#and i believed them until 8 john denvers in

[iamnotlookingidonotseeit]

and I feel love for my friends in this chili's tonight

[docnomore]

Thinking about the differences Mrs. Doc and I had to work through over the years. Our childhood years were dramatically different. Her father was the VP of the wealthiest bank in the US. That translates to, a father never present. Up before dawn, gym bag, brief case and suit in hand. Home by 5, locked away in the study, drinking martinis and doing paperwork. Unavailable until 8 PM when he was sufficiently numb and time for bed. He did everything he’d been taught: he was a great provider. Mother, went to school, got her M-R-S degree, did finishing school and all of that. She graduated to become the consummate, bored to tears housewife. Always dressed in pearls, always at the ready with starched shirts, impeccably clean house and the meal at the last minute when he’d call to inform he was bringing a client home. Mrs. Doc did the private school, the riding club and country club with the parents. She and her friends hung out at the pool. Mrs. Doc from an early age would slip into her father’s study and eat the very “wet” olives from the martini. By 9-10, she was an alcoholic. Mother decided she wanted more. Took up stage acting. That was not befitting a banker’s wife. They soon divorced. She met and married a Harvard man. A socialist, Kennedy man. Given her options, Mrs. Doc chose to stay with mom over dad. That essentially cost her her inheritance from her father. Mom left an inheritance of $2 million but step dad remarried and divided that up between the new wife and her brood. Mrs.Doc’s step brother being the executor saw what dad had done and made attempts to make things right. She received nearly. $70,000. Staying with mom also meant moving as a late teen to Colorado with the whole John Denver movement. She married and her alcoholism caught up to her. She married a second time to a guy who was a total manipulator. He was a long haul truck driver. Together, they had a daughter. Not exactly sure, but there’s a strong possibility that he molested her. By this time, Mrs. Doc was a recovering alcoholic but still had her vices - namely cigarettes and work. She was managing a corporate chain restaurant and was averaging 12+ hours a day. Closing one day and opening the next. Her daughter in tow, the child had no idea what stability was. That marriage failed and then came me.

Six months older than Mrs. Doc, she came from one side of the state, I came from the other. Dad was illiterate and always searching for work. He had many jobs. A friend from school got him a job as a pit crewman on an Indianapolis 500 race team. They won in 1949, 1951 and again in 1952. He also worked a printing press, driving a fire truck and as a TV repairman. Things were always tight but they managed to make it work. Mom had a mental illness and could never tell the truth. We grew up believing we were direct descendants of frontiersman Daniel Boone. Dad continued to work Indy for several decades and as soon as we boys were “old enough”, would take us to the track. People with a little money, do crazy stupid stuff. And at Indy, the infield gets raunchy and wild. Dad would take us around the track and taught us both to drive race cars there. I’d been driving since the age of 12 on the neighbor’s farm. They had a Volkswagon Beetle with no doors. When it was time to bring the cows in, we’d drive them in using that car. In ‘75, things got really hard. A fire retardant known as PBB was mixed in with the cattle feed and everyone’s herds had to be Slaughtered. Using a bull dozer, someone from the government would order a trench dug. The cattle were herded in and we sitting up on the sides would open fire. We were paid 22 cents a bullet. Dad was working a factory job and that factory closed. More government policy gone bad. Literally, we were left to starve. Mom had a job at a doctor’s office. It wasn’t enough to keep the creditors at bay, they lost everything but the house. As kids, we hung out in the back pastures, having bonfires and a keg of beer until the cops showed up. It would always turn into a free for all of underage drinkers wildly driving through corn fields trying to lose the cops. More of dad’s driving lessons put to use. Come the next morning, the chief of police would show up at the coffee shop, lay an ear of corn in front of dad and tell him hame had to go square up with the farmer whose field we tore up the night before. I was a lousy student, in part because dad never allowed homework to be done at home. “School is for school work. Home is for home.” He would say. Report cards would go home and mom and dad would have their arguments. Mom would slap us around a bit and life went on. Like my sister and brother before me, I graduated to essentially nothing. I worked as a dishwasher, a banquet porter, room service and as a cook. Factory work had left the state and farmers had lost their farms. I floundered for a few years then ended up in the military. I’d never been “college material”. In the military, everything is premised on rank and rank is premised on the amount of education one has. Having nothing more than a high school diploma and ranked at the bottom of the class, I was literally little more than cannon fodder. I began as a deck seaman on an ammunition supply ship sailing the Pacific. I got orders to attend Hospital Corpsman school while docked in the Philippines. I still wasn’t much for education, but sitting in a classroom for 13 weeks sure beat working Deck. I and another guy teamed up with a merchant mariner expat living in Manilla. He had a van, and we chipped in for gas and we drove across Luzon to get from Subic Bay to Clark Air Force Base. We hopped a C-141 to Travis AFB. Somewhere over the Pacific, that plane blew an engine and we found ourselves on Guam. We talked our way into first class tickets aboard a PanAm 747 to San Francisco. I attended HM school in San Diego, where my immaturity nearly go the better of me. I’d skip out of school around noon, change into a swim suit, grab a cooler full of beer and a surfboard and would spend the day and night surfing and getting drunk. Hung over, I graduated and they sent me to Camp Pendleton where I learned how to work with the Marine Corps. After that, Chicago, where I met a girl and married her. We hardly knew one another. Soon after, she was pregnant and she lied to get out of the Navy. That marriage failed.

[taylorjamie-mua]

Going “Home” || Self-Para

“If home is where the heart is then we’re all just fucked.”

Where: Sugar Creek, Missouri 

When: May 7-9, 2021

Featuring: n/a

Triggers: Homelessness, death, mother’s day

Taylor always said that she wouldn’t willingly ho back to Missouri, even if someone paid her, but this time, she felt like she had to go. Starting on Friday morning, she drove until she couldn’t drive anymore, until she felt like her eyes were about to fall out of her head from focusing on the road for too long. That was when she reached Denver. Wanting to sleep in a bed for once, Taylor found herself a room at a Super 8 motel for the night and crashed until morning.

The next day, she picked up where she left off, driving another nine hours until she reached her hometown, Sugar Creek. After reconnecting with her cousin, Jesse, Taylor had a place to stay for the night that wouldn’t cost her any money. Jesse and his boyfriend had a lot of questions for her-- many of which were intrusive-- but she answered all of the couple’s questions with a (fake) grin. After all, they were graciously hosting her for the night. 

Sunday morning, she woke up in Jesse’s guest bed, snuggled up in the sweatshirt she had stolen from an ex-fling back in October. After so many wears, it no longer smelled like its original owner, but it still brought Taylor a sense of comfort. After showering and getting dressed, she made scrambled eggs and bacon, and left some for the sleepy couple. Before they woke up, she was already out the door and headed to the nearest florist. Of course all the prices were gauged for Mother’s Day, but she didn’t care; she just wanted to get her tulips and go. 

Taylor arrived at Mount Saint Mary’s Cemetery around 10:00 am, overpriced tulip bouquet in hand. After a half hour of wandering, she finally found the McGowan family plot. Four names were now engraved on the tombstone: John McGowan, Mary McGowan, Charles McGowan, and Rosemary McGowan. John, her great-grandfather, passed away many years before Taylor was born and was the one who bought the plot for the family. Mary, her great-grandmother, passed when she was three years old; she had no memories of her, but knew there was a picture of the two of them from her baptism somewhere. Charles, her uncle, passed away in 2009; it was tragic and unexpected for everyone. Rosemary, her mother, was the most recent addition to the plot; another tragic death, but not unexpected to Taylor, who watched her mother’s health decline for eleven months leading to the stroke that ultimately did her in. Taylor felt bad for her grandparents, as they had to bury two of their three children, but she wouldn’t say that to them. Her grandparents were overly judgmental and they annoyed her, so the less she had to interact with them, the better. 

After tracing over the lettering of her mom’s name, Taylor rested the flowers in front of the tombstone and sat crisscrossed on the ground. She cleared her throat before speaking, “Hey, mom. How are you doing? Can you hear me? Have you been watching over me like Aunt Diane said you would be? I honestly have no idea. I don’t know if I believe in all of that guardian angel stuff, but if it is true, a sign would be nice. Just something to let me know that you’re there. Stuff’s been...” she paused to wipe her eyes before continuing. “Stuff’s been really hard since you died. Fuck. I said I wasn’t going to cry when I came here... I just... I really miss you. I want you back. I want things to go back to normal. You, me, together in Santa Monica. You working at the office, me finally going to beauty school.”

She was glad that she didn’t put on much makeup that morning, because the tears were starting to roll. “Shit’s really bad. I got kicked out of the apartment because I couldn’t pay rent for two months. I know it’s not your fault that I’ve been sleeping in my Jeep for the past two months, but if you could give me some of your guardian angel magic and help me find an apartment, I’d really appreciate it. I’m just fucking sick of being afraid that I’ll be arrested or killed in my sleep every night, and I’m so fucking sick of showering at the fucking public gym!” She punched the ground next to her, shaking her hand after accidentally hitting a sharp rock. “Fucking motherfucker!” she exclaimed, inspecting the fresh cut on her knuckles. She stood up, eyes full of tears and hand covered in blood. She needed to do something about this before it got infected. Before leaving the cemetery, she turned back to look at the tombstone one last time, whispering, “Happy Mother’s Day, Mommy. I love you.”

[roswelldetails]

Episode 203:  Good Mother

Sorry so late this week!! I had a deadline for work that kept me away from this early in the week, and Tumblr has been mean tonight. Kudos to @tasyfa for helping me with some of the transcripts while I was stuck working!!

EPISODE SUMMARY:

Determined to regain control of her life in the aftermath of Noah’s death, Isobel (Lily Cowles) makes a risky choice despite its potential consequences.  Meanwhile, Alex (Tyler Blackburn) and Michael (Michael Vlamis) work together to unravel the mystery surrounding the night Nora’s (guest star Kayla Ewell) spaceship crashed in 1947. Elsewhere, Liz (Jeanine Mason) makes a surprising confession when Cameron (guest star Riley Voelkel) shows up looking for answers about Max (Nathan Dean).  Heather Hemmens, Amber Midthunder and Trevor St. John also star. Jeffrey Hunt directed the episode written by Deirdre Mangan & Carina Adly MacKenzie (#203.) Original airdate 3/30/2020.

DETAILS:

Aliens in the crash are always portrayed as wearing all white.  

There's also a silvery gleam on the faces of Nora and Louise following the crash.

Harlan Manes (first introduced in the alien autopsy scene in 1x07) and Hector Valenti (first mentioned in the pilot by Jesse Manes, but visually introduced here) are shown as having both a partnership and a difference in perspective, with Hector being more sympathetic to the aliens from the start - it mirrors what we know about Jim and Jesse's relationship.

Mysterious alien figure in white hood (probably played by Nathan Parsons, but unlikely to actually be Max (see @latessitrice meta) touches Nora's shoulder and she looks pained, then attacks and burns Hector alive, before disappearing into thin air.

Nora is shot in her shoulder.

Liz sent Alex to find Michael at the cave. 

The pods "regenerate cells at the same rate as they degrade" keeping them in stasis.  The theory of the electrical current is that it will speed up the regeneration so instead of stasis, Max might improve.

Searching for info about Nora led Alex to a sophisticated firewall, which meant that someone was trying to hide information about her.

Jenna's fake energy drinks are called "Speed Demon"

Mimi DeLuca says she was "nowhere" (and then she looks up at the stars). She was wearing the same nightgown and robe as when she disappeared (white...like the aliens in 1947), but instead of bare feet, she had on a pair of elaborate blue and white cowboy boots 

Jenna told Sheriff Valenti that Mimi recited the plot from the film Starship Troopers during the car ride into town "like she lived it", with all the voices, but did not provide any information about where she’d been.  Sheriff Valenti implies that this is typical behavior from Mimi.

Michael says he's been parked at the pony for a few weeks.  Maria says that Mimi was gone for a month. That means that another 2 weeks have passed. (I.e., Max has been dead for 6 weeks now.)

Maria says that they found her mom on I-40 (by the Roswell sign).  Also in 2x01 Rosa indicated that she and Liz were on I-40 when they saw Flint - Rosa put together that it was the most direct route to Area 51...however, I-40 does not go through Roswell.  In fact, it is over 100 miles from Roswell to I-40 (north on 285).  However, it is the most direct route to Area 51 from Roswell.

Isobel points out that Mimi DeLuca waking up in the desert with no memory is similar to what happened to her when Noah took over her body.  Michael doesn't believe that they are the same situation though.

Rosa is about to drink spiked coffee when Liz brings her the art supplies.  After Liz leaves, she pours it out without drinking it.

Isobel is packing up all of the photos of her and Noah (most look like vacation photos).  She hesitates on the photo of them with Max at the wedding that we previously saw in 2x01 at Noah's funeral.

Isobel's baby is now 7 weeks (consistent with the other time frames) and is now the size of a blueberry.

Isobel drinks the rest of the alien death serum and immediately gets cramps/pain in her womb.  And then Max's hallucination appears.

Isobel tells not!Max that she has been microdosing with the serum for weeks (2 weeks, based on the timeline) and it hasn't worked.

Not!Max does tell her to call Kyle (i.e, her subconscious knows she should, but she's not listening).

Michael tells Jenna that Max is in Mexico (at first).

Mimi is "hydrated and healthy" and she never felt unsafe.

She thinks she was only gone for a night, coming to see Maria when Jenna found her.

Maria asked Mimi whether Jenna lent the boots to her and Mimi declared they were hers

Liz is surrounded by monitors with alienesque symbols on them (or maybe just The Science!) See photo:

When the alarm sounds Liz looks at her computer screen and reacts - likely a security camera.

When Alex arrives at the Bunker and sees the binder left for him, the computers are on and there is a map showing.  See photo: 

I tried to figure out what city it is on his computer screen, but no luck. If anyone figures it out, send me an ask & let me know & I'll blast it out!

The 3-ring binder left for Alex, which looked approx. ¾ full with paper documents, was marked on the front:

CAULFIELD * A4N

352-6553 NMG

The text was white on a dark green background that appeared to be a printed label that had been affixed to the front of the binder. The body of the binder was light grey, with a partially shaded circular diagram in the lower center of the front that appeared to be part of the binder itself rather than a later addition like the label.

