotten to be pretty well acquainted with his teacher’s three husbands who were all weird and cool and wonderful people. One of his husband’s Roman even used to live next door to Daniel’s family before the four men all moved in together.

            But lets face it- no one wanted to do work on their birthday. Definitely not Daniel. Not that he’d expected this year’s womb emancipation day to be anything all that special. He had nothing planned, his parents certainly weren’t going to make a big fuss over it, and oh yeah, he had no friends to share it with. At least not any in person friends. Anyone that Daniel actually felt close to he’d met over the internet and they were all miles away. There was no one in this town he felt close to, who knew the real him. Except his old pal seasonal depression maybe, and it wasn’t exactly the fun-time party type. Still, birthdays were meant to be a time when you could relax, be happy and enjoy yourself. Or at least do whatever the hell you wanted, even if for Daniel that meant laying in bed all day re-reading The Night Circus, or one of his other dozens of well worn books. 

            Buuuut he needed to pass his Calculus mid-term coming up. Plus he would’ve felt bad canceling on Logan. Ah well. Maybe he’ll make us some pb and crofters jam sandwiches to eat while we work, Daniel thought. Soon he was in front of the light blue painted house marked number 24. Seemed like Patton had planted some new yellow and orange flowers for the season, and the meticulously carved jack-o-lantern, no doubt Virgil’s work, was still on the porch even though Halloween had passed two days ago. To Daniel’s surprise the lights were all off from inside the windows. Was he too early?Were the supposed to meet at Panera after all? Daniel choked down his anxiety and walked up to the red painted door. He knocked three times. After about thirty seconds the door was opened and Logan stepped out to greet him.

“Salutations Daniel,” the teacher said.

“Hey Logan. I’m on time for tutoring right?” Daniel asked.

“Quite punctual,” he said with a smile. “A trait among many I admire about you.”

            For a second Daniel thought he heard whispers and shuffling from behind the bespectacled man. He couldn’t figure out why logical Logan would have the lights in his house off if he was home. Maybe his husbands were out and he’d been reading with just a lamp somewhere quietly? No way, someone’s gotta be in there making those noises. Logan cleared his throat, which brought Daniel back out of his head. 

“I do apologize for the location change from our usual tutoring spot,” said Logan.

“It’s not a problem. Although I still don’t get the reason why.”

“Simply put, it was a matter of utmost importance.”

“O-kaaay.”

“Please come in.”

Daniel followed Logan into the large dark house. If the queer 23 (now 24 year old, geez that felt weird) didn’t know Logan better, he’d be more worried about this turning into a slasher film-esqe scenario. As it was, he was more concerned about not accidentally stubbing his toe on any furniture.

“So before we get started on calculus, mind telling me why all the lights are—

The house lights came on without warning. Before Daniel had time to process what the heck was going on he was suddenly barraged by a chorus of,

“SURPRISE!!!!”

            After Daniel managed to get his very surprised heart back to a normal beating pace, he took a better look around the living room. There were balloons in all colors of the rainbow, and some even had the words ��queer and here’ written on them in sharpie. There were streamers wrapped around the bannister rail and a big banner above the kitchen entryway that read “Happy Birthday Daniel” in bright purple and blue letters. On each corner of the banner were pictures of a crown, a cat, a brain, and a storm cloud covered in glitter. Beneath it Roman and Patton were both smiling, arms over each other’s shoulders and wearing party hats. Even the emo adult artist had one on. Roman meanwhile, theatrical as ever, was blowing through the three kazooz he has in his mouth. To the right of them against the wall was a table laden with assorted snacks, drinks, gifts and even cookies shaped like witches hats. What amazed the young queer writer most of all was that Daniel’s friends were there. Not just Logan, Virgil and Like his actual friends he recognized from online. He knew only because they had pinned to their clothes nametags with their usernames written on them. silversmith-91, ironwoman359, the-incredible-sulk, eggheadinthemaking, asofterfan, randomslasher, thelogicaloganipus, lala-the-rebel and many others. Even his lifemate April was there. The others who weren’t there in person were present and waving via Skype from at least twelve different laptops scattered around the room at visible angles.

        “Wha-what is all this?” Daniel asked, mouth agape. “How did?”

            Before he could finish, Logan’s last partner Patton came in from the kitchen carrying a chocolate cake covered with purple, white and pale blue frosting. two and three candles adorned the top as did the swirling icing letters that spelled “Happy Birthday Sparrow.”

            “Happy birthday kiddo!” Patton said beaning. “Hope ya like your surprise!” 

            Logan chuckled from beside him, a hand placed on his shoulder. Your partner April’s idea. They contacted the four of us informing that you had had a difficult year and that, with your birthday approaching, inquired if there may be someway we could celebrate it.”

“You’ve become such a friend to us the past two years kiddo,” said Patton. “Almost like our own child.” 

“So we concocted this grand venture to ensure you have the best celebration of your very important birth!” Roman said, coming over. “It was not an easy quest, but we achieved it!” 

“Hellishly tough to be honest,” said Virgil. “But we were happy to make it happen.” 

“Between the four of us, we were able to contact your online friends with April’s help and arrange it so that they could skype at the same time tonight.” Logan explained. “Virgil was able to supply the laptops, which he commandeered from his job at the Radioshack for tonight.”

“Punk as hell,” Daniel smirked, still half in shock.

“You know it pal,” Virgil smirked.

“Hence why I requested to have tutoring here at our house,” said Logan. “Not only for convenience and to ensure you have, as Patton insisted upon—

‘”A super-prize’ party!” Patton said. Logan groaned at his husband’s pun but Daniel caught the warmth in his eyes.

“And for those who were able to set aside time to travel, I used my frequent flier miles from traveling for film shoots to help get them here,” said Roman.

“And I baked the cake and all the snacks from my bakery!” Patton beamed proudly.

            Daniel was pretty much in tears by this point. His friends and partner were worried upon seeing them, thinking they’d gone overboard or something. But the young wiccan ensured them all they were tears of joy. He’d never felt so loved, so important before. Everyone assured him that he was, and it was the truth. The rest of the night was spent chatting, laughing, playing party games, including one or two very long rounds of cards against humanities. To everyone’s shock, Patton was surprisingly good at it. Virgil had put together an excellent music playlist that everyone jammed out to, even Logan a few times. Meanwhile Roman rallied them all into a game of red-robin story telling, which Daniel had a blast at.

            When it was time to open presents he baulked at the wonderful gifts. Some of his online friends had either written ficlets for him or made things by hand. Logan gave him a Barns & Noble giftcard. Virgil gifted him a cool leather bound journal, an original painting, and a quill pen. Patton made him a hand-knitted sweater that Daniel wore all night long. And Roman, well his gift was best of all. It was a handmade binder that fit Daniel perfectly and comfortable. It was of purple fabric with a sparrow embroidered on the front in read thread.

            Daniel never wanted this night to end. He couldn’t have been more grateful for his amazing friends, whom he knew now more than ever loved and cared for him, even thought they were far away. He was so grateful to his partner April for their brilliant and selfless plan to get them all together and celebrate his just being alive in the first place. And as for the four grown men whom he considered family (or LAMP as he called them), well, they’d given him more than they’d ever know. As Patton told him to make a wish on his birthday candles, Daniel felt like his wish had already come true.

Oh my hecking stars and comets, @khadij-al-kubra thank you so much?! I'm so flattered and happy and I loved this; thank you?! This is so cute and well-written and I love it so much?! I know I'm gushing but just aashsjdhshs thank you!!!!

[jessaadventures-blog]

Week Three: New Faces and New Places

La Casona, the hostel up the hill, at happy hour.

Wow, time flies! I’m already one third of the way through my time here at EcoSwell. This week sped by. Last weekend involved a fun adventure, and then I settled back into the weekly routine of the EcoHouse, cooking some more fun meals and enjoying getting to know the new interns.

The EcoHouse

Veggie burger night!!

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, we had three volunteers leave and two new ones arrive last weekend. Javi, Dion, and Kyler all left and Brady and Joris arrived!

Brady is from Mississippi and is taking online classes through University of Northern Mississippi. He is super into skiing and actually almost moved to Bellingham recently. He lived in Taos, New Mexico for a while skiing and enjoying the people there and was going to hike part of the PCT this summer until he got this internship. He’s here for the NGO management internship, so he’s helping out with running some office items and generally helping out with all the projects, especially the dry toilet. He’s been out surfing twice a day, which is impressive, and he seems to really love it here! He’s been a great addition to the house.

Joris is Lithuanian and goes to school in London, but spent a semester at UBC in Vancouver recently, so we’ve connected over our experiences in the Pacific Northwest. He’s here for renewable energy projects and he’s been splitting his time between helping me with the solar distiller and helping Ale with his wind turbine project. However, Joris got really sick right after getting here, so he hasn’t been able to do much the past few days, but he’s back on his feet today! He’s a very upbeat and energetic person, and definitely a fun addition to the house as well.

Michael, the fourth director, also arrived this weekend and he’s been really fun to have in the house! Michael definitely doesn’t know Lobitos quite as well as Andres and the others, but he’s just as enthusiastic and energetic about the projects as the other directors. His main job in EcoSwell is to work with the volunteers and help them prepare for life at the EcoHouse, so he’s been talking to us all individually about what we’re working on and how we think the EcoSwell house and the application/volunteer preparation process could be improved. He’s really upbeat and loves to talk about the projects and EcoSwell, so he’s been another great addition to the house.

Other than the new volunteers, we did the classic Sunday dinner at Tranqui’s, I had a nice happy hour sunset and beer with Andres, Joris, and Isa at La Casona (the hostel up the hill) on Monday, and then Isa and I made veggie lasagna for the whole house. On Tuesday we had a ton of black beans left over from lunch, so we made black bean and sweet potato veggie burgers that were DELICIOUS (everyone agreed, even the guys that are usually against veggie burgers)! On Wednesday I went and did a beach workout while the guys surfed (we don’t have enough boards for everyone to surf at once) and then dove in the waves with no wetsuit (the water here is much warmer than at home, but the guys were impressed that I didn’t freeze). I finished Lord of the Rings after almost a year, finished another book called The Letter, and started reading The Stand by Stephen King (another big undertaking, but really good so far)! Yesterday we had a fun EcoTeam dinner at 420 Cafe, where we watched some surfer kids play an exciting game of tag around the tables!

Work

Me with my solar distiller!

We had our weekly Wednesday planting day at 6am again, and Isa and I spent the time cleaning our little courtyard (it was really messy and there were a lot of random remnants of old projects laying around) and attempting to remove a stump in the middle of the courtyard (we failed). The rest of the team worked at clearing branches and setting up a little vegetable garden that we’re going to start next week!

I’ve been making steady progress on the solar distiller this week; I finished painting all the silicone and primer on both the distiller basin and its window, I painted the water catch with silicone as well and secured it into place, and I figured out the outlet system for the freshwater. I also stopped by the Fisherman’s Guild a couple times to figure out the best place to put the distiller when it’s ready to be installed there. There are a few shadows that I’ve needed to track, but I think I have a good idea of where to put it!

I’ve been posting on SteemIt pretty regularly, but I’ve been slacking on facebook a bit, so look for a bunch EcoSwell posts on facebook in the next week or two! I’m also gaining access to the EcoSwell instagram so I can keep that going a little more than it is now. Gotta start taking more cool pictures!

Adventures

On the El Ñuro pier (I haven’t gone through my GoPro for turtle pics yet..)

Last weekend before Dion and Javi left, Ale and I went on a grand adventure with them to El Ñuro to swim with turtles! We caught the combie to Talara from Lobitos and got a cab in Talara that drove us the hour to El Ñuro! It was very touristy and there were many people trying to sell many things, but there were truly sea turtles EVERYWHERE. I can’t count the number I saw, it was pretty incredible. We paid for a boat tour, and the guide told us some of the history of the area and the turtles before stopping so we could swim with the turtles! They threw some fish guts into the water and we hopped into the (surprisingly warm) water to chill with the sea turtles. They were not shy at all. Turtles would come up behind you and bump into your feet or your back and give you quite a surprise! Dion screamed a few times (haha) and there was a huge family on the boat with us, and the three little girls were screaming and crying most of the time they were in the water because turtles kept touching them and scaring them. I loved it, but I was definitely caught off guard a couple times (one turtle came up and stuck its head in my armpit !!). Overall it was a funny and memorable experience, and we sat down for a late lunch of sweet potatoes, rice, salad, and ceviche for the meat eaters when we got back to the dock. To get back home we had to take mototaxis (motorcycles with a side-by-side passenger rig on the back - a little sketchy) to a bus stop, take the bus to Talara, and catch the combie back to Lobitos. It was a great day!

Also, mom just arrived after a bit of a crazy journey from the Galapagos! She’s here until Tuesday and I get to show her around Lobitos and maybe go on an adventure or two :)

Post-workout and swim sunset!

It was another great week at EcoSwell, and I can’t believe I only have six left already! Looking forward to spending time with mom this coming week and making some serious progress on the solar distiller :) As always, feel free to ask any question! Miss and love you all!

[racheloxborough-arttherapy]

Found Objects

BLOG #4 

 As our course is online due to the current pandemic, so is our studio practice.

We were asked to look for items around the home that were incredibly uncomfortable to make art with. This sounded like an adventure but also a little grimacing. I began the “scavenging” with finding one of the family’s shoes. These shoes bother me, they smell and they are constantly covered in mud. they are left the hallway for everyone to see. I thought it would be incredibly brave of me to make some marks with these objects.

Fig 1. The dirty shoes.                                                     

Fig 2. Yogurt that I used to spread on the                                                         page with a spoon.

 My next find was a yogurt pot that I had just finished eating. I was curious to see how the art would turn out as it could become mouldy on the page. I thought it would be uncomfortable to paint with the back of a teaspoon.  I then located the Dettol antibacterial spray. I felt compelled to spray the page, hoping maybe that the yogurt would not turn mouldy.

 Fig 3. The Dettol antibacterial sprayed on to the page.

I then found some brown paper left from a parcel. I used a blunt pizza cutter to cut up the paper. This was quite challenging. I then located a carrier bag and started to cut that with the pizza cutter. I began to burn some of the brown paper (almost setting fire to my rug) as I now know, fire is difficult to control and that feeling is incredibly uncomfortable.

Fig 4. The final piece “Uncomfortable Mess” by Rachel Oxborough

Fig 5. The yogurt drawing after 6 weeks.

The yogurt painting turned out well, with no mould. I like the way it has become an earthy colour along with the mud. The cracked effect is also intriguing, almost akin to an aging process with the development of lines. It has a shiny appearance, like dried PVA glue.

 This exercise enabled me to empathise with clients who may be experiencing art therapy for the first time. They may find art materials intimidating or extremely uncomfortable such as chalks. Those with touch sensitivities or aversion to mess may find the process of creating images with materials they find difficult to control incredibly distressing.

I found the process fascinating and researched art therapy practices that use found objects as part of the therapeutic session. Brooker, (2010) raises the question of found objects, that being material objects rather than natural ones, should be included in the BAAT guidelines for art therapy practice. At the time of writing this journal, Brooker states that the BAAT only recommended using materials that the therapist provided in the session. Brooker was not meaning objects that were found in the session, but rather as homework set by the therapist for the client to bring. From reading the BAAT guidelines “knowledge of hazards or toxicity of art materials and the effort to safeguard the health of clients”, BAAT (2019), could be the reason why this could pose problems. The clients would need to be assessed for this type of exercise as to whether they are capable of safeguarding themselves and others with materials that they found.