The Post-It note left on the binder for Alex said, "What side of history do you want to be on?"

There was also a marking on the spine of the binder: CF-143-3453-C78. This is probably a file or record reference, with CF standing for Caulfield. The reference would be visible when the binder was housed on a shelf, allowing easy identification.

When Alex flipped open the binder, the visible portion of the top page read as follows:

HEADQUARTERS

509th BOMB GP (NH)

ROSWELL ARMY AIR FIELD

ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Forwarded.

A07-06 (95)                                8 JULY 1947

AFTER ACTION REPORT

Serial

[blacked out text with underscoring] [TOP SECRET stamp]

From:        Lt. Colonel Payne Jennings, Roswell Army Air Field

Subject:    Engagement with enemy combatants, recovery of unidentified craft, night of 14-15 June, 1947, twelve casualties.

[offscreen] is a fine that concerns the events and

[offscreen] following the discovery of a flying saucer,

To:        Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force

[offscreen] dentified rancher notified

[offscreen] [blacked out text] that he found the instrument on

[offscreen] operations were coordinated with

[offscreen] with the intent of detaining or

[offscreen] while assisting in the inves-

[offscreen] reached the crash site

[offscreen] ing object’s entan-

[offscreen] balloon. Ship

[offscreen] of foreign

[offscreen] place

Liz explains The Science to Jenna:

"3 years ago I hypothesized that if I introduced a rare protein to destroyed stem cells they'd regenerate.  And I was right. My team in Denver brought dead cells back to life. Rat cells, but, I mean, still, the applications are immeasurable… until our study got shut down.  They said it's for ethics reasons, but I think it's because it threatened big pharma. Then a few weeks ago, Kyle found that the pods contain a sort of alien cousin to my regenerative protein.  When Max healed Rosa, his electric charge amplified the process. If we can replicate that, then, we can accelerate his recovery, so, I am testing out pig hearts to see…" discussion about pig hearts/human hearts/different kinds of smart…

Liz says she has a few hours before she has to "record the electromagnetic charge interval"

Jenna says that Liz reminds her of Charlie.

Charlie used to rant about gene therapy

Jesse says he requested no visitors until "his brain starts to follow his orders".

He keeps periodically hitting the morphine drip with Alex in the room, though he was ignoring it before Alex got there.

Jesse describes the opening scene of the episode. And then tells Alex "Tripp was never the same".

Rosa's art:

Among the quotes on her collage are:

Body drie up from ...

What did she say

You're no listening

Control her Take her power

I am the Mesa the mighty

Nothing but a muddy trickle

You can't hold us

Sandia

Between them... Damn... One day she'll…

East

Rosa hears Max call out to her (while awake) "Rosa! Help! You're the only one!"

Jenna says that her dad brought her and Charlie to Roswell when they were kids.  That they were obsessed with the crash and aliens and the X-Files and it was the perfect trip.  It's why she came to Roswell after leaving the military.   "It was like trying to go back in time, somehow."

"Time Travel really messed with you.  I am eight years older than my older sister.  She used to be my hero. She was kinetic, disruptive, cool.  Now that I'm an adult I'm pretty sure she's bipolar, and she needs help.  And if I try to save Max I'm letting Rosa twist in the wind, so, hence the wine ready in my drawer."

Maria is going through a box labeled "Mom's Stuff" in the Pony when she sees Rosa.

"I'm turning into my mom.  I lost time at the gala...Michael's hand...I'm seeing things!"

What Valenti says about Noah's death:

"The M.E., Dr. Holden, listed Noah's cause of death as cardiac arrest due to lightning strike. (note: cardiac arrest = heart attack.  Same way Max died.). No other abnormalities were listed. But that's not consistent with the crime scene photos. You see these ligature marks on his wrists and ankles. …. These marks are consistent with zip ties.  And these with struggling against police-issue handcuffs. Like Max's.".

Isobel blames it on their sex toys.

What Max said to the grocery clerk "¿Tienes carne sin preservativos?" (Meat without a condom).

About Max's nightmare:

"You remember when I used to come in and sleep on your floor?"

"You used to have a nightmare.  You were alone in a cold, dark room and there was something… You couldn't get up.  You were…"

"Chained to the floor.  I'd wake up all freaked out and run to your room."

Rosa's nightmare:

"I need your help, Rosa."

"Look, I'm not gonna help you die.  I have been drinking so that I don't dream."

"I know that."

"It's like you're getting stronger. I hear you now when I'm awake."

"You're right.  Something is making me stronger. I feel things. That's why I'm calling for you.  Something is wrong with Isobel. Even in the pod I sense it. She's dying. Please."

Liz thinks that Max was able to reach out to save Isobel because the electricity is making him stronger in the pod.

Maria confessed to her mother that she had thought she might be getting sick too, Mimi said Maria would not get lost because she was protected, and reached for the resin pendant with the anti-alien pollen flower that Maria was wearing as usual. When Mimi seemed to go to sleep, Maria removed the necklace and placed it on her mother. 

Flashing back to the night of the crash, Nora seems to be tying down the tarp on the back of the truck when Tripp approaches her.  He feigns an offer to assist her and then grabs her and orders his men to move in so that they can take her and the truck back to base.  Louise appears and black-canary-screams to push them away (sound waves, I presume). She is shot in the stomach/chest. Nora pulls her into the truck and drives them away.

The newspaper clip Michael found is dated October 12, 1948, two days before Nora was captured. 

Newspaper transcript:

Last scene - Nora is clearly driving the truck with her powers, as she has both her arms around Louise. They approach a cabin and we're introduced to Roy Bronson, who offers to help.

Roswell Town Fair Charms Locals and Tourists

Photo caption: Smiles abound demonstrate a good time had by all.

Saturday Festivities Drew Healthy Crowds

Second column under photo:

...well as celebrated hometown war heroes, and, of course, Mrs. Benjamin Booker (Carol) whose strawberry Chile pie has won the Roswell Pie Contest four seasons in a row.

Children delighted in activities such as sack races.......

Top of 3rd column:

...ice creams.

Meanwhile the annual pumpkin chunking contest was the main attraction as expected! Pumpkin chunkers arrived from far and wide with their pumpkins and their pumpkin-lurching apparatuses. The prize for best pumpkin chunked went to the Long Family. Their farm foreman Roy Bronson credited his friend and neighbor, a young woman who declined to be named, for the Long's pumpkin chunking victory.

When asked what he'd do with the prize money, Bronson declared that he would "purchase ingredients (for his lady friend) to cook up a nice pumpkin pie".

MUSIC:

Dame - Holy Moly

Tommee Profitt feat. Fleurie - Hurricane

[hms-chill]

RWRB Study Guide, Chapter 9

Hi y’all! I’m going through Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue and defining/explaining references! Feel free to follow along, or block the tag #rwrbStudyGuide if you’re not interested!

Too close to the sun (239): A reference to the myth of Icarus; his father built him wings so that they could escape from a tower they were trapped in. Upon gaining his freedom for the first time in years, Icarus celebrated by flying as high as he could. The sun melted the wax on his wings, and they fell apart, leaving him to plummet to his death.

Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens (239): Alexander Hamilton was an American politician, and John Laurens was a revolutionary fighter and abolitionist. Every biography of either of them is like “yeah wow they sure were GOOD FRIENDS” or “They had a ROMANTIC FRIENDSHIP” (an actual phrase I just read). 

Chernow’s biography (240): The most popular biography of Alexander Hamilton; the one that the 2016 musical Hamilton is based on. He concludes that “at the very least, we can say that Hamilton developed something like an adolescent crush on his friend”.

King George III (242): The king against whom the American colonies revolted.

Eliza (243): Eliza Schuyler Hamilton was Alexander Hamilton’s wife. The pair absolutely adored each other, and according to at least one of Hamilton’s letters to Laurens, she was conscious of and completely alright with their relationship (and also maybe down for a three-way).

Allen Ginsberg to a Peter Orlovsky (245): Allen Ginsberg was an American poet of the Beat movement, which was characterized by a dissatisfaction with 1950s America. Peter Orlovsky was an actor and took up poetry after beginning his open relationship with Ginsberg. The pair continued this relationship until Ginsberg’s death in 1997.

Henry James to Hendrix C. Andersen* (247): Henry James was an American/British writer whose works often explore the contrast and overlap between those two cultures. Hendrix C. Andersen a sculptor (known for a sculpture of Jacob, um... “wrestling” an angel). The two met in Rome in 1899, and James immediately bought a bust sculpted by Andersen, which he placed above his mantle, declaring “I shall have him constantly before me as a loved companion and friend”. (more, including a deeply gay love letter)

“Loco in Acapulco” (248): A 1988 song by the Four Tops about partying in Acapulco, a Mexican beach city. (listen here)

Chambray (249): Chambray is a fabric native to South France, it is lightweight and made of a weave of light colored and white threads.

“Here You Come Again” (249): A 1977 country/pop song recorded/performed by Dolly Parton, about a lover coming back into her life. (listen here)

“Summertime” (249): A DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince hip-hop song from 1991 about how summer is a break from the hectic rest of the world. (listen here)

45 (249): Texas State Highway 45 runs in a loop around Austin.

Mexican Coke (250): Coca-Cola made in Mexico is typically made with cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup, and many believe that gives it a more natural taste.

Lake LBJ (250): The history behind this lake is pretty well covered in the book, but it is popular for boating and water skiing because of its normally constant water level (meaning it is not significantly impacted by things like rainfall or other weather issues). 

“Jumbo”** (250): LBJ apparently had a sizeable “little” friend. He tried to have the White House shower altered so to have a stream shooting directly onto it. He would show it to people all the time. He asked to have his pants tailored to accommodate it.  

Henry VIII*** (250): Henry VIII is a British king best known for taking six wives, most of whom he either killed or divorced after they failed to give birth to sons. He invented the Church of England so that he could legally divorce his first wife and it went downhill from there. 

Strawberry daiquiris (250): A strawberry daiquiri is a mix of rum, sugar, and citrus. They are often frozen and are a popular summer drink.

Hacienda school of home decor (251): “Hacienda” is the Spanish word for an estate; this style is typically defined by high ceilings, open, arched doorways, and sprawling floor plans. “Hacienda” homes are associated with Mexico and the Southwest United States, and are generally designed as cozy outdoor/indoor spaces.

Pemberton Heights (252): One of Austin’s wealthiest and most historic neighborhoods.

Chente (252): Vincente ”Chente” Fernández Gómez is a Mexican actor and musician known as “El Rey de la Música Ranchera" (The King of Ranchera Music). He started his career playing for tips on the street, but has since risen to stardom. (listen here and here)

Cotija and crema (253): Cotija is a Mexican cheese, and Mexican crema is a thickened cream often used as a topping for Mexican foods. 

Elotes (253): Elote, or Mexican street corn, is a popular summer dish made with sweet corn covered in crema, cotija, chili powder, and a variety of other toppings.

Candy-ass (254): A wimp or person who’s not especially tough.

“Not bad for a European” (254): The general stereotype in the US is that European folks, especially English folks, are generally smart, but not very tough.

Santa Maria (256): Saint Mary, the mother of Jesus and greatest of all Catholic saints.

Tamales with salsa verde (256): Tamales are a Mexican dish made of a corn dough wrapped and steamed in corn husks, and salsa verde is a tomatillo-based salsa. Tamales are often made with help from an assembly line of family members. 

Frijoles charros (256): Frijoles charros, or “cowboy beans”, are a Mexican dish made of pinto beans stewed with onions, garlic, bacon, and other elements such as meat, peppers, tomatoes, and cilantro.

Sangria (256): An alcoholic beverage from Spain made of red wine mixed with fruit.

Johnny Cash (256): An American musician who began his career as a country singer, but branched out into rock and gospel as well. He was known for his humility and his free prison concerts, and for context within the book, June is named after his wife. (listen here and here)

Selena (256): Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was a Mexican-American singer/ songwriter/ model/ spokesperson who is known for catapulting Tejano or Tex-Mex music into the mainstream. (listen here and here)

Fleetwood Mac (256): Fleetwood Mac is a British-American pop rock band formed in 1967. (listen here and here)

“Annie’s Song” (256): A John Denver song written as an ode to his wife; she described it as “a love song [that] became a bit of a prayer”. (listen here)

Chile de árbol (257): A small, potent chili native to Mexico.

Jazz brunch (258): A brunch with a jazz trio playing in the background. They’re typically associated with older folks on vacation.

Migas (262): Mexican migas is a traditional breakfast dish made of a crispy tortilla with scrambled eggs on top. The Tex-Mex variation includes extra ingredients like onions, peppers, tomatoes, cheese, or salsa.

The heir and the spare (263): This refers to the idea that a king should have at least two sons: one to be the heir to his throne, and a backup “spare” to keep the kingdom from a succession war in case that first died. 

------

*Fun fact; Hendrik Andersen is related to Hans Christian Andersen (the fairy tale author), who was also queer!

** I now know... far too much about this.

*** The musical Six gives each wife a stage to voice their side of the story, and it’s very good.

----

If there’s anything I missed or that you’d like more on, please let me know! And if you’d like to/are able, please consider buying me a ko-fi? I know not everyone can, and that’s fine, but these things take a lot of time/work and I’d really appreciate it!

—–-

Chapter 1 // Chapter 8 // Chapter 10 

[defrostedwang]

Tag games!

I was tagged by @isabelle-lux

Name: Jill, but I go by Foop too.

Gender: I’m a lady :)

Star Sign: Virgo!

Height: I think I’m somewhere around 5′5. Last time I measured, I was wearing my dancing boots which have a two inch heel and make me taller than my dad. Those used to be my only pair of shoes... thank goodness I have some Durango Lady Rebels now. Those babies are as comfy as my house slippers and they could survive the Raccoon City disaster 15x over.

Time: 1:14PM.

Birthday: 8/24, the same day as Mount Vesuvius erupted!

Favorite Band/Group: Rascal Flatts!!!

Fave Solo Artist: Kate Wolf!!!!!!!!!!!!! A thousand times Kate Wolf. I also love John Denver very very much!

Song Stuck In My Head: Desert Wind by Kate Wolf, or her cover of 2-4-D.

Last Movie: Goodness Gracious, I don’t even know.