Brooker believed that finding objects that the client could identify with, enabled the “transitional space” where the transitional object could take the role of “me – not me”, Winnicott (1971 p.101).  She believed that clients being prevented from bringing found objects to the therapeutic session could inhibit the playing with potential space of cultural experience. This is especially in relation to those of whom are displaced and away from familiarity. I can relate to this in my own life experience of being an expat in far east Asia. It was incredibly comforting to hear a British accent or finding a tin of Heinz baked beans (even if it was ten times more expensive). The familiarity of everyday items in unfamiliar territory is intensely comforting. Lloyd et al (2018), described their work with refugees in Calais, used found objects and other materials such as clay, sand and small bricks. Items that the refugees could relate to and find emotional shelter.

Brooker cited that Camic (2008, 2010) through his research had found that utilising found objects enhanced the therapeutic potential in healthcare by incorporating the use of attention, motivation, emotion and cognition. Brooker believes that found objects create a psychological bridge and aid a better sense of self. It also allows clients to develop interests with those outside of mental health services, such as environmental protection projects. Brooker and Camic have collaborated to develop further research as they believe that using found objects enables those that with reduced capabilities with art materials can enter the world of art and art therapy.

In my own practice during teaching art and creative wellbeing to children, I always carried with me a junk modelling box, (much to parents horror). After delivering a workshop that either taught art skills or therapeutic based activities, the junk modelling box would become available. It was the highlight of the class for many children as they were free to build and create with whatever they found in the box. They were often far more overjoyed with what they had created from the junk modelling box than what they had in the lesson. It would contain items such as old toys, fancy dress jewellery, boxes, plastic containers. I would include string and masking tape (they often preferred these items to anything else). The reason I provided this junk box was through this inspiration of one of my children.

We had to make the decision to home educate after one of our children experienced a difficult time in formal education. It was through observing them play with string, paper and recycling that taught me how much children need to explore and create with no intervention from adults, other than being present and able to reflect back. Creating opportunities for children to play and create has been a passion of mine as I know it is the fuel for great mental health. This has led to me on the journey to become an art therapist, to understand and appreciate the complexities and dynamics involved in creativity and emotional wellbeing.

Fig 6. Items from the junk modelling box for the therapeutic art workshop in primary schools.

 “… where playing is not possible then the work done by the therapist is about bringing the patient from a state of not being able to play into a state being able to play” Winnicott (1971:54).

Full permission was given by the individuals mentioned in this blog. They have read the contents and have given their approval. They are also aware that it is a live blog,

References:

BAAT, (2019) Code of ethics, p. 6, point 13.1:V Available at: https://www.baat.org/Assets/Docs/BAAT%20CODE%20OF%20ETHICS%202019.pdf (Accessed 04/01/2021)

Brooker, J (2010) Found Objects in art Therapy, International Journal of Art Therapy, Vol. 15:1, pp 25-35, DOI: 10.1080/17454831003752386

Lloyd, Press and Usiskin (2018) The Calais Winds took our plans away: art therapy as shelter. Journal of Applied Arts and Health. Vol.9:2, pp.171-184, DOI: doi.org/10.1386/jaah.9.2.171_1.

Winnicott, D.W. (1971) Playing and Reality. London: Routledge

[bites-kms]

Chicago, that toddlin' town

I guess very deep inside I love it: I always end up visiting freezing places in December for a quick holiday before the actual big holidays. First it was Russia, then Finland, London and now Chicago. I must definitely have a fetich with the cold, because it’s really unbearable with -18C, and yet, here I am. 

Chicago is cold, yes. But it’s wonderful as well. I can’t wait to come back during summer time. If I find it gorgeous already, I can’t imagine then. Winter isn’t that bad either: all the beautiful places you want to go, see and know are actually empty, picture-perfect awaiting for you and your enjoyment. Some rooftops get cold very easily but, there are other closed ones, surrounded by glass, already ready to fight the winter back, gifting you a beautiful sight of Chicago lights within the comfort of AC. 

You breath and eat its culture. People are polite. The American flavor is present in every corner. It’s hard to describe a particular neighborhood or place; instead, you just have to wing it to discover it. If, as per my point of view, New York City is the heart of the US (at least on the East Coast), where the culture beat and rhythm is determined, Chicago must definitely be its lungs: the air is fresher, the city is cleaner, more tidy yet exciting, smaller but rich, more elegant and better taken care of, making sure the blood stream fluids hassle-free in this living being that is America. I mean, it’s called the Windy City for a reason!

A mix of Sydney, San Francisco, Singapore and Sweden (all of them with S - such a weird coincidence) with a dash of Toronto and Austin, this is a perfect merge of everything. What Yangon is to SEA, I believe Chicago is to North America’s East Coast.  

Downtown Chicago, The Loop & River North, the main stuff. 

Michigan St. is one of the city’s main arteries, it’s fully decorated, with its fancy boutiques, stores and hotels, charming the riverwalk and its surroundings. The sharp cold, the one that makes you feel like you are about to lose your fingers in any sudden bump or gentle touch, paints the city with a crisp white - still figuring out whether it actually came from my frozen watery eyes or the snow itself. Regardless, it’s indeed a charming Winter Wonderland.   

Arriving from O’hare to any part of town is quite easy thanks to the CTA. I went off on Washington stop and walked a few blocks reaching my friend Gabe’s house by New East Park. A compulsory stop at Millennium Park, with a visit to the wrongly named “bean” (it’s actually named Cloud), the Art Institute of Chicago - awarded the best Museum in the World by Trip Advisor until 2018 for four years in a row - is a must. But what is even more important is to try Chicago’s pizza emblem: the stuffed pizza pie at Giordano’s. It has multiple locations, -the original one being at River North- and its menu is full of the good stuff. We went to the one by the Bean instead, and be prepared: it’s a lot of food and it will take at least 45 mins to reach your table. So don’t get fooled, try to hold on and avoid ordering appetizers, don’t be like us, if not you’ll get super full before the main food star. It’s rich and full-filling, the doe is fantastic, it honors the actual “pie” name it stands for, the sauce is delicious and the stuffing reminded me of the pizza rellena my Nona used to make, although with a complete different taste (ours was way better, coz it had bacon, anchovies and eggs). 

After an evident food comma, be prepared to check out a wonderful sunset at London House, a hotel & rooftop bar strategically located on the intersection of Michigan St. and the Riverwalk, where you can be mesmerized by Chicago’s skyline. If you are visiting in winter, remember to drop by early (sunset in December happens approximately around 4:30pm), and if you are checking it out during summer nights, be ready for some music and fun until late. 

A great winter alternative is The Signature Room & Lounge - a closed yet wonderful restaurant, located on the 95th and 96th floor of one of Chicago’s tallest building. A reminiscence of  the Hyatt Hotel in Tokyo and a flashback to Charlotte’s wondering sights at the massive windows in Lost in Translation happens when you first face those monumental glasses, while being charmed by Chicago’s lights and movement. From 5 to 7 there’s a very convenient happy hour, so be mindful to check it out: Prosecco for me, Old Fashion for Gabe. Another incredible talk for our memories. 

Right next to it, you can find The Drake Hotel, now owned by Hilton, also known as the place where Al Capone lived here in Chicago. 

When it comes to dinner, man, you’re in a pickle! Chicago is known for its food scene and for a reason. It’s foodie’s heaven. Thankfully, talking with locals, residents and cross-checking with blogs and seasonal magazines, I can undoubtedly say that The Purple Pig is the place to go. Mediterranean cuisine with a twist, with a wonderful collection of wines and charcuterie. We shared three delicious dishes: whipped feta with honey and sweet heirloom tomatoes, butternut squash with peanut butter and adobo, to finally wrap it up with an exquisite Spanish grilled octopus with potatoes and pesto greens, which made us end up with no extra room for dessert - my friend Belu would be so disappointed on me. 

Right across the street, you can take some pictures at the Intercontinental Hotel, which hosts Michael Jordan Steakhouse (not a biggie, but it’s kind of funny that this legend, Mike 23, has a restaurant on his own). Wrap up your night with some blues. Walk down the area to find your favorite bar, hopefully one with no or little cover fee. We went to Blue Chicago ($10 bucks), grab a IPA Goose Island beer (the local brew) and enjoy some tunes. It was really amazing - I could listen to this music all day long. 

Up North: Old Town, Wicker Park & Longan Park, the cool stuff. 

Head up to Old Town, near Lincoln Park. Take the brown line (if you manage to activate your CTA card, it’s not an easy task if you don’t have a US phone number) and travel 4 long stops. This neighborhood holds St Michael’s Church, one of only seven buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Start your tour over there, and check out the beautiful architecture that surrounds it. It’s an extremely weird merge of modern and old buildings and styles, with some very well preserved gems. Same happens downtown. I guess that after the fire, the city really focused on keeping its charm as untouched as possible. And damn they are doing a great of a job at it! 

Up there, one of the main roads - which is also a National highway - is North Wells Street (IL-64 Route, oh well hello New York’s BQE deja vu!) and check out Second City, an iconic Comedy Club and Theater in the US - thanks Juan for the tip!-. It started as a small cabaret theater nearly 60 years ago and has since become the world’s premier name in improv-based sketch comedy and education. Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Chris Farley, Tina Fey, Bill Murray and Mike Myers are just some of the name-dropping figures that appear as their alumni. 

Right in front of it, there’s Foxtrot Cafe, a wonderful and warm place where to have breakfast. It’s iconic spicy chicken biscuit is a must, and you can pair it with the coffee of your choice. Almond cap for me. After some needed calories to fight the -8C temperature, I headed east to Wicker Park. 

What a wonderful place. It’s dodgy, ruined down and hipster-looking. It is truly fantastic. The best of British’s Shoreditch with the untapped, gritted vibe of Brooklyn’s Bushwick or Flatbush, with the crazy look of Seattle’s Pike/Pine-Capitol’s Hill. This is where High Fidelity (2000s, John Cusack in a record store movie) was shot. Gentrification is the hype word you’ll hear, but still, Wicker Park remains a vibrant hub of culture and commerce in Chicago, riddled with boutiques, restaurants, cocktail bars, concerts venues and condos. It’s main area is located around the six corners of Milwaukee, North and Damen Avenues.

Starting from Milwaukee Ave. South, make a compulsory stop by Myopic Books, a nerdy paradise for all second-hand book fans. Continue your literally hunt down by Milwaukee Av and rejoice at Volume’s Book, get the warm hot cocoa you were craving for while writing your travel blog post about Chicago or read a new book instead. For a more funky venue, walk down a few more steps to find The Wormhole, Chicago’s most visited coffee shop. 

The Wormhole is a place very hard to define, so I will just say that is an '80s-themed rustic coffee shop, complete with a DeLorean, pouring locally roasted coffee. It’s a fun place with great music and even better wifi. It’s easily and strategically located before arriving to some of greatest stores by Milwaukee Ave. Make some time to check out all the fantastic the second hand, vintage and thrift shops like Kokoroko, Free People, & or if you prefer, stop by Reckless Records for some great music discounts.

Make yourself some time to check it by night as well, you can have fun at Emporium, the great arcade place or even have a drink or two at Davenport’s, the great piano bar and cabaret. 

The best place - and most iconic one - to have a cozy, all-time-classic lunch is Dove’s Lunchonette, inspired in old ‘60s and ‘70s Chicago’s soul and blues. It’s really fantastic. Becky (almost certain that was her name) is the great waitress that will recommend you all the goodness available in the menu and refill your coffee or tea, always with her laugh and great vibe. Make sure to appreciate the tunes and the environment, it’s a great memory from this city. A delicious poblano pepper filled with chicken and cheese, deep fried in delicious crumbles, topping a side of mexican rice with house, home-made spicy sauce. Yummy. 

Continue your exploration heading towards Logan Place, where more cool stores like tattoo parlors and skate stores are located. Don’t miss out on the street art scene and the 606, the Chicago’s Highline. Make a stop at the “Greetings from Chicago” mural and don’t hesitate to refuel at Colectivo Coffee, a great place where co-working and coffee brewery merges. 

Going West: Fulton Market, Greek Town and West Loop

This is THE place to eat. All of Chicago’s top restaurants are here, even the ones that have their venues by the riverwalk, they know they need to be here as well. We tried out luck at Au Cheval, named the best burger in America for a while, but it comes with a cost: an hour and a half waiting queue. Instead of getting our burger treat, with it’s typical knife on top, resembling some kind of conquest your stomach is about to achieve and colonize, we decided to give Green Street Smoked Meats a chance. This is one of Gabe’s favorite spots in Fulton Market, and it’s a nice and fancier Texas Smokehouse. Communal, big tables, great music and vibe, where to find delicious BBQ, even better brisket which we tried to tuned down with healthier sides such as yummy broccoli salad as well as the traditional pickle cabbage one, are there to ignite your night. 

The Green Door Tavern is an awesome tip my parents gave me. Apparently, it was vox populi back in the ‘20s that the establishments that had a green door, hosted a speakeasy inside and did not respect the prohibition rules of no-alcohol. So, let’s party like it’s 1921 and enjoy a drink or two in here! Once you enter, it just look like a regular, sports and antique bar, where memorabilia and Irish Pub look-and-feel rules the place. Yet, do not despair: head to the back, go down the stairs and before reaching the bathroom, try to listen to the music. A wall, a tricky one, hidden behind a books and ornaments shelf, you shall find Heaven’s door. A funky, old school, hour-o-clock-show bar, where to enjoy strong cocktails, and around the clock shows. Music, magic or, it’s signature event: burlesque. After choosing your drink from a very unique tarot-card-like menu, indulge yourself in the ‘20s era with the surprise show and the old-school videos played on the stage curtains. It’s a fantastic experience!

Visit the Hoxton hotel (always beautiful, never disappointing according to my experiences in Brooklyn, Paris and now Chicago) and head up to it’s rooftop restaurant Cabra - a Peruvian fusion delight. Great for brunch or lunch, we indulged on it’s sample menu and enjoyed some fresh guac and chips, a pulled pork belly sandwich, a tuna tiradito, goat empanadas and some delicious mango and chocolate dessert. It was a perfect Thursday food-comma. 

Before leaving Fulton Market, walk around and visit the brand new Time’s Out Market. Contrary to the Hoxton experience, Time’s Out is a great content platform with great venues around the world. Although, no market is as nice and as delicious as the Lisbon one. It was the first Time’s Out market they launched, and although I’ve visited some others like New York’s or Chicago’s, they do not manage to create the same vibe and atmosphere you can find in Lisbon. Chicago’s one is nice and you can find top names such as The Purple Pig and so on, but maybe you wanna give some of the surrounding restaurants a try before choosing Time’s Out Market. 

Wrap it up by Navy Pier & a bis on the Riverwalk 

While my stayed in the Windy City was coming to an end, I went to the Navy Pier for sunset to be wonder by the Michigan Lake and its view. We also walked down again the main road and visited The Protein Bar, a healthy venue were wraps and juices are top notch and you with your purchase you contribute to a local start-up. You can also check out a top view of the Bean and the Millennial park at Cindy’s, the rooftop of Chicago’s Athletic Association. Visit the Public Library and imagine yourself studying at the same booths or with the same texts Obama once did. Have a coffee by the Theater District at Goddess and the Baker. 

Head to Nonnina for some yummy Italian and even better service. We had some wine, pasta and salmon to celebrate my last night in the city. Call it a day by visiting another Varela’s Family recommendation and favorite: The Redhead Piano Bar. This energetic, fun and light-hearted venue is a fantastic spot where to drink your sorrows away, sing your heart out and laugh as hard as you can. The talented crew at the piano and mic will sing your requests for tips and will cheer and entertain your night with fine tunes, Chicago’s stories and public interaction that will certainly lift any night and place a unique bow on your unique Chicago Farewell. 