Last Show: King of the Hill

When Did I Create This Blog?: Technically I created it when I was in fourth grade, because my mom set me up with pinterest and I saw all the tumblr posts from 2013 and thought it would be so cool to be a part of that lol. But at the last moment, I chickened out. I started being a little active in 6th grade later, but deleted the app for a while. I didn’t actually start being an active user until this last summer.

What Do I Post?: Mostly just BSing, although I am known for my headcanons. People have actually drawn things to go with those headcanons before, and I am so beyond honored.

Last Thing I Googled: 2-4-D Antonia Lamb chords

Other Blogs: N/A

Do I Get Asks?: Sometimes, though rarely. Usually it’s just mutuals responding to a post I made, however I also got my first hate mail the other day and it messed with me. My askbox is always open, though! I accept headcanon requests and some writing requests! Send some down!

Why I Chose This URL: In Futurama, Fry gets lured into the cryogenics lab by a prank order from one “I. C. Weiner,” and then later, in the 3000′s, he gets pranked AGAIN by one “D. Frosted Wang.”

Following: 88 I believe

Followers: 75, and they’re ALL the most dedicated following I could possibly ask for! I love all of them :D

Average Hours of Sleep: I don’t really count that. It takes me a while to fall asleep but I don’t usually have a screen with me when it happens.

Lucky Number: I don’t have one.

Instruments: Guitar and saxophone (kind of)

What Am I Wearing?: T-shirt and gym shorts, but that’s just because I’m waiting for the laundry. Usually I’m in blue jeans, a tank top, and a flannel on the outside. And you wouldn’t catch me alive without my Durangos unless I was wearing my dancing boots, which I don’t wear often because I wore them for 6mos straight and they were murder on my poor feet (plus I like to hike, so my lifestyle was murder on those poor boots.)

Dream Job: Farmer!! I’m going to study GMOs in college but my greatest aspiration is to own a farm in a small farming community I grew up going to.

Dream Trip: When I turn 18 and graduate high school, I want to travel up the entirety of the Appalachian trail from Alabama to New York.

Favorite Foods: I like steak, burgers, and sushi, but my very favorite food is my signature chicken and rice casserole. No, I will not give you the recipe, not because it’s a secret but because I will most certainly be made fun of for eating it. It’s good but it is super white-people food.

Nationality: I’m from the US of A!

Favorite Songs: This Old Guitar by John Denver, Midnight on the Water (a folk song, but my favorite version was done by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason), and my very favorite, Agent Orange (Written by Muriel Hogan, but my favorite version is by Kate Wolf. Her voice is so raw and powerful.)

Last Book I Read: I’m not much of a reader. It was some teenage vampire BS because my english teacher made me get a book from the library, but I like nonfiction and stuff.

Top Three Fictional Universes I'd like To Live In: The ATLA universe (to hug Jet and the Freedom Fighters), the Resident Evil universe (to make a Jill sandwich if you catch my drift ;)) and my sims universe where I’m married to Katrina Caliente and we have four beautiful kids who I’m so very proud of.

Tagging: @rynliadon @unfried-mouth-wheat @syd-asher-laf @lilie-dodgson @mirthfullyv

[larriefails]

28 is not a Larry number - a masterpost

Since @theystudyrainbows has decided to put all the Larrie delusions on this number in one handy masterpost, why not debunk it all in one go?

Even the introduction is a mess. The 28 is not “a One Direction fandom mystery” at all. It’s Louis’ jersey number that he was assigned at Doncaster Rovers and that he has since then adopted. But then again, Liam’s kidney and the Belfast canceled concert are not mysteries either

How decent of you to say that some of these are coincidences, considering literally all of the following is bullshit

The fact that “too many people to name” contributed to write this drivel makes my heart ache

Harry has no connection to the number 28 whatsoever

The problem with you attempting numerology is that there are only 9 possible digits (as the addition of two numbers can never be zero). So, you clown yourselves because it leads to this

Eleanor was born on July 16th 1992:

7+1+6+1+9+9+2 = 35

3+5 = 8

Oh no!

But also, Zayn was born on January 13th 1992:

1+1+3+1+9+9+2 = 26

2+6 = 8

(: Ya see how that’s just not good?

Not only that, but also, as I said, Harry has no connection to the number 28, but for shits and giggles

Kendall Jenner was born on November 3rd 1995:

1+1+3+1+9+9+5 = 29

2+9 = 11

1+1 = 2

So.. basically this is worthless information that you pulled out of your ass. Or I could easily claim that 28 is an Elounor or a Hendall number

You also use this method to count Harry and Louis’ X Factor numbers, but as we’ve established, there are only 9 options, the odds are stacked for this coincidence

How is that 28? That’s 82.. A completely different number. In the UK the date is written day/month/year. So the “same gig” was the 8th day of the 2nd month. 82. It’s very funny that, since you’re Italian and live in the UK (both countries that use the day/month/year system) you’ve written every date so far that way, but now that you want to say this other random date is connected to 28, you switched to month/day/year.

Also, where is the year in this equation? We’ve been using the entire date so far, but now we’re only focusing on the day and month? (and switching order?) That seems very convenient. Almost like, if you try hard enough, any date can add up to 28 in some way?

November 17th 2011, Louis and Eleanor’s anniversary: 11+17=28! Oh no! DRATS! It’s still an Elounor number!

And now we’re just ignoring the month and only focusing on the day. And not only that, but ignoring half the time they were there (the 27th) to only focus on the 28th. That is, once again, very convenient

But continuing with your own ridiculous logic. We know that Louis and Eleanor went to V Fest together in 2011, because Eleanor said so on twitter when Sugarscape wondered if the “brown haired girl” holding hands with Louis at V Fest was her

V Fest was on August 20th and 21st 2011. What do you know? 20+8 = 28! Damn... this is getting suspicious. Louis!!! Did you get the 28 for Eleanor? :)

This is a whole ass facepalm. I’m going to link the video here just so it’s verifiable how unhinged y’all are

He literally turns for 1 millisecond, and is looking in the general area of his right because that’s where everyone else in the band is standing. The fact that y’all still do this shit is so embarrassing for your life and your soul

But why don’t you tell the truth? That y’all decided their anniversary was the 28th and then created this completely impossible to prove “receipt”? How is it proof of anything if it came AFTER y’all had decided the 28 was their anniversary? Your circular logic knows no bounds

Harry has not used the 28 number AT ALL. Louis hasn’t used the 28 as his jersey number “often,” he started using it in 2013 when it was assigned to him by the Doncaster Rovers when he was signed as a semi professional player

This is from goal.com, one of the most important sources of soccer information in the world X

The article is from September 2013 and John Ryan, the chairman of the Rovers, explains that 28 was HIS number, that HE used for a match. Soccer players have assigned numbers throughout the season, and the number 28 had been retired from the line up after John Ryan used it in 2003. He decided to bring it back to give it to Louis. And Louis was signed as a soccer player professionally with that number. That’s why it’s important to him, you bag of nonsense. This was his life long dream in the club he loved. He probably spent hours and hours daydreaming about being signed professionally to play soccer and when he finally accomplished that, it was with the number 28, so of course it’s gonna be important to him!

Find ONE INSTANCE of Louis using the number 28 before the summer of 2013. ONE. You won’t! The tattoo came after that, him wearing it on his jerseys came after that. According to Larrie Lore Harry and Louis started dating in 2011 (apparently September 28th 2011, go figure), but for two full years neither of them did anything related to the number 28 whatsoever!

Why didn’t Louis wear the 28 in his first charity match in 2012?

The fact that he wore 17, which is his and Eleanor’s anniversary. LMAO can you say ouch? Furthermore, Louis didn’t CHOOSE the 28, it was ASSIGNED to him because it was the symbolic number the chairman had used back in 2003. It was a retired number that no player had used for 10 years, and they decided to give it to him as a gesture. Man, that would be a HUGE coincidence if out of 40 something available numbers in a soccer line up, Louis had wanted exactly the one that was retired and meant a whole lot for the chairman, instead of the chairman offering it to Louis, like LOGIC says. Another HUGE coincidence that he had not bothered with the 28 at all up until that point and then started having it everywhere. But I thought Larries hated those?

After this you list all the times Louis has used the 28, which there are a lot, but all come after 2013, I don’t want to add more pointless screenshots here. Doncaster Rovers jersey (from 2013 on), dodgeball jersey (2015), in ears (2015), tattoo (2015), BTY music video (2017), LTHQ’s first IG username (2017), his playlist (2018/2019)

How is that... 28? That’s 90028. And this isn’t a date, where you can just pick the number apart as you wish. This is a zip code for a secret show the Rolling Stones played in LA in 2015

Not only that, but Harry (and this is hilariously tragic for you) was ACTUALLY AT THE GIG! THAT’S WHY HE POSTED THE PHOTO!

Posting the screenshot with the date so you can see. May 21st 2015. Article by the LA Times X

This is Harry at the actual gig with Mick Jagger you absolute MORON X

And this is Harry wearing a Rolling Stones shirt the day after the gig because he’s that much of a fanboy

Y’all the second hand embarrassment is K I L L I N G me. CRYING TEARS OF BLOOD OVER THE FACT THAT THIS WAS WRITTEN IN ACTUAL SERIOUSNESS

Why is “professional” in scare quotes?? I can’t believe that you just added 1+2+3+4+5+6+7. Oh my god. I can’t believe I have to say this but *whispers* those are consecutive numbers. They just used consecutive numbers... And why would Harry’s HQ account managed by the team that’s “oppressing them” use a secret code with their beloved 28? How does that make ANY sense?

The article is wrong. He wore TWENTY-SEVEN Gucci suits. I can’t believe that’s a sentence I just typed, but alas

1- Basel, 2- Copenhagen, 3- Hamburg, 4- Milan, 5- Bologna, 6- London I, 7- Hong Kong, 8- Bangkok, 9- Rio de Janeiro, 10- Mexico City I and II (same suit), 11- Houston, 12- Fort Lauderdale 13- Nashville, 14- Hershey, 15- Philadelphia, 16- Toronto, 17- MSG I, 18- DC, 19- Detroit, 20- Indianapolis, 21- Chicago, 22-St. Paul, 23- Denver, 24- Seattle, 25- San Jose, 26- LA I, 27- LA II

In 60 concerts, he also wore Charles Jeffrey 4 times, Saint Laurent 3 times, Palomo Spain 2 times, a custom kilt, Harris Reed 5 times, Clavin Klein 6 times, Alexander McQueen 7 times, Givenchy 4 times. Just so you don’t think I’m purposefully missing out on a suit to make it 27. The article probably counted Mexico’s suit twice. But it’s not 28 suits, it’s 27. The Mexico suit was the same both nights

I would love to know how this would be relevant to Larry or how this would mean the number 28 is important to Harry. Does he have OCD? I don’t get it

Here we have another round of “I will MAKE IT FIT 28 IF IT KILLS ME!”

Let’s see the different tactics that you used

Adding day and month

Taking only the day

Adding day month and year. Except you left out the 2 in 2017. Because otherwise it wouldn't add up. I can’t deal with thisodnadmsla

Harry performed track 2, meaning, his lead single that he was still promoting, Sign of the Times, and 8 Ever since NEW YORK because... he was performing in... New York...

Only the day. Wow, you actually repeated tactics once!

Adding two completely different dates together, that have absolutely no correlation. How are Sweet Creature, Harry’s promo single, and the music video for a different single, related in any way? What? Why not Kiwi’s music video? Why not Two Ghosts music video? Why not the release of either of those singles to radio? Can you make it any more obvious that you’re just pulling this completely out of your ass?

You repeat tactics again, except it’s the most ridiculous tactic of adding all the numbers in the date except the 2 of the year and it’s for “Harry posted link to Twitter to Sign of the Times music video PREVIEW.” Oh my god

And now you’re counting days between two dates, because that’s not unhinged. I’m guessing you mean the April 14th not 24th, but that also wasn’t the date? It was the 13th? It depends on the time zone you were in?

For someone who, according to you, plans with such precise care to match to 28, he didn’t wait until it would be 28 days for everyone. It’s not even because it was tweeted at midnight UK since this is like 3/4 AM UK time. In fact, it wasn’t midnight anywhere relevant (or anywhere, in general since it was at .54 minutes). So not only is this ridiculous, it’s also incorrect

1. That’s not a fan, that’s his cousin, but Larries know barely anything about Harry if it can’t involve Larry so I’m not surprised you don’t know

2. Imagine him asking “please, make the password add to 28“ to his staff. I have tears in my eyes picturing it

3. I CAN’T BREATHE. Y’all are BLIND on top of INCREDIBLY STUPID. That’s THE DATE

That’s his Hamburg concert, which you can tell because of his suit, which was on MARCH 25TH 2018 (he posted the pictures the day after)

AKA 250332018 which is what the password says

You not only confused an 8 with a 9, but also created numbers out of thin air because of a pixel smudge and failed to realize it was the FUCKING DATE. WHICH DOESN’T EVEN ADD TO 28! 2+5+3+2+1+8= 21

This is perhaps the most ridiculous thing written in this post, which is already one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever read. Can you imagine Harry counting to 28 in his head in the middle of the concert? I can’t y’all, this is too much. You’re A GROWN WOMAN. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? I also found it incredibly suspicious that you didn’t outright link the video which you do throughout the post, and turns out it is because he didn’t pause for 28 seconds (what is this fucking sentence?)

He stops playing and singing at 2.40. Then speaks until 2.43. Then the “pause” which is just him trying to get the audience to stop screaming until 3.07 when he says (I can’t really make it out) “now you” or something like that. And then he says “for your eyes...” and lets the audience sing at 3.09. Literally none of these timestamps add to 28 and he had no way of counting to 28 since he was silencing people the entire time. And just like when he switched “I have love you since we were 18″ to “I have loved you since I was 16″ hitting his own chest, or when he said he fell in love to What Makes You Beautiful, you missed the entire point of this bit, which is Harry’s LOVE FOR HIS FANS

He has loved us since he was 16, he fell in love to us to What Makes you Beautiful, and he was letting us sing that part of the song every concert. He “paused” to shush the nonsensical screams, then he would give the audience the cue and let them sing. Several times he dedicated the song to specific fans in the audience, people with cancer, little kids, a fan that had neck surgery. By making it about Larry, you stripped it from its actual meaning and Harry’s love for his fans. But you always do shit like that

Regardless, he didn’t pause for 28 seconds. Wrong

And you end the post with the most anticlimactic possible tone

Here’s the video

Harry is talking about anniversaries because he’s reading a sign from the audience... about.. anniversaries

Y’all are the definition of clowns. All that fuss for the 28 and THIS is your proof?

[theliberaltony]

via FiveThirtyEight

Welcome to a weekly collaboration between FiveThirtyEight and ABC News. With 5,000 people seemingly thinking about challenging President Trump in 2020 — Democrats and even some Republicans — we’re keeping tabs on the field as it develops. Each week, we’ll run through what the potential candidates are up to — who’s getting closer to officially jumping in the ring and who’s getting further away.

Although there was a lot of attention this week in the media on whether major names like Joe Biden and Beto O’Rourke will get into the Democratic presidential race, candidates who have already been on the official campaign trail staked out positions on big issues that have been in the news. Although Democrats are generally unified on immigration — denouncing President Trump’s proposed border wall — fractures are forming around “Medicare-for-all” proposals and the “Green New Deal.” Progressive candidates have faced some pushback from the field’s centrists, who believe that their aims could be achieved in a more incremental fashion.

Here’s the weekly candidate roundup:

Feb. 8-14, 2019

Stacey Abrams (D) On Friday, Abrams is visiting Washington, where she will deliver a speech at the Democratic National Committee’s Winter Meeting and participate in a discussion about race and political power in the United States at the Brookings Institution. Michael Bennet (D) The Colorado senator hinted at a presidential run during an appearance on “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “We’ve got a million people that are going to run, which I think is great,” he said. “I think having one more voice in that conversation that’s focused on America’s future, I don’t think would hurt.”

Bennet discussed his diverse professional background as one of the ways he was different from the field’s current candidates, citing his time in business and as Denver Public Schools superintendent.

On policy, he joined many Democrats in supporting a public health care option but said that such a plan did not necessarily mean that private insurance should be eliminated. Joe Biden (D) The Washington Post reported Thursday that Biden was still undecided about a presidential campaign, noting that he originally intended to decide by the end of 2018.

On Wednesday, CNBC wrote that Biden is signaling to several Democratic donors that he is leaning toward joining the presidential field but that his decision is not yet final.

The former vice president eulogized the late Rep. John Dingell on Tuesday, saying that the longtime Michigan congressman was one of only a few people he “looked up to.”

“He gave me confidence,” Biden said. “He made me believe more in myself more than I had. John had that special capacity to do so. Because when you are with him, you knew you were with greatness.” Michael Bloomberg (D) The billionaire former New York City mayor is prepared to spend at least $500 million during the presidential campaign cycle to defeat Trump, Politico reported Wednesday.

“That’ll get us through the first few months,” said Kevin Sheekey, one of Bloomberg’s top aides, noting that Bloomberg put $100 million into his last mayoral election.

Last Friday, Bloomberg told The Associated Press that he would reach a decision on a presidential run by the end of February and pushed back on speculation that he would not run if Biden launched a campaign. “My decision doesn’t depend on what other people are going to do,” he said. “My decision depends on whether or not I think I can make a difference.” Cory Booker (D) Booker visited Iowa and South Carolina during his first weekend on the campaign trail as a declared presidential candidate. In Iowa, the New Jersey senator continued to pitch his theme of unity and optimism to voters. In South Carolina, he addressed racial discrimination, saying that the country needed a leader who is “telling the truth about racism, not participating in racist statements, demeaning and degrading people like we’re seeing now.”

In an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday, Booker said that if he wins the Democratic nomination, he will “be looking to women first” when he considers a running mate. “I believe there should be a woman president right now, and I worked very hard to get one,” he said. “We have such a great field of leaders. I think that you will rarely see a Democratic ticket anymore without gender diversity, race diversity.”

This weekend, Booker will be in New Hampshire for six events across the state. Sherrod Brown (D) Brown said that he’s “not ready to jump” into the presidential race during a Christian Science Monitor breakfast Tuesday. But he has given himself a March deadline to come to a “joint decision” with his wife, journalist Connie Schultz.

The Ohio senator rolled out two bills Wednesday with Democratic colleagues on Capitol Hill: The first is a “cost-of-living refund,” which would double the Earned Income Tax Credit; the second would lower the Medicare eligibility age to 50, allowing people to buy in voluntarily. Steve Bullock (D) The Montana governor will visit Iowa this weekend. Bullock has said that he is unlikely to make a public announcement about whether he will launch a campaign until later in the spring, after Montana’s state legislative session. Pete Buttigieg (D) The mayor of South Bend, Indiana, joined MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Thursday morning for a lightning round of questions on where he sits on the ideological spectrum. “I consider myself a pretty strong progressive, but I don’t consider the left-center spectrum to be the most useful way to look at our politics right now,” he said.

Last weekend, Buttigieg made his first trip to Iowa since announcing his presidential exploratory committee. While there, he shared his support for “Medicare-for-all” and the Green New Deal (which seeks to make massive public investments to combat climate change) while continuing to play up his military background and executive experience.

In an interview with New York magazine, Buttigieg expanded on how his local experiences could be helpful in the Oval Office, using South Bend’s sewer system as an example. “They’re so important that we make sure they work basically all of the time. Which is why you never think of them — that’s kind of the point,” he said. “But it’s not that different from national security. It’s like I say, the more freedom [people experience], the less they think about it.”

In both the New York magazine story and an interview with CNN, Buttigieg was critical of the social views of Vice President Mike Pence (a former Indiana governor and U.S. House member), saying to CNN that “politically [Pence] is a fanatic and he damaged our city and our state through choices that his social extremism led him to make.” Julian Castro (D) In a CNN interview Saturday, Castro said that even though he knows his candidacy has “special meaning for the Latino community,” his message is intended to be all-encompassing. “I’m also aware that I have to have policy proposals and a vision that includes everybody,” said Castro, who is a former mayor of San Antonio and served as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Obama administration. Bill de Blasio (D) De Blasio was scheduled to visit New Hampshire on Friday, renewing speculation that the New York City mayor is contemplating a presidential campaign. But he canceled the trip after a New York City police detective was killed during a robbery Tuesday. John Delaney (D) The former Maryland congressman spent the first half of the week in New Hampshire, his 14th trip to the state. He opened an office in Manchester and attended a “politics and eggs” breakfast at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics — one of 10 events in three days.

Delaney broke with several other Democratic presidential contenders by revealing that he was opposed to the Green New Deal. Tulsi Gabbard (D) During her first visit to Iowa as a presidential candidate, the U.S. House member from Hawaii and National Guard major touted her dedication to service and outlined her views on foreign policy, responding to criticism over her recent comments about Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In Iowa, she said he was a “brutal dictator” but said that she didn’t feel the United States should be “the world’s police.” Kirsten Gillibrand (D) Gillibrand toured South Carolina, with seven stops across the state, from Friday through Sunday, including meetings with Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, who leads the National Conference of Mayors, and a group of women leaders.

The New York Times highlighted Gillibrand’s “feminist campaign” Tuesday, describing how advocacy for women has already become a centerpiece of her candidacy and one that differentiates her from fellow female Sens. Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren thus far.

This weekend, Gillibrand is again visiting New Hampshire for a collection of meet-and-greets, walking tours and town halls, after having traveled to the Granite State just two weeks ago. Kamala Harris (D) Harris attracted headlines Monday after she admitted during a New York radio interview to having smoked marijuana in college. “I did inhale,” the California senator said. “It was a long time ago, but yes.”

The remarks came during a larger discussion about marijuana, during which Harris said it wasn’t true that she opposes its legalization. She said that she supports legalization but has “concerns” and that its effects on users should be researched. John Hickenlooper (D) The former Colorado governor visited New Hampshire on Wednesday and Thursday and said he’s going to decide on a presidential run in the next “six weeks.”

During his stop at a Manchester house party, Hickenlooper joked about his unusual surname and how it taught him in his childhood how to “deal with bullies” — a reference to how he would approach running against Trump.

Hickenlooper added that he still wants to learn more about the Green New Deal and criticized Trump’s proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border while also saying that there are “border security issues” to solve. Eric Holder (D) After a speech at Drake University in Iowa on Tuesday, Holder, a former U.S. attorney general, said he would reach a decision on a presidential run in the next three to four weeks. “I’m concerned about the direction of the country,” Holder said. “I think I’ve got some ideas and visions that I think would be useful to the nation.”

On the issues, Holder said that the U.S. was “at a point where we should think seriously about [marijuana] legalization” and that he supports the Green New Deal, labeling it “our generation’s moonshot.” Amy Klobuchar (D) Klobuchar launched her presidential campaign Sunday during a snowy outdoor event in Minneapolis. She outlined her humble political roots and described her motivations for getting into the race. “I’m running for every parent who wants a better world for their kids,” she said. “I’m running for every student who wants a good education. For every senior who wants affordable prescription drugs. For every worker, farmer, dreamer, builder. For every American. I’m running for you.”

In an appearance Monday on “Good Morning America,” the Minnesota senator defended herself against allegations that she was abusive toward her Senate staff, conceding that she is “tough” and “push[es] people” but said that it was because she holds “high expectations.”

She mocked the president after he, referring to her kickoff rally, tweeted that it was “bad timing” that she was “talking proudly of fighting global warming while standing in a virtual blizzard of snow, ice and freezing temperatures.”

“I’m sorry if it still snows in the world,” Klobuchar said on “Good Morning America” on Monday. “But the point is that we know climate change is happening.”

Next Monday, Klobuchar will participate in a CNN town hall in New Hampshire. She will then travel to Iowa on Thursday. Jeff Merkley (D) Merkley is “still exploring” a run for president, he told Northwest Labor Press this week. The Oregon senator denied that his decision will be based on whether Bernie Sanders, whom he endorsed in 2016, decides to run. Seth Moulton (D) After telling BuzzFeed News on Monday that he is thinking about running for president, Moulton confirmed the sentiment publicly Tuesday during question-and-answer sessions after a foreign policy speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.

“I’m thinking about running for president,” Moulton said in the BuzzFeed interview. “I’m not definitely running, but I’m going to take a very hard look at it. A very serious look at it. Because I believe it’s time for a new generation of leadership, and we gotta send Donald Trump packing.”

The Massachusetts congressman added that his decision will not be based on who else launches campaigns, saying that he doesn’t “look at this as a horse race.” Beto O’Rourke (D) As Trump held a campaign rally in El Paso, Texas, O’Rourke defended his hometown during a protest march Monday, criticizing the president for his rhetoric on immigration. “We are making a stand for the truth, against lies and hate and ignorance and intolerance,” O’Rourke said. “El Paso has been the safest city in the United States of America not in spite of the fact that we’re a city of immigrants but because we are a city of immigrants.”

Trump mentioned O’Rourke during his event, referring to the former U.S. House member as “a young man who’s got very little going for himself, except he’s got a great first name.”

Politico reported Wednesday that O’Rourke met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to discuss a possible run for Senate against Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican, in 2020. Tim Ryan (D) Ryan is “seriously considering” a presidential run, he said on CNN’s “Erin Burnett Outfront” on Wednesday.

The Ohio congressman, perhaps best known for his 2016 challenge to Nancy Pelosi to lead House Democrats, added that he doesn’t “feel any pressure for any timeline at this point.”

“The country is divided,” Ryan said. “We can’t get anything done because of these huge divisions that we have, and people in communities like the ones I represent … are suffering because of this division. You can’t win the future divided.” Bernie Sanders (D) Sanders is leaning toward announcing a presidential campaign by the end of February, Fox News reported Thursday, citing two sources close to the Vermont senator.

Earlier in the week, amid the controversy that engulfed Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, over a tweet interpreted to be anti-Semitic, Sanders called the freshman congresswoman to offer his support, The Daily Beast reported. Howard Schultz (I) The former Starbucks CEO continued to face criticism from Democrats over his potential independent bid for president, and Schultz returned the favor, discussing his misgivings with both Democrats and Republicans at a CNN town hall Tuesday. “Both parties today on the far left and the far right are more interested in partisan politics, revenge politics,” Schultz said. “I think we could be doing so much better than we are.”

During the event, Schultz acknowledged that his “business experience is not qualification to run for president.” But he argued that he could bring a pragmatic, results-focused approach to combating problems like climate change and economic inequality. Elizabeth Warren (D) Warren officially jumped into the 2020 race, announcing her candidacy for president at a rally in Lawrence, Massachusetts, last Saturday. Before a crowd of 3,500 supporters packed into Everett Mills — the site of one of the most famous labor strikes that catalyzed massive changes to labor rules — Warren said: “Millions and millions and millions of American families are also struggling to survive in a system that has been rigged by the wealthy and the well-connected. Hard-working people are up against a small group that holds far too much power. … Like the women of Lawrence, we are here to say enough is enough!”

Warren took the stage to Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” before making her official announcement and kicking off a tour through early-voting states. She made her debut as a presidential candidate in Dover, New Hampshire, before heading to Iowa on Sunday. She continues on to South Carolina, Georgia, Nevada and California this weekend. Bill Weld (R) Weld, the former governor of Massachusetts and 2016 Libertarian vice presidential candidate, is attending a New Hampshire Institute of Politics “politics and eggs” event on Friday.

Citing Republican sources, WMUR reported Wednesday that Weld’s remarks at the event will include a “substantial move toward a challenge to President Trump.” Weld recently re-registered in Massachusetts as a member of the Republican Party. Marianne Williamson (D) Williamson, a popular self-help author and one-time congressional candidate, was profiled by ABC News’s “Nightline” this week. She explained her desire to get into the presidential race, despite her lack of political experience.

“I think what we need in the White House is more a visionary than just a political mechanic,” she said. “America is morally off course. … More than anything else in America today, we need a moral and spiritual awakening.”

“We need an awakening of American minds,” Williamson added. “Show me any traditional politician who’s had a 35-year career at that kind of awakening. That’s a skill set. That’s experience. That’s expertise. And I believe it is a qualification that would — you would do very well to put in the White House.” Andrew Yang (D) Yang is spending his own money to demonstrate his proposed “Freedom Dividend,” a form of universal basic income that would pay all Americans 18 years or older $1,000 per month. One family each in Iowa and New Hampshire are already receiving $1,000 per month from the entrepreneur, according to CBS News.