4 days in Chicago is not enough, specially if the cold forces you to be inside. I guess the same applies in summer: it wont be enough either due to the outdoor activities the city will offer.  Next time I will drive a little bit uptown heading to Superdawn, the traditional and well known Chicago sausage drive thru. I would also love to visit Manny’s Place, a traditional deli that’s been around for quite a while now, as well as to Kingston Mines, the traditional blues bar near Lincoln Park and Zoo -which we did actually go but too early for a show- as well as another fun and very hard to find ( I need to research a little bit more) tiki-bar speakeasy called three dots and a dash. Chicago, you’ve been awesome - I’ll be back!

[abiteofnat]

2019 COME AT THE BUTTON ON MY HIGH-WAISTED JEANS

Because by the end of this week, I had eaten enough to question the strength of the stitches holding my pants together. 

This year has started off with some of the best meals a grandma shark could hope for, from steakhouses to creative cocktails, it’s all been wonderful. I still have not mastered the art of breakfast, or bringing lunch to work, or how to avoid being hangry all eight hours of work due to not fixing either of those aspects... but maybe 2020 can be the year I figure that out! The good thing about forgetting to eat the entire length of a workday is that by the time it ends, I’m ravenous and ready to CHOW DOWN on some GOOD SNACKS. And by snack I mean a three course meal. 

So, without further ado, here are the meals I’ve eaten so far in 2019. 1 week, lots of empty plates, no shortage of flavors. It’s been grand. 

(Sort Of Meal 1, Actually Last Meal Of 2018): RPM Steak

For NYE Eric and I wanted to paint the town red with the blood of a well-cooked steak for him and a bottle of Merlot for me, so we went to RPM Steak for JUST THAT! I’m pretty sure we’ve been to every steakhouse in Chicago in the past year which is pretty incredible/terrifying on its own, however we hadn’t been to RPM and when’s a better time to blow some coin on five pounds of potatoes than NYE? I had mild expectations but they were all blown out of the water, as each course got better and better. We started with the camembert fondue, which was fucking dazzling to see, smell, and taste. From the piles of toasted bread coated in melted butter, to the cast-iron skillet holding a whole wheel of camembert topped with shaved truffles, it was a sight to behold. While truffle and melted soft cheese can be an overwhelming combo, it worked beautifully together and made for a decadent yet not too filling appetizer, and left me wanting much more (while not feeling ripped off for the price). 

Next up, I got a caesar salad for my main and it came complete with a deviled egg on the side, which was a wonderful surprise and as far as such a simple salad can go it was quite delicious. Eric got a bison steak, no comment on that since I did NOT try it, and then we also got blue cheese whipped potatoes and the “Millionaire Potato.” OOOOO BOY. THOSE POTATOES. The blue cheese whipped potatoes were easily my favorite thing we ate, because they had the perfect texture, right amount of blue cheese, a sprinkle of fresh pepper, and add some steak salt? Goodbye, you just died of joy. The Millionaire Potato was a twice-baked potato that had more black truffle, butter, and fontina cheese. It was heaven, and I wish I had another right now. The best bang for our buck was the side of onion rings for $8, and it was truly a huge bowl of onion rings and some dipping sauces that provided a nice crunch to break up the soft, rich foods. 

To finish off, Eric told the waiter it was our one-year anniversary (which is true one month from now, yeehaw!) and so we were treated with a rich dark-chocolate cake topped with flakes of gold and ganache. It was so incredibly dense and chocolatey and with a sip of red wine after each bite, 10/10 dessert. I would go back for a glass of wine and that cake after a long day in the future. 

Overall, it was an absolutely perfect last meal of 2018 and I got to spend three hours enjoying dinner with my love. Good stuff, good year, GOOD CAKE. 

Meal 1: Tweet

I’ve blogged about this brunch hotspot before, but it deserves another spot for being my first meal of a new year THREE YEARS IN A ROW. YEP. I order the same thing every time, and it never ever gets old- the vegan chorizo tacos, with a side of hash browns, and a side of hollandaise sauce (for the hash browns, OF COURSE). Can’t miss out on the spice cake appetizer that they bring without a minute to waste, and their iced coffee that includes one full glass and a whole carafe to keep on fillin’ up! Go to Tweet, plan on waiting a hot minute for a table, and enjoy the wild hot mess of perfection that it is. 

Note: It’s cash only, so get cash or be sad! And it’s incredibly gluten free/vegetarian/vegan friendly, hooray! 

Meal 2: Flight Club Darts USA

Skipping a few days ahead now, but no one cares about pizza and Whole Foods sushi, which is what I ate. So now we’re at Friday, the first Friday night of the new year! Hot stuff! Somehow I lucked out and was offered a full dining + playing experience at Flight Club Darts USA in Chicago, so after work Eric and I met in the charismatic yet impossibly “cool” dining area on the first floor and took a cozy table in the corner by the window, letting us watch the full bar and dart oches fill up with happy hour kids blowing off some steam like us. With a scotch on the rocks for him and The Butterfly cocktail for me, we ordered almost one of everything on the menu and ended up with quite the spread. I got the Spaghetti with lump crab, breadcrumbs, butter and citrus, and for sides we got the fries, green bean fries with a sweet & sour dipping sauce, and the mini tuna poke tacos. The green bean fries are for sure my favorite pick from the whole menu, as they’re perfectly crisp on the outside but still juicy on their green bean inside, and the fries are a close second with their cheese and seasonings. The spaghetti was rich and cooked a lovely al dente, and with a cocktail made of vodka & grapefruit juice I was in tastebud paradise! MY DRINK LOOKED EXACTLY LIKE THE COCKTAIL EMOJI! 

After dinner, we headed upstairs to where it’s darts central and where there’s a second bar much more populated with dates, groups of friends, families enjoying a game night, and every other group you can think of. When they say it’s “social darts,” they’re not kidding!! We got our own dart board and played nearly every single game available, and it was very relaxing to hurt real metal darts at a cork board after one heck of a day at work. Eric was scared, I was empowered, he won anyway but I had a GREAT TIME. 

This place is an awesome pick if you’re looking to meet friends for drinks after work, have dinner with work friends, or bring family to entertain them for an night when they’re in town. And you get great views of the city! 

Thank you again to Flight Club for letting us enjoy for the night, we had a great time and I will certainly be back for more dart therapy. 

Meal 3: Eataly

Ok I know this one isn’t revolutionary, because who hasn’t eaten at Eataly? I frequent this place and every time it’s just so freakin’ good. Their thing is authentic Italian food, and they really nail it with their homemade pasta, fresh sauces, expansive wine list, and sea salt ciabatta to dip into multi-dimensional olive oil. But, this meal had to do with my last post of 2018- about truly being in the moment and enjoying time with loved ones. Since my sister is home from college for break, she’s been going to all her favorite spots and this was one yet to be crossed off. We’re both bananas for the Cacio e Pepe- al dente spaghetti tossed with cheese, salt, and pepper. It’s perfect. So I told my family to meet me downtown on Saturday night and have a family dinner at Eataly, to cross the pasta off Elise’s group and family time off my life. We had wine, talked about our week, and I felt so happy to get to do that with them. Eataly is somewhere we’ve gone a lot as a family, and it always just feels like home when we’re there. With a gelato sundae to finish off, we left very full and ready for a sleep! 

Pictured: Cacio e Pepe, the squid ink pasta, truffle pizza, chocolate and hazelnut gelato. 

Meal 4: Replay Andersonville

Brunch. Nachos. Lemon Raspberry Ricotta Pancakes. Mimosas for $5.50. Skillets. Free arcade games. Lots of TVs for football. That’s all you need to know; this place is IDEAL for brunch and is my new go-to. Even on football Sunday it wasn’t that busy but still full and the food blew me away for being a bar. Eat, drink, play some old school arcade games, leave feeling revived and young again. I LOVE BRUNCH. 

Anyway, that’s pretty much it for this week! 2019 has not been kind to my wallet but I’ve already eaten so much good food and I can’t wait to keep the ball rolling! Fork in hand, I am ready. 

Until next time, Happy Eating!