ABC News’s Kendall Karson contributed to this report.

[thesportssoundoff]

What Went Wrong: A Belated NFL Black Monday Piece

Joey

Jan 11th

Black Monday in the NFL came and went and despite my best inclinations to write a somethin', I had a nothin' to offer. In many ways, most of the firings were easy enough to figure out. Guys who probably deserved to get canned did get canned. Teams that felt the pressure to save their fanbases made the moves to do so. All in all, it was kind of an expected grouping of firings when you add in the in season removals of Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy and Cleveland coach Hue Jackson. So since it's been a while, I wanted to approach this from a different perspective. Here I want to talk about the eight coaching jobs, what went wrong (on a grander level) and what their replacements need to do to avoid suffering a similar fate. Hold onto ya butts, folks:

Cleveland Hue Jackson

What Went Wrong: Everything

Seriously. Cleveland hired Hue Jackson under the philosophy of taking a long and painful route to relevancy, amassing draft picks, essentially tanking without admitting and hoping that Hue Jackson could in theory keep the organization stable enough until the time came. Depending on who you ask, Cody Kessler was either Hue's idea or some massive analytics based gamble that backfired on Sashi Brown and company, made worse by Cleveland trading BACK in the draft and away from the likes of Carson Wentz. At the end of the day, the plan had some merit to it (as seen by the successes of Sam Heinke and the 76ers eventually) but like most plans that require patience, that patience eventually runs out pretty quickly. It doesn't help that giving Hue Jackson, a guy who was fired from the Raiders after an 8-8 season where undisciplined penalty laden football marred progress, a young team and expecting him to get them up to speed to become eventual contenders was probably a bad idea overall. The arrival of former Kansas City Chiefs GM John Dorsey meant that the patience was out and Hue needed to produce something, especially when hiring a proven OC in Todd Haley and #1 overall pick Baker Mayfield. This job was going to be lost eventually but when Baker looked flat and the team continued to play this broken level of uninspired play, the plug was pulled. Everything that could've gone wrong in Cleveland did go wrong under the watchful eye of Hue Jackson and while I don't fault a guy for taking a gig, immediately jumping over to Marvin Lewis and the Bengals as an assistant probably did little to squash the belief that Jackson was a weasel of sorts who had no problem looking out for #1 at the expense of everyone else. It would take a novel to state everything what went wrong from 2016 to 2018 but just know that at the end of the day, nobody stood up for Hue Jackson when he was ousted and the team took off when he was shown the door.

Enter: Freddie Kitchens

Kitchens' ascent from lowly RBs coach to offensive coordinator to head coach from Jan of 2018 to Jan of 2019 is shit straight out of Narcos. In many ways, I wonder if the thought process went a bit like this: Cleveland had a bunch of candidates in mind with the thought process being that they could find the best offensive mind for their bright generational QB. At the same time, teams began calling for Kitchens to potentially interview for either their head coaching gig or their offensive coordinator position. Cleveland wants to keep Kitchens, other teams want Kitchens and Cleveland probably wants a head coach who will keep Kitchens but can't find him. Cleveland looked around, realized the guy they wanted was probably  in house already and they didn't want to lose him SO Kitchens gets to be the head coach. Kitchens is actually surprisingly well traveled; a coach under the likes of Bill Parcells, Ken Whisenhunt and Bruce Arians. Kitchens and Mayfield created some beautiful magic together and so I imagine continuity (as well as a supremely improved offense) pushed Kitchens over the other candidates. There are three factors at play here; 1) Cleveland has expectations now. The 5-3 end of the year plus the young star QB who should only improve makes a lot of people believe you can win. Kitchens will probably not be afforded two abysmal years to figure it out the way that Hue Jackson was. 2) Kitchens has just 8 games worth of play calling experience to his name which means he's got a lot to learn in a short period of time. 3) Kitchens just canned Gregg Williams which means he'll need a new defensive guru of sorts to handle that side of the field.

Green Bay Packers Mike McCarthy

What Went Wrong: #12

Mike McCarthy deserves a lot of credit for what he did in Green Bay from milking the final years of elite play out of Brett Favre and then grooming Aaron Rodgers into one of the best QBs to ever play the game. I think people forget the job McCarthy and company did when the Packers lost seemingly half of their team to injuries and still won the Super Bowl in 2011 or how he got into the playoffs relying on Matt Flynn in 2013 when Rodgers got hurt. All things go sour eventually though and the whispers that Rodgers was carrying McCarthy year in and year out got a bit too loud. Those whispers combined with the body language yelling whenever Rodgers and McCarthy seemed to have something go wrong became a bit too much and so McCarthy's reign in Green Bay ended unceremoniously after a loss to lowly Arizona. McCarthy might just be a case of "How can I miss you if you won't go away?" and about how everybody in sports eventually gets tired of one another. Aaron Rodgers is a veteran QB who probably did plenty of checks and audibles at the LOS which in turn pissed McCarthy off and conversely I'm sure McCarthy's outdated gameplans and suspect development of talent over the past 2-3 years drove Rodgers crazy. McCarthy's outdated gameplans cost him in the end, especially when it became readily apparent that Rodgers' decline (be it due to age or injuries) made him incapable of overcoming those woes.

Enter: Matt LaFleur

Matt LaFleur's hiring is simple enough I suppose. Aaron Rodgers is in the twilight of an amazing career and "offensive guru" is a hot to trot catch all term. LaFleur cut his teeth under Kyle Shanahan and then moved onto Sean McVay before leaving for the Titans to call his own offense. It was an up and down run for him as the playcaller, probably hurt in no small part by the injuries to Marcus Mariota. LaFleur is a gamble on upside with a somewhat impatient QB who is battling the aging curve. It's a risky move but if LaFleur can get the best out of Rodgers before Father Time takes over? It just might be worth.

Denver Broncos Vance Joseph

What Went Wrong: 50% John Elway 50% In Game Management

Vance Joseph being tabbed to replace the retiring Gary Kubiak always felt like a somewhat shaky hire. Vance Joseph in my estimation was a totally qualified hire but perhaps not quite the hire needed for this specific team. John Elway's teams were mostly veteran squads headed up by veteran head coaches like John Fox and Gary Kubiak. Vance Joseph was a rookie head coach who had proven himself to be an adept and solid defensive coordinator riiiight when hiring THOSE kind of guys was going out of fashion. Elway hired a young coach and then gave him an aging offensive core, opening the pocket books to bring in veteran free agent talent that hasn't quite worked out. Of course we'd be here all day talking about the QB situation from sticking with Trevor Semian a bit too long to the Paxton Lynch draft spot (want to have a fun alternate history for a minute? Picture a world where the Cowboys actually successfully outbid Denver to get Paxton Lynch and Denver has to take another QB later on) to the Case Keenum gamble. Denver in a way tried to replicate the Cowboys formula; run the ball a lot, have a ball control QB and rely on a tremendous defense. It just didn't work as the offense struggled under Joseph (in large part due to the RBs not being Zeke, the QB not being Dak, the OL not being peak Dallas and Demariyus Thomas falling off) and his inability to figure out what he wanted out of Case Keenum throughout the season has left him out of a job and Denver in need of a new QB. Joseph was dealt a bad hand from Elway but in game management was such a glaring problem for Denver, often made worse by their team absolutely not showing up in prime time games. Vance Joseph was the wrong guy for this job and then proceeded to remind people of that every single time he made a bad decision late in games.

Enter: Vic Fangio

First the obvious; Vic Fangio has paid his dues, done his part and at 60 years old, it's very much now or never for an NFL lifer. I have zero qualms with Denver hiring him. I just hope he's being hired because he's the guy they want and not because they had this compulsion to keep Gary Kubiak in some sort of capacity. If Vic Fangio edged out Mike Munchak because one was fine with Kubiak and the other wasn't then it's a bad call. If that's the case then just hire Kubiak to be your head coach again because this sort of helicopter head coaching is sort of unnecessary. Fangio and Kubiak make for a very old duo but also a very credible couple of coaches at the top of the helm. If they manage to get Ed Donatell to become the defensive coordinator then you're now talking about three qualified long term NFL lifers running a young roster.  It's a gutsy move by Elway at a time where young hip offensive minded coaches are all the rage. Hopefully it works out better than Vance Joseph did.

New York Jets Todd Bowles

What Went Wrong: Bad drafting + bad optics

I think Todd Bowles is somewhat of an overmaligned figure in Jets land. After the Rex Ryan Era, the more low key Bowles was probably more of an overreaction to not having to deal with Ryan's madness anymore. Todd had tremendous success in his first season and rallied the Jets to a 10-6 record before the wheels fell apart. In a large part, the talent fell apart around Bowles and the QB situation never truly situated itself with veterans not being good enough and the Jets spending actual draft capital on guys like Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty. Bad draft picks led to bad talent on the field which in turn led to the optics. The Jets in 2016 and 2017 seemed to end every year with people wondering about why the Jets looked so disinterested and broken under Bowles, complete with plenty of shots of Woody Johnson's stadium looking emptier and emptier as the year went on. Bowles entered 2018 as basically a dead man walking with a rookie QB and a brand new fill in offensive coordinator. Bowles did about as well as he could but by week 10 or so, the writing was on the wall. Bowles' laid back persona compiled with the Jets' lethargic October and November painted the picture of a team that had given up and given in.

Enter: Adam Gase

The Jets candidates for the most part all have a similar theme. They're offensive minded QB whisperers; guys like Jim Caldwell, Mike McCarthy, Kliff Kingsbury, Adam Gase and Todd Monken. Some are old, some are young, some are retreads and some are college guys (Matt Rhule and the aforementioned Kingsbury). Kris Richard, Dallas DB coach and playcaller, is the only defensive guy to this point who seems to have a shot. The Jets want somebody who a) fits the New York atmosphere that for some reason seems to be harder to figure out than any other spotlight seemingly and b) a coach who can connect with young talented arm Sam Darnold. They'll see if Adam Gase is that dude.

Arizona Cardinals Steve Wilks

What Went Wrong: The defensive guy didn't have a good defense

Black Monday brought a lot of very open discussion about the fact that the famed cut down day for coaches featured five African American coaches getting canned. Of the crew, I feel like Wilks is the one where there is a justifiable grudge to be had. Steve Wilks inherited a middle of the road team that embraced a full rebuild when they moved up to grab Sam Darnold and let some of their star defensive players walk. In response, Wilks was given an undermanned team with a broken Sam Bradford and a green Josh Rosen behind him with some sketchy coordinators to keep everything afloat. It didn't work out, the Cardinals were jabroni'd for pretty much the first eight weeks of the season and OC Mike McCoy got canned halfway through the year even if Byron Leftwich wasn't much better. Cardinals star RB David Johnson struggled after a big deal, defensive players were unhappy with just about everything, Josh Rosen looked horrendous for 85% of the snaps he was on the field for and the Cardinals OL was rough in all facets of the game. I believe Wilks deserved another year (only because of what was given to him at the onset) but if you get the 1st overall pick, you clearly did nothing right during the season. I bet if Wilks' defense wasn't the worst in the league and he fielded a competitive defense while going through rookie QB growing pains then I'd feel pretty confident about his chances to stick around. As it is, he's gone and per the GM, it boiled down to a disagreement on what Wilks considered to be the plan of attack for 2019. Still how do you allow the GM who put this situation together AND chose the head coach to pick the next guy? That's some utter tripe.

Enter: Kliff Kingsbury

We can begin with the obvious reasons for why this move doesn't make any sense. For starters, Kingsbury was just an average head coach at Texas Tech. You can give me plenty of excuses for that record of 35-40 ranging from "It's hard to recruit in Texas when you're not the top school" or "The defenses were bad!" but the record speaks for itself and isn't his job to a) figure out recruiting and b) find a way to fix your defense? I mean Mike Leach and Tommy Tuberville both won more games than Kingsbury at Texas Tech. The question is whether Kingsbury can find a way to get Josh Rosen back to UCLA levels and still somehow win at the NFL level despite his lack of success at the collegiate level.  The Cardinals weren't the only team willing to take the plunge obviously but they'll be the ones who get laughed at if this doesn't work.

(Also real quick let's take a second to acknowledge either the absurdity of this situation or the honesty of at least one NFL team to embrace the change here. After years of hearing how QBs and OL and WRs were being hampered by collegiate schemes, we now have pro teams hiring college coaches to run their gimmicked offenses at the NFL level because they can't develop QBs or OL anymore at the pro level. Either the NFL has learned its lesson or it's just about given up. Either one is an acceptable choice.)

Cincinnati Bengals Marvin Lewis

What Went Wrong: Everything over time

Kudos to the Bengals organization for their loyalty to Marvin Lewis, likely in no small part due to Marvin rebuilding that franchise and then keeping them stable from the Palmer to the Dalton eras. I have zero doubt that Lewis is a good coach but like Mike McCarthy, eventually you run out of rope and time. It didn't help that Lewis was incapable of stopping the gradual decline from consistent playoff team (lack of success aside) to mediocre team, in no small part due to his inability to replenish the well along the coaching staff. Marvin Lewis was just too old, too stubborn and too incapable to overcome the changing NFL scene.

Enter: ?

The current word is the Bengals are looking at Rams QB coach/passing game coordinator Zac Taylor. Taylor was a disaster as the Dolphins interim OC under Dan Campbell but resurrected his stock as a key hand in the development of Jared Goff as well as his tutoring under Tommy Tuberville in Cincy. Taylor is at least an intriguing hire as a 35 year old passing game guru and, of course, the Bengals could be back on the market for a QB eventually as Andy Dalton enters his age 31 season.

Tampa Bay Dirk Koetter

What Went Wrong: The QB

Lovie Smith and Dirk Koetter ultimately shared the same fate after all. Despite paying Smith a lot of money and giving him the keys to the kingdom, Smith was gone after two seasons and Dirk Koetter was retained by Tampa Bay due to the feeling that 1) they were going to lose him elsewhere and 2) he could get the most out of #1 overall pick Jameis Winston. He couldn't. Winston off the field was a mess and on the field he didn't fare much better either. When you're the QB guru and the star QB has to be benched, you're probably going to get fired. It doesn't help that Koetter and chosen defensive coordinator Mike Smith struggled to field a competent defense for three years.