-Natalie

[thewebofslime]

Democrat Joe Biden has been lurking in the 2020 presidential shadows being presented by those with their 2020 fingers crossed as an adult in the romper room of pubescent progressives waiting for their Spartacus moments as they learn the complexities of basic math and leadership skills. Biden was the top choice for 28 percent of likely Democratic primary voters surveyed in a recent University of Massachusetts Amherst poll, despite his not having declared a 2020 presidential bid. Yet while critics of President Trump’s foreign policy accuse him of a degree of recklessness and immaturity that place the nation’s security at risk, Biden’s service in an administration that gave us the criminal negligence and incompetence of Benghazi, provides us with an example of why he should not be trusted with the nation’s security or the lives of its heroes. As author and attorney David Shestoksas points out in his review of Betrayed: The Shocking The Shocking True Story of Extortion 17 as told by a Navy SEAL's Father, Biden betrayed the heroes that killed Osama Bin Laden to further his political ambitions: On May 1, 2011, Aaron Carson Vaughn, member of America’s elite special operations force, Seal Team VI, called his father, Billy Vaughn and exclaimed: “Dad, we got him!”  The elder Vaughn asked: “Got who, son?” Aaron Vaughn replied: “Who do you think? Go turn on the TV.”[1] On television shortly thereafter, President Obama declared to the nation that Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind of the deadly attacks of September 11, 2001 was dead. Vice-President Biden Applauds and Endangers the Seals Vice-President Joe Biden, at an awards banquet on May 3, 2001,[2] remarked: “Admiral James Stavridis… can tell you more about… the incredible, the phenomenal, the just almost unbelievable capacity of his Navy SEALs and what they did last Sunday… I’d be remiss also if I didn’t say an extra word about the incredible events, extraordinary events of this past Sunday.  As Vice President of the United States, as an American, I was in absolute awe of the capacity and dedication of the entire team, both the intelligence community, the CIA, the SEALs.” (emphasis added) Less than a day after Biden’s remarks Aaron Vaughn called his mother Karen: “There’s chatter and all of our lives are in danger including yours, Mom.” Three Months Later A Deadly Attack on Seal Team VI On August 6, 2011, in the Tangi River Valley of Afghanistan, Aaron Vaughn and 30 other Americans,[3] including 15 members of SEAL Team VI[4] were killed when their fifty year old helicopter, designated Extortion 17, was hit by a rocket propelled grenade. Leon Panetta is one who has taken President Trump to task for his alleged “loose lips.” Panetta himself, it would seem, was also one who needed to be surrounded by adults to keep his loose lips in check, having put the lives of those who took out Osama bin Laden at risk. As Breitbart reported: Former CIA Director Leon Panetta, for example, told CNN on Tuesday that Trump “cannot just say whatever the hell he wants and expect it doesn’t carry consequences.” Panetta should know, because it was his loose talk after the Osama bin Laden raid that exposed a Pakistani doctor, Shakil Afridi, who helped locate the Al Qaeda leader.  As a result, Afridi was imprisoned on fabricated charges and will live under fear of assassination for the rest of his life. As Breitbart News noted in 2013, a Pakistani report on Dr. Afridi reportedly concluded “Dr. Afridi was implicated by a ‘statement by the U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who was the CIA Director when May 2 happened, confirming the role of Dr. Afridi in making the U.S. assassination mission a success.'” Panetta did not reveal that critical intelligence in a private meeting with a foreign emissary, but to the entire world, on CBS News’ 60 Minutes. Then there is Joe Biden, whose loose lips got members of Seal Team 6 targeted for revenge and killed in an Afghan mission known as Extortion 17. As Investor’s Business Daily recounted on May 28, 2013: Extortion 17 was the call sign of a special operations mission in Afghanistan on Aug. 6, 2011, that responded to an Army Ranger unit engaged in a firefight with the Taliban and in need of backup. The Chinook helicopter carrying the rescue team was shot down by a Taliban-owned rocket-propelled grenade over the Wardak Province on Aug. 6, 2011, killing 38, including 30 Americans and 15 members of Navy SEAL Team 6, the unit that killed Osama bin Laden just three months prior. The shoot-down was described at the time as a "lucky shot," but the families of the dead SEALs believe that, like Benghazi, it was a pre-planned operation of revenge facilitated by a government that put them in harm's way without adequate support and with a bull's-eye painted on their backs. At a Pentagon briefing on Monday, May 2, 2011, a senior defense official was asked if it was a Navy SEAL team that found and killed the world's most wanted man. The terse and proper response was: "Not going to comment on units or numbers." Then on May 3, Vice President Joe Biden got up to speak at a dinner at Washington's Ritz Carlton Hotel marking the 50th anniversary of the Atlantic Council to spill the beans about Adm. James Stavridis and "the incredible, the phenomenal, the just almost unbelievable capacity of his Navy SEALs and what they did last Sunday." From that moment, the families believe, the Taliban looked for an opportunity for revenge, and a government more concerned with politically correct rules of engagement than victory helped them get it. Biden skated on the leak that got SEAL Team 6 targeted for revenge. Those who now condemn Trump for trying to save American and, yes, Russian lives, were silent, especially Leon “Loose lips” Panetta. Panetta and Biden, like Hillary Clinton at Benghazi, put lives in jeopardy and got men killed. The deaths of more than 20 Navy SEALs from the unit that took out Osama bin Laden is connected to a loose-lipped vice president who likes to sometimes pose as a presidential action figure.            To be a politician takes more chutzpah than courage. The chattering class, as the mainstream media is sometimes called, were more worried about how the successful Bin Laden raid by Navy SEALs might affect President Obama’s reelection chances in 2012. So did administration officials, as the leaks and chest-thumping began almost immediately. SEAL missions depended on bravery, courage, skill, daring -- and secrecy. Initially, when President Barack Obama announced that “a small team of Americans” had killed Osama bin Laden, he did not identify it was the SEALs. Nor did the senior defense official at the Pentagon briefing: “Not going to comment on units or numbers.” Then on May 3 Vice President Joe Biden got up to speak at a dinner at Washington’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel to mark the 50th anniversary of the Atlantic Council: “Let me briefly acknowledge tonight’s distinguished honorees. Admiral James Stavridis is a, is the real deal. He can tell you more about and understands the incredible, the phenomenal, the just almost unbelievable capacity of his Navy SEALs and what they did last Sunday.”            The RPG that felled the SEALs may have just been a random act of war. The Taliban could have just gotten lucky. Or they could have been plotting and waiting for revenge, looking for helicopters that might be carrying more SEALs on another mission, a big bulls eye painted on their backs by a vice president who forgot that loose lips can sink ships, and can also get Navy SEALs killed.

[lifeless-x]

Top 10 Reasons for visiting Disneyland this Year!

If you are a Disney fan, you have to visit Disneyland at least once in your life. If you haven’t been to Disneyland yet, 2018 is the time to go. There are so many new things happening, this is a great time to pack up the family wagon and head West to Anaheim. Want to see why? Here is our top 10 reasons that you need to visit Disneyland this year.

#10 – New Paint the Night Parade

The fan-favorite “Paint the Night” parade at Disney California Adventure Park gets even more super this June with the addition of a new float inspired by Disney•Pixar’s “The Incredibles” and “Incredibles 2.” The epic Parr family and their pal Frozone make their first appearance in this electrifying parade, bringing all of the fun and excitement of “The Incredibles” to life with high-tech, pop-art effects inspired by the mid-century modern style of the films.

Mr. Incredible, Mrs. Incredible and Frozone showcase their super skills as they take on their latest threat, The Underminer. Mr. and Mrs. Incredibles’ teen daughter Violet, along with their sons Dash and Jack-Jack, also showcase their unique powers in surprising new ways, as shown through dynamic and innovative visual technology. Like other elements in this spectacular parade, the new float comes to life through a series of dazzling LED lights, new music elements and more.