Enter: Bruce Arians

This...is interesting. Arians is a pretty damn proven and downright solid head coach who has technically won in two different locations (Indianapolis as an interim coach and in Arizona). Arians' health and his declining results in Arizona led to a year in the booth for Bruce but now it seems like he thinks he's ready to handle it again. Arians teams have only finished under .500 once at the pro level and while his success is somewhat overstated recently, there's no doubt that Arians will bring stability and fire to an organization that has felt marred with drama under Koetter.

Miami Dolphins Adam Gase

What Went Wrong: Greg Schiano-itis

It would be far too easy and perhaps even a touch unfair to simply say that Gase's problem is his player-coach marriage to Ryan Tannehill. A coach getting hooked on a QB and believing he can unlock him leads to a lot of firings and Gase may be no different. Gase's bigger problem, at least from my standpoint, is a problem most coaches have in various forms or fashions. I'll use Greg Schiano as an example because he's the one that's more readily apparent to me. Schiano took a bad going nowhere spot in Tampa Bay (Raheem Morris had 3-13 and 4-12 sandwiched around 10-6) and with a young roster, Schiano improved them to 7-9. That improvement combined with what most people consider to be a natural tendency to be a bit of a dick, lead to Schiano getting more egotistical and more aggressive as a coach. The second year everything cratered and Schiano was fired. Adam Gase took over a Miami Dolphins club that had gone through a pretty rough run over Tony Sparano and then interim coach Dan Campbell. Gase started off poorly and then earned some plaudits for cutting offensive linemen mid week after Ryan Tannehill had been pretty much caved in by pass rushers. A winning streak followed and Gase made the playoffs in his rookie year----but that apparently led to Gase becoming more and more of an authoritarian. Players seemed to hate him (There wasn't much love for Adam Gase after his firing with key offensive players past and present openly gloating about his removal) and the owner got tired of Gase seemingly toward the end of the season. That to me strikes me as a coach who got a little too successful early on and struggled when the NFL eventually humbled him as is often the case if you don't have Tom Brady.

Enter: ?

The Dolphins head coaching interview list reads like a true mish mash. Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, special teams coach Darren Rizzi, Pats defensive ace Brian Flores and Cowboys play caller/secondary coach Kris Richard seem to be the candidates in the running and so you've got two holdovers, one guy hoping to become a winning member of the Bill B coaching tree and Kris Richard who helped take the Cowboys defense to new heights in 2018. All seem logical----but none seem like any sort of a pattern or a theme is emerging. Maybe that's the best way to go instead of trying to force a fit because you NEED a QB guru.

[creepingtowardstheedge]

Dawn Hayes | Deputy

The Basics:

Full name: Dawn Hayes Meaning: ‘Awakening’ in Old English Nicknames: Day (Aiden), D (Aiden), Miss Know-It-All (Pratt), Birth date: January 30, 1989 Age: 29 years old Height: 5’6” inch | 173 cm Gender: Female Zodiac: Aquarius Sexuality: Heterosexual MBTI: ENTJ Alignment: Lawful Good Temperament: Melancholic Phobia(s): Deep waters Guilty pleasures: Drinking juice straight from the carton, junk food, cigarettes Language(s) spoken: English, German, Spanish and French Hobbies: Running, hiking, cycling, reading, playing the piano, cooking Side: Resistance John’s tattoos: Pride (chest), Envy (right upper arm)

Background:

Hometown: Hope County, Montana Current location: Joseph’s Island, Hope County Nationality: American Ethnicity: American, as far as she knows. Family: Cynthia Hayes (adoptive mother) Pet(s): Daisy (her dog) Education: Degree in Modern Languages Occupation: Hope County’s Deputy Past job(s): She worked for a few summers as a babysitter for the children of her mother’s friend. Brief story: Being abandoned when she was a child, she grew up in an orphanage. She had no memories of her parents, but was told that the caretaker of the orphanage found her on the doorstep of the building and no-one ever reclaimed her. When she was 10, she was placed in a foster home and moved from one home to another until she turned 14, then was taken by a widow who later she became very attached to, and who treated her like a daughter. When she came of age, she started looking for her parents, seeking for answers, determined to know the truth. She found out that her father left her mother when she was pregnant and her mother started drinking and died after a few years. She never looked for her father, realizing that she didn’t want to have a relationship with him, since he abandoned her and her mother. After school she enrolled in the police academy and graduated successfully after a few years.

Skills and Abilities:

Physical strength: 6/10 Offense: 7/10 Defense: 8/10 Agility: 8/10 Speed: 9/10 Intelligence: 9/10 Stealth: 8/10 Precision: 7/10 Stamina: 7/10 Teamwork: 9/10

Talents: 

Languages: She studied modern languages in university, so she can speak English, Spanish, German and French.

Diplomacy: At the station she was in charge of talking to the victims’ relatives, trying to talk some sense into them and to prevent the situation from going bad.

Teamwork: Always tries to resolve conflicts between people in a group.

Photographic memory and remembering details.

Shortcomings: 

Big heart: Could have never been in charge of interviews and talking to suspects, she would have bought whatever they said.

Trust issues: Though she’s kind to everyone and tries to help whoever she can, she doesn’t open easily to others and tends to push people away in an attempt to prevent herself from getting hurt.

Physical appearance and characteristics:

Face claim: Emmy Rossum Eye color: Brown Hair color: Brown Glasses/Contacts: Contacts for work, glasses at home Dominant hand: Left hand Build: Slim Skin tone: Fair Tattoos: An orchid on her right calf and a dream catcher on her ribs. Piercings: None Marks/scars: When she was a child she accidentally poured boiling water on herself and since then she has a nasty burn on her shoulder. Notable features: None Clothing style: She doesn’t really care about what she’s wearing, everything is fine as long as she’s wearing something. Allergies: Pollen

Relationships:

Earl Whitehorse: It’s like the dad she never had. She loves how grumpy he always is, and she mocks him sometimes, telling him that he’s getting old and should retire. She admires him, and would always try to take a leaf out of his choices.

Joey Hudson: At first they just didn’t get along, the both of them being stubborn and proud, but eventually learned to coexist and would sometimes join forces against Staci and Freya.

Staci Pratt: Staci is like a big brother to her. Sometimes they quarrel, but they always find a way to make peace. She looks up at him and sometimes asks him for some career and personal advice, because she knows she can count on him.

Faith Seed: She knows that the young lady has gone through some difficult times is her life, and sometimes would feel sorry for her, but, despite everything, she doesn’t sympathize too much with Faith, as she chose to be on Joseph’s side.

John Seed: According to her, John’s the most dangerous one of the Seed brothers, being so obsessed with sin, guilt and atonement. What scares her the most is that he would do anything for the Project, including sacrificing his own people without even blinking. He’s ruthless and sadistic, and she has a feeling he doesn’t care about any of his people, so she tends to be very careful around him, not knowing what he could do next.

Jacob Seed: She thinks he’s the most pragmatic and practical one of all the Seed brothers, but she tries to stay as far away as possible from him, because she knows that when he wants something he will sure as hell get it, so she tries not to underestimate him or any of his soldiers.

Joseph Seed: She doesn’t know what to think of him. His chilled and calm attitude scares her much more than the aggressive mask of the Baptist, and she thinks he could be capable of everything. He’s manipulative and charismatic, and she would sometimes have doubts whether he would be lying or telling the truth about the Collapse. She knows he’s a dangerous man, but sometimes she tends to forget how dangerous he can be.

Freya Williams: They get along pretty well, even though it’s not always easy to be around Freya. Dawn always tried to be kind and polite, but never passive, since she doesn’t let anyone push her around, and between the two girls started developing a sort of mutual respect and trust.

Aiden Lewis: Her best friend, her partner in crime. Aiden is like a brother to her, Dawn always having dinner at his house when they were younger. His family always treated her like a daughter,  they immediately bonded when they first met and since then they’ve become really close. He’s always able to cheer her up, telling jokes and making her laugh, but he also knows when to stop making fun of his friends and Dawn is grateful for that.

Riley Denvers: Dawn and Riley have a somewhat mother-daughter relationship. They sometimes fight, but always re-conciliate - mostly thanks to Hannah’s help - because they are not capable of being mad at each other for more than 10 minutes. They’ve known each other for a very long time and know they can always count on each other, no matter how angry or mad they can be.

Hannah Thompson: Dawn was the first person to stand up for Hannah in school, and since then they became really good friends, taking care of each other and always being there in times of need. Hannah always knows what’s the right thing to say, so Dawn knows that she can tell her anything and never be judged for it.

Hunter Davis: She likes to talk about serious things with Hunter, since he’s very smart and cultured. She admires her friend, he had to grow up fast and never relied on anyone else, and even though he’s not very good at socializing, he’s a good listener and knows when to be there for his friends.

Sasha Maxwell: They met a few times, when Dawn went to John’s bunker for the Confession or when Joseph visited his brother, and Sasha was always kind to her, treating her tattoos when John marked her, but Dawn couldn’t believe she was there by choice and not as a prisoner and always tried to convince her that she was on the wrong side of the war and that Joseph wasn’t as holy as he wanted others to believe.

Jake and Sean Denvers: soon

Judith Denvers: soon

Scarlett Reed: soon

Tyler Reed: soon

Other information:

At the police station, she’s the diplomatic one. She always tries to talk things through, trying to avoid the fight as much as she can, but wouldn’t hesitate to use her gun if needed.

She always tried to stood up for those who couldn’t do it for themselves, even in high school, helping Hannah when no-one did.

She went through some difficult times in her childhood. She never forgave her parents for leaving her, and she still feels so much anger towards them. Most of all she felt abandoned, and during her time in foster homes she felt as if no-one cared about her.

After having found her real parents, she found out that her real surname was Monroe, but never even thought about taking it. She adopted Cynthia’s surname instead,

She was kind of a troublemaker in high school, always being in detention with Aiden for skipping classes.

She loves her Border Collie Daisy more than everything. She’s a dog person in general, though she also likes cats, but she never had one because Daisy tends to be very possessive and would never let a cat go near Dawn.

Her favorite drink is hot chocolate, she would drink it all day, possibly on the couch, listening to the cracking of fire and watching the snow falling outside her window.

When she was younger she wanted to be a social worker, as she wanted to help children who were not lucky enough to have a decent family, but eventually acknowledged the fact that she was too emotionally involved to do her job properly. She would have probably just punched all terrible parents in the face.

She’s not good at trusting people, so she tends to push people away because she doesn’t want to get hurt or to hurt others. For that reason, she never had long relationships. She’d really like to settle down, but due to her trusting issues she never allowed herself to be happy and to find that person she wants to spend her life with.

Dawn is a fan of post-apocalyptic and dystopian movies and books. She particularly loves The Walking Dead, Mad Max: Fury Road, and I Am Legend, and her favorite book is Lord of The Flies.

[cardboard-moon]

40 Things You Never Wanted To Know About Me

You probably already know me decently well or else you wouldn’t be reading this, so instead of rehashing the basic (boring) “getting to know me” questions I dug a little deeper and asked myself about what’s really important. Here is the result: 40 Things You Never Wanted To Know About Me. Enjoy!

1. What Parks and Rec character am I?

While I could argue for almost everyone on the show I’m probably most like Ben Wyatt: a white, brunette, and sad man who eats soup alone on a park bench (minus his love of math and rollerskate kink)

2: Top 5 books?

To Kill a Mockingbird, The Secret History, A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Help, 11/22/63

3: Top 5 movies?

Chinatown, Star Wars, Rear Window, National Treasure (nick cage can be good in small doses ok) and Nancy Drew (2007)

4: Top 5 shows?

Parks and Rec, B99, That 70′s Show, Mad Men, Arrested Development

5: Top 10 most iconic vines?

1) Chris is that a weed/Mary is that a police

2) Hi My Name is Trey I have A Basketball Game Tomorrow

3) Rebecca It’s Not What You Think

4) The one where the girl is just hitting elmo with a baseball bat

5) Anything Kermit but esp. the one where he falls off the building

6) You Know This Boy Got His Free Taco

7) 2 Bros Chillin in the Hot Tub

8) Waelcom to my Keeetchen we have bananis and avocadis

9) Whoever Threw That Paper Your Mom’s A Hoe

10) i spilled lipstick in your valentino bag (yOU SPILLED WHAHULAUG LIPSTICK IN MY VALENTINE WHITE BAG)

6: Where do I see myself in 21 years?

One of my dreams in life is to marry the heir to a prestigious winery out in wine country. I have a vision of myself at 39, waking up at 10 AM on a tuesday and standing on my private balcony in my state-of-the-art spanish stucco villa. i am drinking a chardonnay despite the early hour whilst i observe my grape empire in my silk negligee. the only event planned for the day is a portrait sitting for my rottweilers (4 of them), for which i have arranged spaces in the family’s private art gallery. i am aging well despite the harsh california sun and my partner and i have a trip to tuscany planned for the fall. it’s a charmed life and i never tire of eating grapes  

7: Top 5 favorite cryptids

1) Nessie (Nessie is a true lady I believe in her)

2) Mothman (not real)/ el chupacabra (possibly real)

3) the kraken (definitely real)

4) Bigfoot (not real but a legend anyways)

5) the yeti (real only in russia)

8: Do I Believe in Ghosts

It’s a complicated topic and of course we will likely never know for sure but the short answer is yes. in my opinion though, what ghosts are is the important question: are they really the dead coming back to haunt the earth? are they just manifestations of energy that the mind interprets into recognizable shapes? hallucinations? or is it wish fulfillment and the reduction of tensions on a heavy conscience? our brains are capable of powerful things, but it begs the question as to whether if a human desperately wants something to be true does the human mind have the power to make it true? c. s. lewis mentioned once that he never understood the ghost debate since, given that ghosts are real, they have no real power over us or anything interesting to say. but i believe that just goes to show how the mystery is far often more important than the solution.