#9 – New Downtown Disneyland Venues

The Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort is continuing its ambitious, promenade-wide transformation in 2018. Multiple new venues and significant refurbishments to marquee dining and retail locations, including the World of Disney store, will be completed throughout the year while Downtown Disney remains open to guests. The result will be a fresh, one-of-a-kind Disney experience, immersing guests by day and night in the greatest mix of family-friendly dining, shopping and entertainment. New additions include:

Ballast Point Brewery – They will open their first Orange County location in Downtown Disney later this year. Ballast Point pairs award-winning beers with an extensive menu of Southern California cuisine—salads, small plates, flatbreads and entrees featuring local, sustainable and seasonal ingredients. In addition to Ballast Point’s iconic beers, including its flagship Sculpin IPA, the location will serve exclusive, limited-edition beers available only at Downtown Disney. The space will house Downtown Disney’s first-ever on-site brewery, as well as a tasting room, kitchen and outdoor beer garden.

Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire by ILMxLAB and The VOID –  The hyper-reality experience transports guests deep into the Star Wars universe, allowing them to walk freely and untethered throughout the space. In groups of four, teams go undercover as stormtroopers to capture Imperial intelligence vital to the budding rebellion’s survival.

Disney Home –  Just opened! This popular new retail store offers fans a variety of Disney-themed home goods from glass wear to linens, kitchen goods and more. At Disney Home, guests find a curated assortment of products that change with each season.

Splitsville Luxury Lanes –  A dynamic recreation destination, offers a unique combination of dining, drinks, bowling and entertainment. Now open, the Downtown Disney District location features 20 bowling lanes interspersed throughout two floors, four dining areas (indoors and out), more than 25 flat screen TVs and live entertainment 365 days a year.

World of Disney – will be reimagined into a new, dynamic and distinctly Disney retail environment. The flagship store will remain open to guests for shopping during the majority of the refurbishment, with work expected to be completed in phases throughout 2018. World of Disney will continue to offer the largest selection of Disney toys, souvenirs, accessories, collectibles and more at the Disneyland Resort.

Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria –  will undergo renovations to expand its patio with a new outside bar and additional seating for al fresco dining. Inside, three wood burning ovens will be installed to better meet guests’ demands for authentic Napoletana-style pizza pies. The restaurant will remain open throughout construction, which is slated to be completed in fall 2018. In addition,

Napolini – Naples’ fast-casual concept, will also remain open, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Napolini will undergo renovations during the latter part of construction. Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer will open its first California location in the heart of Downtown Disney District later this year. Known for its award-winning burgers and signature CrazyShake

milkshakes, Black Tap will offer a casual atmosphere reminiscent of a modern luncheonette, with a distinctly New York vibe.

#8 – Pixar Food

I love themed food! This Summer, there is Pixar themed food everywhere!

“Up” on Main Street U.S.A.

The fried bologna sandwich at Carnation Café

The pork chop dinner, reminiscent of Carl’s TV dinners, with a spiced apple pork chop, cornbread, peas and carrots, and a chocolate cake dessert at Carnation Café

Specialty Éclair at Jolly Holiday Bakery Café

Frozen “Grape Soda” slush at Cappo Cart

“Coco” in Frontierland

“Coco”-inspired menu items at Rancho Del Zocalo include a Mexican chocolate pot de crème, topped with a Miguel chocolate

Coco Churro with rich chocolate powder, vanilla bean and salted cinnamon sugar is served with a spiced, Mexican chocolate dipping sauce

“Toy Story” in Frontierland

Root beer float served in a souvenir Woody boot at Golden Horseshoe Saloon (guests will want to check the bottom of the boot for a “Toy Story” memory)

Berry funnel cake, topped with blueberries, strawberries, cookie-and-cream crumbles, crème anglaise, white chocolate and gold-dusted whipped cream at Stage Door Café

Cinnamon pretzel at Frontierland Pretzel Cart

“Toy Story” in Tomorrowland

Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port transforms into Alien Pizza Planet, featuring new Alien-inspired items, including a hearty cheeseburger pizza topped with cheese, caramelized onions, diced tomatoes, slider patties, a house-made burger sauce, and pickles.

“Ratatouille” in New Orleans Square

A three-course dinner inspired by the little chef, Remy, served at Café Orleans. The dinner features a charcuterie plate starter, Ratatouille a Confit Byaldi Shrimp dish entrée and berry and cheese beignets served a la mode.

“Monsters, Inc.”

Chilled noodle salad features color-changing noodles with mint, Thai basil, shredded daikon and tofu at Lucky Fortune Cookery (special sauce activates the new color)

Mike Wazowski-shaped sourdough bread at Pacific Wharf Café

Mint chip smoothie and whoopie pie at Schmoozies

 “Coco”

“Coco”-inspired menu at Paradise Garden Grill, in the Pixar Pals area, with mole verde con pollo, tacos de estilo callejero, a Jamaica slush and “Coco” tres leches parfait

Also featured at Paradise Garden Grill is a Mexican cinnamon-spiced hot chocolate served in a souvenir “Coco” jarrita

Cars Land

Starting May 16, a new menu at Flo’s V8 Café for Pixar Fest will feature items such as a classic cheeseburger, turkey club sandwich, cobb salad, fried chicken plate and more.

Habanero meatball cone at Cozy Cone Motel

#7 – New Pirates of the Caribbean

Since its debut at Disneyland Park in California in 1967, Walt Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean adventure has thrilled hundreds of millions of guests from around the world. An immersive and engaging entertainment experience, it’s steeped in detail and rollicking pirate fun. It debuted as a technological marvel and storytelling masterpiece and, for decades, this award-winning attraction has been considered one of the pinnacles of theme park experiences worldwide.

The original Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, which inspired a global phenomenon and launched a highly popular film franchise, adds new magic in 2018 as guests discover a swashbuckler caught in a booby-trap. Fans of the attraction’s early days may also recognize a familiar voice as a pirate shares the cautionary tale of a cursed treasure. And the familiar redheaded figure among the townspeople has switched sides to become a pirate known as Redd, who pillages the town’s rum supply.

#6 – Heroic Encounters

In Hollywood Land, guests will have the opportunity to meet some of their favorite Marvel super heroes. Fans will be able to encounter characters such as Thor and Loki, as well as Black Panther, for a limited time. Additional Marvel super heroes including Spider-Man and Captain America will also be available throughout the year to interact and take photos with guests.

#5 – Pixar Play Parade

“Pixar Play Parade” returns April 13 for Pixar Fest at the Disneyland Resort, bringing even more Pixar stories to life during the limited-time celebration. For the first time, “Pixar Play Parade” makes its way through Disneyland Park daily and three new story elements add even more playfulness to this interactive, daytime parade.

The parade begins just as all Pixar films have, with an appearance by the iconic and adorable Pixar Lamp and Ball from the Pixar original short, “Luxo Jr.” Also joining “Pixar Play Parade” are characters and scenes from the beloved Disney•Pixar film, “Up.” Wilderness Explorer Russell appears astride the colorful flightless bird, Kevin. Carl Fredricksen and Dug follow behind, amid green foliage and Kevin’s chicks, with Carl’s tethered house floating above. Another popular Disney•Pixar story joining the “Pixar Play Parade” is “Inside Out.” Perched atop colorful memory orbs, Joy and Sadness take flight aboard Riley’s rocket wagon, with Bing Bong himself cheering them on.

In addition to these exciting new elements, “Pixar Play Parade” brings back some beloved Pixar pals from the exciting and colorful worlds of Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Finding Nemo” and “The Incredibles.” This energetic, immersive parade inspires guests of all ages to sing and dance along with acrobatics, high-energy choreography, interactive surprises and lively bubble and water effects.

#4 – New Pixar Pier

The newly reimagined land features the thrilling Incredicoaster and Pixar Pal-A-Round attractions, imaginative neighborhoods, Lamplight Lounge and additional food locations inspired by Pixar films, plus exciting entertainment, character encounters and more. Guests will experience the wonderful worlds of Pixar in incredible new ways on this seaside waterfront at the Disneyland Resort.

At Pixar Pier, guests will enter the newly reimagined land at Disney California Adventure through the dazzling Pixar Pier marquee – topped with the iconic Pixar lamp later this year. Beloved Pixar stories are introduced in this land through four whimsical neighborhoods.