9: Best/Worst Month of the Year

Best: May/November (spring/fall in full swing, holidays, time off school, great atmosphere) Worst: August (too dang hot & start of school)

10: What is one of my embarrassing secrets

I didn’t learn how to tie my shoes until I was nine (velcro ftw)

11: What is my Dream Date

We go cryptid hunting in the woods and have a picnic in the dark; you supply dogs for entertainment and guardianship purposes, i supply drinks and the cryptozoological myths we are chasing. Afterwards we get gelato

12: Top 3 Presidents

(this is based solely on arbitrary opinion not policies) 1) Barry Obama 2) Lincoln  3) Millard Fillmore (his name is funny) 

Honorable mention: jimmy carter (he was the only noncorrupt man in office for like 30 years before barry)

13: Top 3 Vice Presidents

1) John Adams, if nothing else but for the drama this man caused 2) Walter Mondale 3) the big boy JB 

Honorable Mention: Nichard Rixon

14: Top 3 Secretaries of State

1) Madeline Albright 2) Henry Clay 3) Elihu P. Washburn 

(note: secretaries of state have the funniest names, like Hamilton Fish (1869-1877) rest easy Mr. Fish)

15: Worst Activity they make you do in middle school PE

Middle school P.E. is the worst in general but I’m going to say either grading you on your shotput skills (?) or BMI (??) or just the tuesday run in general (luther kids know)

16: Top 4 Worst Scents

1) Washing a knife covered in peanut butter 2) Really cheap perfume that they sell in checkout lines at convenience stores 3) Olives 4) organic deodorant

17: Top 7 Conspiracy Theories

1) The Denver Airport is an underground military fallout shelter designed to protect the 1% from nuclear warfare

2) A Roman pope adjusted the Gregorian calendar so that his reign would fall on 1000 AD so we’re actually living in the year 1783

3) Paul McCartney is dead and was replaced prior to the Seargant Pepper album by a lookalike named Billy Shears

4) The state of Wyoming is a myth

5) Avril Lavigne died and was replaced back in the early 00’s

6) The Titanic sank because too many people went back in time to prevent it from sinking

7) Not to be cliche George Bush and the military-industrial complex orchestrated the 9/11 attacks (jet fuel can’t melt steel beams and all that)

18: Inside jokes with myself

I’m not usually a “gamer” but every year without fail someone introduces me to a game exactly at finals time and I get hooked and it ruins my gpa and study habits. This year it’s Stardew Valley, last year it was Dream Daddy and the year before that it was undertale and I blame Jojo for absolutely all of it bc they are usually the instigator. Anyway, every year I joke with myself about what game will derail my grades this year

19: Top 5 Worst Tactile Sensations

1) Putting tights or leggings on wet, hairy legs post-shower

2) Running fingernails along cardboard

3) Sweating in a turtleneck

4) Having wet, salty hair after swimming that drips down onto your back and makes the top of your shirt damp

5) Reaching into a bag of grapes and only finding really soft, slimy ones

20: Best Cat I’ve ever encountered

One time my friend and I were leaving Romancing the Bean and walking back to her car and the fattest, fluffiest, softest ginger cat I’ve ever seen came trotting up to us and flopped over at our feet. He was such a good boy!!! And so friendly with strangers!! He was very well groomed and just wanted some love, and whenever we stopped petting him he would jump up onto our legs and leave little wet paw prints everywhere, I wanted to kidnap him

21: Best dog I’ve ever encountered

All of them

22: Best squirrel I’ve ever encountered

My dad has befriended a squirrel named Nutty that likes to sneak into his office when the door’s open and steals peanuts. if the door is closed he’ll bang on it and scream until we acknowledge him

23: If I were a furry what would my fursona be

I do not know because I am not a furry. HOWEVER someone who is well-versed in furry matters told me once that I would be one of those long, nervous dogs like a greyhound maybe and tbh I could see it

24: Favorite/Least Favorite Disneyland Rides

My favorite has always been haunted mansion, except for the halloween season when it’s nightmare before christmas and then it’s thunder mountain. I just love the outside atmosphere of the house bc I’m a slut for that southern gothic architecture style. Worst is splash mountain because there’s no seatbelt and LOGICALLY i know I don’t need one but it doesn’t stop me from having a panic attack every time I get on and we go up the big hill as I worry about being flung from the toboggan across the park

25: Least favorite restaurant within 10 mile radius of my house

I live over by Porto’s so I am #blessed to be surrounded by some really dope food. However there is a hipster place a couple of blocks over in Toluca Lake that only serves bizarre food like fried chicken in maple syrup with waffle fries and it’s surprisingly bland, so the lack of taste combines with how expensive it is probably makes it the worst (it’s also forgettable bc I can’t even remember its name)

26: Rank of JBHS history department according to how good of a parent they would be

9.Mr. Bixler - I have never had this man so I can’t say shit. NA/10

8. Ms. Snowden - I’ve never had her either but I’ve heard enough about her between Burroughs and Luther to know that this woman is kind of scary, intimidating and uptight, all things I personally do not desire in a parent. 2/10

7. Mr. Hatch - I love Scott Hatch but he is a tremendous mess of a man. Judging by his wife’s instagram photos his idea of parenting is taking naps while cuddling his children and letting his wife do the rest of the hard work. Plus he seems like the type to be too wrapped up in his own melodrama and too busy hangin out with his best friend Edward Frankenbush playing Xbox to pay much attention to his kids. However, he did skip the first day of school to take his daughter to kindergarten so he gets points for that. 4/10

6. Mr. Lee - Mr. Lee is a very respectable guy who seems like he does a very good job providing for his family. He’s ranked as middle of the road because he’s a naturally private person so I can’t speak to his parenting tactics or personality much, however the few stories he shared about his daughter were very cute and he does the typical teacher/parent things like making her his screensaver on his computer. Overall, a very quality dad and man, 6.5/10

5. Mr. Fitz - Kyle Fitzgerald is similarly a mess of a man, but the difference between him and Scott Hatch is that he seems to make an investment in his kid. He always talks about current events in terms of what idiocy his poor daughter will have to put up with which shows his devotion to her well-being and survival in a confusing world. Also he brought her in to go swimming once while I was working at Verdugo and I got to see them having a great time on the splash pad and it warmed my heart. Great dad 7/10

4. Mr. Piper - Richard Piper is such a good father but in a detached way. He loves talking about his son and wife just as much as he loves talking about planes. The real kicker? When he talks about taking his son ON planes and geeking out over history together. He also asked all of his classes for people looking for tutoring work when his son was struggling in math which is so cute. Good guy Rick gets an 8/10.

2. (tie) Mr. Frankenbush and Ms. Hacker - Ed and Jan are both beautiful people. I know Ms. Hacker is #divisive but I personally am a big fan and would die to have her guidance in my daily life. She’s always interested in what’s going on in people’s lives and sure she’s definitely chaotic but it’s a loving chaos that’s only looking to help other people. I’ve not had the pleasure of having Mr. Frankenbush but he always is hanging out with his son Joey and they love coming to the Burroughs pool and playing water polo together; they spend a lot of time together since his wife works so much and they have such a buddy friendship. Both of these lovely people are super devoted and invested in the youth and would make great parents. 9/10

1. Mr. Clark - A god. We don’t deserve this man and I can���t sing his praises enough. Were were all lucky enough to be Greg’s children I don’t think evil would exist in the world. 11/10

27: Worst book I read for school

Hands down Tale of Two Cities since it’s the only one I’ve never finished. Dickens just doesn’t do it for me I guess plus I get really tired of the one dimensional characters and how much he romanticizes Lucy

28: Favorite little-known tidbit of history

When Richard Nixon went to Soviet Russia as Eisenhower’s VP during the cold war his secret service agents detected higher than usual amounts of radiation coming from Nixon’s hotel room, so they started talking loudly about it bc they knew the Soviets had planted buds and were listening. Within like an hour the radiation had vanished and they never heard anything about it again so man Soviet’s ain’t sly

29: 5 Places in Burbank That Are Definitely Haunted

1. Coral Cafe for obvious reasons, look up the ghost on youtube

2. The View seems like it would have some kind of el chupacabra-esque creature prowling around, maybe a mountain lion hybrid

3. Fry’s Electronics

4. The abandoned train station under the bridge

5. The LA river by the equestrian center

30: Rank of all the AP classes i took in order of entertainment value

9) AP Bio: I liked bio but the class wasn’t very entertaining. There’s not a lot of humor in bacteria and cells, and Mr. Van Loo is much more of a calming than a humorous and chaotic presence, so overall it takes the hit as the least entertaining class.

8) AP Stats: Math is similarly not very entertaining, but Mrs. Hollingshed’s erratic personality gives it the edge over Bio. Definitely more humorous than expected of a math class.

7) AP Econ: I bombed econ and business/money isn’t very entertaining but Jan Hacker made it so thanks to her chaos (love her though).

6) AP Euro: European history is incredibly iconic because, spoiler alert, Europeans are idiots and historically speaking everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. I just wish I remember it since I think idiot sophomore Lily slept through most of the class so needless to say I didn’t soak up much of the entertainment value. If it were up to me I’d take it over again and maybe stay awake this time.

5) AP Lit: Lit was just as much challenging and intimidating as it was entertaining, so it balances out. Mrs. Caluya is notably iconic and the books we read were all pretty interesting so it gets a high vote from me.

3) (tie) Gov/APUSH: History is always entertaining in my eyes since people do stupid things out of pettiness. These two tie for different reasons: Mr. Piper is a great teacher and that mock trial we did for the industrial age was great, but the subject was also extremely entertaining overall. I loved reading about how John Adams made making fun of him illegal. Gov was mostly just entertaining because of Mr. Hatch and how salty his is about the government. His sarcastic comments about how corrupt everything is gave life to an otherwise pretty lifeless subject.

2) AP Lang: aka the class with no curriculum, or the Kuglen Hour. I love Mr. Kuglen so much and he is responsible for 99% of the amusement in the class. I somehow learned how to be a better writer by listening to him complain about Trump and everything else under the sun for an hour every day so it was well worth it. Also who doesn’t like a class where you read Dave Sedaris for homework?

1) AP Psych: Without question, this is the epitome of entertainment. Psychology is just a mishmash of people trying to figure out why humans are as stupid as we are and why we do dumb things. Add in all the iconic psychologists and history and a class led by salty Mr. Hatch and you have a recipe for an entertaining year.

31: Top 5 Iconic JBHS teachers that I NEVER had (no particular order)

Mr. Peebles: A quirky man who I would have loved were I any good at math whatsoever

Mr. Arakelian: Band kids hate him but the stories I hear are so frickin iconic that I wish I could be an honorary band kid for a day and see the horror firsthand. If you have Arakelian stories please send them my way I’d love to hear about your pain

Mr. Frankenbush: A sad boi who everyone should get to experience and I regret never having.

Dr. Madooglu: He was so kind to me after the failed anti-trump lunchtime protest last year and he didn’t even know me. I wish I could’ve experienced him as a teacher.

Mr. Clark: The man, the myth, the legend

32: List of some iconic swim horror stories

Charlie breaking his hand after he lost a race and punched the gutter as hard as he could

Some idiot JV boys smearing poop all over the Burbank High locker room

The entire JV team getting Burroughs swim banned from Islands

Me almost passing out at the Los Amigos meet last year after I didn’t eat or sleep all day

Everyone always feigning illness or injury to get out of swimming the 4x100 relay

Getting in trouble for watching boys volleyball practice instead of doing the weight room sets

Every. Single. 5AM morning practice before school.

When coach martin finally figured out how periods work and suddenly we couldn’t use that as an excuse for not swimming anymore

33: What Office Character Would I Be

A mix between Angela, Oscar, and Kelly (we love our dramatic icons)

34: #1 Thing I’d Bring With Me to a Desert Island

Castaway for instructional purposes

35: What Would I call my memoir

Schadenfreude

36: 7 Best Buzzfeed Unsolved Episodes (no particular order)

This is one of my favorite shows so these are my recommendations:

1. 3 Horrifying Cases of Ghosts and Demons - one of the very first and best episodes; a 45-minute special where the Boys investigate the Winchester house in San Francisco, the Island of the Dolls in Mexico, and the Sallie House in Kansas

2. The Strange Disappearance of D. B. Cooper - A man going by the name of Dan Cooper hijacked a plane, demanded money and passage to Mexico, and then at some point jumped out of the plane and was never seen again. To this day no one knows his identity or his fate despite some of the ransom money turning up in a river somewhere.

3. The Haunted Halls of Waverly Hills Hospital - Ryan and Shane explore an abandoned asylum in Pennsylvania and some creepy stuff ensues. One of the best supernatural episodes

4. The Thrilling Gardner Museum Heist - An almost hilarious story (with reenactments!) about a seriously inept security guard and the loss of some of the world’s most beloved paintings. This was one of the first episodes after they started making money and the production quality is off the charts 

5. The Scandalous Murder of William Desmond Taylor - Another excellent reenactment story about one of Hollywood’s first and biggest scandals, the suspicious murder of a leading film producer.

6. The Enigmatic Death of the Isdal Woman - A woman’s body was found suspiciously burned in the European wilderness and no one knows who she is or how exactly she was killed. Watch if you like espionage!

7. The Strange Killing of Ken Rex McElroy - An entire town seemingly rose up to murder a douchey, violent pedophile. One of the only episodes that’s actually happy?

37: 6 Things I would Have Changed About High School

1. Definitely would have joined yearbook as soon as I could

2. Wouldn’t have forced myself to swim for all 4 years; if the passion’s gone then you shouldn’t force it. It’s just a sign that you need to move on to better things

3. I would’ve taken more AP’s and maybe tried another stem ap class. I’ve always been self-conscious about how bad I am at math, but I’ve gotten a little better over the years and instead of being too afraid to challenge myself I would’ve liked to see how I could do and prove myself.

4. Worrying less about grades!! I killed myself over my grades for like three years and then I just kind of let myself go. I would have let myself have who knows how many more hours of sleep and taken the L on a couple of assignments; I’m still learning that my health is more important than perfection.

5. Meeting the right people! I wouldn’t have restricted myself to a few friends and would have branched out more by joinng stuff like JSA. It sucks meeting the right people your senior year and realizing that I was hanging out with the wrong people this whole time.

6. Spanish instead of French.

38: What Would I Name My Farm Animals if I had A Farm

I’d definitely name them all after female Shakespearian characters. My cows would be Hippolyta and Titania from Midsummer, my horse would be Desdemona from Othello, my chickens would be Gonereil, Regan, and Cordelia from King Lear and my goat would be named Gertrude from Hamlet

39: Most Useless Talent I Have

I have a really strong internal clock so when I don’t think about it too hard and guess intuitively I can usually predict how much time has passed/what time it is without looking at a clock. It’s really only useful for estimating how much time I wasted standing in the shower staring at the wall

40: Top Regret After Writing This:

Writing this instead of studying for my econ test in seven hours.