The first neighborhood is Incredibles Park, inspired by Disney•Pixar’s “The Incredibles,” and it opens with the Incredicoaster. Permanently transformed from the attraction that was California Screamin’, Incredicoaster invites guests into a mid-century-modern-style loading area where they will board vehicles with a distinctive, new look. New character moments, new scenes and special effects, and an exciting musical score connect the attraction’s story to Pixar’s “Incredibles 2”.

Adjacent to Incredibles Park is Toy Story Boardwalk, a neighborhood that includes the popular Toy Story Mania! attraction, with Jessie’s Critter Carousel coming in 2019. Another new neighborhood is Inside Out Headquarters, inspired by Pixar’s “Inside Out,” where another new family friendly attraction will open at a later date.

The fourth neighborhood, Pixar Promenade, celebrates a collection of guest-favorite Pixar stories. The iconic Fun Wheel transforms into the newly themed Pixar Pal-A-Round, allowing guests to enjoy the beautiful sights of Pixar Pier from 24 freshly-decorated gondolas – each one adorned with beloved Pixar pals.

Another exciting location is the new Lamplight Lounge, an elegant yet fun gathering place for the entire family at the entrance of Pixar Pier. Lamplight Lounge will serve a new menu of California casual gastro-pub cuisine that is playfully presented, along with unique signature cocktails. The seaside lounge will contain a full bar with picturesque waterfront views of Paradise Bay from both upstairs and downstairs.

Lamplight Lounge celebrates the creativity, inspirations and personalities of the artists and storytellers who have brought Pixar stories to life. Guests will discover the artistic marks that Pixar “regulars” have left throughout the lounge, including concept art, a quick sketch on a coaster, memorabilia and collectible toys of beloved Pixar characters.

#3 – Together Forever

“Together Forever” celebrates friendship and connects guests to beloved Pixar characters and stories as it lights up the sky over Disneyland Park. Dazzling pyrotechnics, immersive projections, colorful lasers and memorable music are part of the storytelling in this unique multimedia show.

Buzz Lightyear, more than 300 green Space Aliens, 10-foot-tall “Coco” characters from the Land of the Dead and many more Pixar favorites star in the newest fireworks show at the Disneyland Resort.

“Together Forever” connects guests to beloved Pixar stories as it lights up the sky over Disneyland Park. It comes to life with pyrotechnics, special effects, a new musical score and projections on iconic park locations: Sleeping Beauty Castle, the water screens of the Rivers of America, the façade of “it’s a small world” and the buildings of Main Street, U.S.A. The grand tradition of Tinker Bell flying over Sleeping Beauty Castle also gets a Pixar twist, with a special flyover by Buzz Lightyear.

#2 – Star Tours – The Adventures Continues

A thrilling new adventure inspired by the film, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” has landed at Star Tours—The Adventures Continue. The new sequence takes passengers to two exciting new destinations: Crait, the site of an epic battle in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and Batuu, the remote outpost guests will discover when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens at Disneyland in 2019.

#1 – Incredicoaster

The thrilling Incredicoaster opens in late June, bringing guests the first ride-through attraction in the world to feature characters from Disney•Pixar’s “The Incredibles.” Anchoring the newly reimagined land of Pixar Pier, the Incredicoaster takes guests on a super adventure with the Parr family to capture the elusive baby Jack-Jack. Exciting character figures, special effects, lighting, new music and distinctively colored vehicles make the thrills on this coaster even more incredible.

Guests will step right into the world of “The Incredibles” as they discover they’ve been invited to the inaugural launch of the new Incredicoaster. In gratitude for their heroic efforts and incredible deeds, the citizens of Municiberg are dedicating their beloved roller coaster to the Incredibles. Of course the family of supers are attending – Mr. and Mrs. Incredible, Violet, Dash and Jack- Jack – along with Edna Mode (exclusive super suit designer to the Incredibles).

With Edna and Jack-Jack being too short to ride the Incredicoaster, they have to wait for the rest of the Incredibles inside the VIP inauguration lounge. Things go awry, however, when the unpredictable Jack-Jack vanishes from Edna’s not-so-watchful eye. As a polymorph with a wild variety of powers, Jack-Jack creates chaos along the track while his Incredible family sprints into action to save the day.

Are you thinking about a trip to Disneyland this Summer (or possibly this Fall)? Contact us here at Mouseketrips, we can help you with all of your Disney planning needs, and can even make sure you get the best possible price, at no additional cost to you.

Are you thinking about a trip to Disneyland this Summer (or possibly this Fall)? Contact us here at Mouseketrips, we can help you with all of your Disney planning needs, and can even make sure you get the best possible price, at no additional cost to you. Please feel free to contact us for a free, no obligation Mouseketrips quote.

The post Top 10 Reasons for visiting Disneyland this Year! appeared first on Mouseketrips.

Source: http://www.mouseketrips.com/top-10-reasons-for-visiting-disneyland-this-year/

[urbanpineapplefarmer]

It is really important to me that all of you learn about Al Bean, astronaut on Apollo 12 and the fourth man to walk on the moon, who after 20 years in the US Navy and 18 years with NASA during which he spent 69 days in space and more than 10 hours doing EVAs on the moon , retired to become a painter.

He is my favorite astronaut for any number of reasons, but he’s also one of my favorite visual artists.

Like, look at this stuff????

It’s all so expressive and textured and colorful! He literally painted his own experience on the moon! And that's just really fucking cool to me!

Just look at this! This is one of my absolute favorite emotions of all time. Is Anyone Out There? is like the ultimate reaction image. Any time I have an existential crisis, this is how I picture myself.

And then there's this one:

The Fantasy

For all of the six Apollo missions to land on the moon, there was no spare time. Every second of their time on the surface was budgeted to perfection: sleeping, eating, putting on the suits, entering and exiting the LEM, rock collection, setting up longterm experiments to transmit data back to Earth, everything. These timetables usually got screwed over by something, but for the most part the astronauts stuck to them.

The crew of Apollo 12 (Pete Conrad, Al Bean, and Dick Gordon) had other plans. Conrad and Bean had snuck a small camera with a timer into the LEM to take a couple pictures together on the moon throughout the mission. They had hidden the key for the timer in one of the rock collection bags, with the idea being to grab the key soon after landing, take some fun photos here and there, and then sneak the camera back to Earth to develop them. They had practiced where they would hide the key and how to get it out from under the collected rocks back on Earth dozens of times.

But when they got to the moon, the key was nowhere to be found. Al Bean spent precious time digging through the collection bags before he called it off. The camera had been pushing their luck anyways, he couldn't afford to spend anymore time not on the mission objectives. Conrad and Bean continued the mission as per the NASA plan while Dick Gordon orbited overhead.

Fast forward to the very end of the mission. Bean and Conrad are doing last checks of the LEM before they enter for the last time and depart from the moon. As Bean is stowing one of the collection bags, the camera key falls out. The unofficially planned photo time has come and gone, and he tosses the key over his shoulder to rest forever on the surface of the moon.

This painting, The Fantasy, is that moment. There have never been three people on the moon at the same time, there was never an unofficial photo shoot on the moon, this picture could never have happened.

"The most experienced astronaut was designated commander, in charge of all aspects of the mission, including flying the lunar module. Prudent thinking suggested that the next-most-experienced crew member be assigned to take care of the command module, since it was our only way back home. Pete had flown two Gemini flights, the second with Dick as his crewmate. This left the least experienced - me - to accompany the commander on the lunar surface.

"I was the rookie. I had not flown at all; yet I got the prize assignment. But not once during the three years of training which preceded our mission did Dick say that it wasn't fair and that he wished he could walk on the moon, too. I do not have his unwavering discipline or strength of character.

"We often fantasized about Dick's joining us on the moon but we never found a way. In my paintings, though, I can have it my way. Now, at last, our best friend has come the last sixty miles." - Al Bean, about The Fantasy.