Thanks for reading!

[orbemnews]

As Senate Debates Interior Nominee, the Department Moves on Climate Change WASHINGTON — As the Interior Department awaits its new secretary, the agency is already moving to lock in key parts of President Biden’s environmental agenda, particularly on oil and gas restrictions, laying the groundwork to fulfill some of the administration’s most consequential climate change promises. Representative Deb Haaland of New Mexico, Mr. Biden’s nominee to lead the department, faces a showdown vote in the Senate likely later this month, amid vocal Republican concern for her past positions against oil and gas drilling. But even without her, an agency that spent much of the past four years opening vast swaths of land to commercial exploitation has pulled an abrupt about-face. The department has suspended lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico under an early executive order imposing a temporary freeze on new drilling leases on all public lands and waters and requiring a review of the leasing program. It has frozen drilling activity in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, delayed Trump-era rollbacks on protections of migratory birds and the northern spotted owl, and taken the first steps in restoring two national monuments in Utah and one off the Atlantic coast that Mr. Trump largely dismantled. As early as this week, one administration official said the Interior Department is poised to take the next steps in preparing a review of the federal oil and gas leasing program. Even critics of the administration’s agenda said they have been surprised by the pace of the agency’s actions. “They’re obviously moving forward quickly and aggressively,” said Nicolas Loris, an economist who focuses on environment policy at the conservative Heritage Foundation. That aggressiveness, along with Ms. Haaland’s long history of pushing to shut down fossil fuel drilling and pipelines, has put the agency in the line of fire from Republicans and the oil and gas industry. “I almost feel like your nomination is sort of this proxy fight over the future of fossil fuels,” Senator Maria Cantwell, Democrat of Washington, told Ms. Haaland during her confirmation hearing last week. The Environmental Protection Agency will ultimately take center stage in the regulatory battles over climate change because it is the lead agency policing emissions from the electricity and transportation sectors — the two largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. But the Interior Department, which decides when and whether to sell publicly owned coal, oil and gas, is at the heart of the always contentious fight over keeping such resources “in the ground” — that is, whether the vast majority of America’s fossil fuels should remain untapped to avoid dangerous concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Mr. Biden already has appointed nearly 50 top Interior officials across the vast agency, many of them veterans of the Obama administration, adept at pulling the levers of policy. They include Kate Kelly, who spent six years at the Interior Department before going to the liberal Center for American Progress where she focused on public lands policy, and Laura Daniel Davis who served as chief of staff to former secretaries Sally Jewell and Ken Salazar. This time around, she is a principal deputy assistant secretary over land and minerals management. Perhaps the most significant driver of the agency’s most aggressive early action, supporters of the administration said, has been David Hayes, who served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations as deputy secretary of Interior. Mr. Hayes worked on Mr. Biden’s transition and ahead of Inauguration Day was tapped to be a special adviser to the president on climate change policy. “These are people who know how to get things done,” said Sarah Greenberger, interim chief conservation officer at the National Audubon Society. The appointments have had immediate effects. The day after Mr. Biden named a new offshore energy regulator at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, for example, the office revived the review of an offshore wind farm near Martha’s Vineyard that the Trump administration had moved to cancel. Ms. Greenberger noted that actions like suspending the Trump-era rule that gutted protections for migratory birds required particularly fast planning since the Biden administration had only a short window to act before the rule was set to take effect, on Feb. 8. Similarly when an Alaska Native group missed a deadline to conduct a seismic survey in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the department moved to effectively kill the survey. “There was an enormous amount of thought put in during the transition, especially into understanding what needed to happen and what were the opportunities,” Ms. Greenberg said. Critics took a dimmer view. “Makes you wonder if they’re treating the new secretary as a figurehead and the deputies are going forward with what they had planned regardless,” said Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance, a Denver-based oil and natural gas association. In a statement Jennifer Van der Heide, chief of staff at the Department of Interior, said those already in place at the agency are working to implement Mr. Biden’s campaign promises until Ms. Haaland is confirmed. “There are some actions we can or must move quickly on, but when we have a secretary, she will provide the leadership, experience and vision to restore morale within the department, build a clean energy economy, strengthen the nation-to-nation relationships with tribes, and inspire a movement to better conserve our nation’s lands, waters, and wildlife,” Ms. Van der Heide said. The Interior Department manages about 500 million acres of public lands and vast coastal waters. Its agencies lease many of those acres for oil and gas drilling as well as wind and solar farms. It oversees the country’s national parks and wildlife refuges, protects threatened and endangered species, reclaims abandoned mine sites, oversees the government’s relationship with the nation’s 574 federally recognized tribes, and provides scientific data about the effects of climate change. That sprawling range of authorities has allowed Interior to move more quickly than smaller agencies that rely more on the slow churn of regulations, experts noted. Interior has initiated consultations with tribal leaders to hear their suggestions on federal policies and reversed restrictions that Mr. Trump’s Interior secretary, David Bernhardt, had imposed on the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which prevented money from being used to buy public land. But some major actions — such as an expected revision of the Endangered Species Act, which Mr. Trump’s administration curtailed through regulation — must await a Senate-confirmed secretary. Mr. Biden’s Interior Department will ultimately be defined by its reversals on fossil fuels after four years in which the Trump administration aggressively pursued energy production on public lands. At Ms. Haaland’s confirmation hearing Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming, noted that she has advocated for keeping fossil fuels “in the ground.” He pressed her on where oil and gas workers in his state and others that depend on drilling will work if Mr. Biden’s drilling pause becomes permanent. Ms. Haaland sought to reassure Republicans that she would enact Mr. Biden’s policies of pausing future fracking, not banning it. In fact, Mr. Biden’s position is not far from Ms. Haaland’s. He campaigned on a promise of “banning new oil and gas permitting on public lands and waters,” and it remains unclear for now whether the Biden administration will move forward with a permanent moratorium. Ms. Sgamma, whose group has filed a lawsuit challenging Mr. Biden’s executive order, said she believes the administration’s review of the leasing program is actually designed to drag on for the duration of Mr. Biden’s term. “In the meantime, we will expect no leasing and a slowdown in other permitted activity. That’s why this is not a pause’ on leasing,” she said, adding, “Whether you call it a ‘pause’ or a yearslong ban, it is unlawful and I like our chances in court.” Drew Caputo, vice president of litigation at EarthJustice, an environmental group, said he hopes the early pause will be a down payment on Mr. Biden’s campaign pledge. “The climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis isn’t standing still,” he said. Source link Orbem News #Change #Climate #Debates #Department #interior #Moves #nominee #Senate

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Welcome to a weekly collaboration between FiveThirtyEight and ABC News. With 5,000 people seemingly thinking about challenging President Trump in 2020 — Democrats and even some Republicans — we’re keeping tabs on the field as it develops. Each week, we’ll run through what the potential candidates are up to — who’s getting closer to officially jumping in the ring and who’s getting further away.

There are still a number potential candidates whose entrance into the 2020 field could shake up an already crowded race, and it appears many of them are coming close to revealing their plans.

There’s former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who ruled out a 2020 Senate run this week, but whose celebrity status and fundraising ability could catapult him to the top of the field.

There’s former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is reportedly looking at New York City campaign office space. And his appeal to political moderates and billions of dollars would allow him to run a self-funded campaign, where he would not be beholden to donors and money would never be a concern.

And there’s former Vice President Joe Biden, who said his family is on board, and whose strength in name-recognition and political experience has made him a de facto favorite since the day President Donald Trump won election in 2016.

While other presidential candidates are beginning to settle into their campaign routines, it won’t be long until the decisions of these three players, and several more, refresh the field and force everyone else to recalibrate their strategies.

Here’s the weekly candidate roundup:

Feb. 22-28, 2019

Stacey Abrams (D) In a podcast interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, Abrams said that she is “considering” a run for Senate in 2020 against incumbent Georgia Republican Sen. David Perdue.

Michael Bennet (D) During a trip to Iowa last weekend, Bennet told the Des Moines Register that he is “leaning toward” entering the presidential race. The newspaper also reported that he spent much of his four stops in the Hawkeye State speaking about education — Bennet was the superintendent of Denver Public Schools for four years.

“I think we need an education president,” Bennet told the Register. “There’s no public good that’s more important than education.”

Joe Biden (D) Biden said Tuesday at a University of Delaware event that his family has signed-off on a presidential run, explaining that after a “family meeting,” there was a “consensus.”

“The most important people in my life want me to run,” the former vice president said.

As for the timeline of his own decision, Biden revealed that he is in the “final stages” of the process and told the New York Times that a potential campaign would begin during the year’s second quarter.

“It’s something that I have to make sure that I could run a first-rate effort to do this and make clear where I think the country should go and how to get there,” he said publicly. “That’s the process going on right now. That’s as straightforward as I can be. I have not made the final decision, but don’t be surprised.”

Michael Bloomberg (D) Bloomberg picked up a preemptive endorsement from fellow billionaire Warren Buffett, who revealed his affinity for the former New York City mayor in an interview with CNBC.

“I think that he knows how to run things, I think that he’s got the right goals for America, he understands people, he understands the market system,” Buffett said.

Politico reported Thursday that representatives of Bloomberg were beginning to look at office space in New York City and interviewing potential staffers.

Bloomberg stopped in Nevada Tuesday to praise the state’s new gun background check law. During a news conference related to the legislation he noted that he was still undecided on a presidential run.

(Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada via AP) Former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg addresses a group of business and government leaders at the Asia Pacific Foundation in Toronto, Jan. 15, 2019.

Cory Booker (D) Booker introduced legislation Thursday that would legalize marijuana at the federal level, and was joined by several 2020 rivals, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Kristen Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who cosponsored the bill.

In a statement, the New Jersey senator noted that the “war on drugs,” disproportionately affected “people of color and low-income individuals.”

On Tuesday, Booker earned the first endorsement from an Iowa state lawmaker, courtesy of state Rep. Amy Nielsen, who pointed to their shared experiences as mayors and his “message of optimism and unity.”

After making his first visit to Nevada last weekend, Booker travels to South Carolina Friday and Saturday and will speak in Selma, Alabama Sunday in commemoration of the 1965 “Bloody Sunday” march.

Sherrod Brown (D) Brown took his “dignity of work” message to Nevada earlier this week, where he said that if he chooses to run for president, he’ll be “the most pro-union candidate.”

“We will have a government on the side of workers, not a government on the side of big corporations,” the Ohio senator told members of the Culinary Union Saturday in Las Vegas.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, however, Brown said he has yet to reach a final decision on a presidential run, but would do so by the end of March.

Pete Buttigieg (D) During a visit to California, the South Bend, Indiana mayor told the San Francisco Chronicle that Democrats need to talk more about their values, and ultimately could make the presidential election solely a referendum about Trump.

“We’ve got to have a message that makes sense and that recognizes that this president is going to come and go. So it can’t be all about him,” Buttigieg said.

Buttigieg heads back to Iowa Monday for his second visit since announcing his presidential exploratory committee, with events in Davenport, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids.

Julian Castro (D) Castro described himself as the “antithesis of Donald Trump” in an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune, saying that he was working to end the country’s divisions and demonstrate “honesty and integrity.”

The former Housing and Urban Development secretary further said he was going to visit all 50 states as part of his presidential campaign, adding four to his list in the past week with stops in Utah, Idaho and Nevada after a road trip through Iowa last weekend.

(Mary Schwalm/AP) Julian Castro, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, speaks at Saint Anselm College, Jan. 16, 2019, in Manchester, N.H.

Bill de Blasio (D) The New York City mayor visited Iowa last weekend, where he spoke to a crowd of 40 people at a union hall and met with former Gov. Tom Vilsack.

De Blasio acknowledged that he is “not a candidate at this moment,” but argued that Democrats “have to have a progressive as our nominee.”

“We have to be able to speak to working people across our whole country,” he continued. “We also have to have a nominee who is believable as a leader in such an important position.”

John Delaney (D) Delaney visited Clemson University in South Carolina Wednesday where he shared his idea for a national service program, discussed developing a national artificial intelligence strategy and was complimentary of the Trump administration’s efforts to engage with North Korea — though noted he was concerned the president would make a “terrible deal,” according to The Greenville News.

Kirsten Gillibrand (D) Gillibrand defended a planned fundraiser at a pharmaceutical executive’s home where tickets cost upwards of $1,000 during a Fox News interview on Monday, saying that the executive in question was a long-time friend and that it was the influence of corporate political action committees that was more problematic.

“I think you do need to get money out of politics,” the New York senator said. “The most important thing we have to do is upend the way our democracy functions. Today, the wealthiest most powerful lobbyists and special interests groups get to write bills in the dead of night.”

In the interview, Gillibrand further labelled climate change “the greatest threat to humanity we have” and compared ambitious efforts, such as the Green New Deal, to combat the issue to the challenge of putting a man on the moon in the 1960s.

Kamala Harris (D) The California senator made headlines Tuesday when she told The Root that she believed sex work should be decriminalized, though cautioned that the issue wasn’t “as simple as that.”

“There is an ecosystem around that that includes crimes that harm people, and for those issues, I do not believe that anybody who hurts another human being or profits off of their exploitation should be free of criminal prosecution,” Harris said. “But when you’re talking about consenting adults, we should consider that we can’t criminalize consensual behavior.”

After spending last weekend in Iowa, Harris made her first visit to Nevada as a presidential candidate Thursday to hold a town hall and participate in the Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit.

John Hickenlooper (D) The former Colorado governor continues to take steps towards a presidential run, expected to be announced some time in early March. Last weekend, Hickenlooper held meet-and-greet events in Sioux City and Carroll, Iowa, and spoke at the Story County Democrats’ Annual Soup Dinner.

A spokesperson for Hickenlooper told the Associated Press that he has raised over $1 million for his political action committee.

(Brennan Linsley/AP Photo) Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper delivers his annual State of the State address to lawmakers and guests, inside the state legislature, in Denver, Jan. 14, 2016.

Larry Hogan (R) As speculation grows that the Maryland governor could launch a challenge to Trump, Hogan asked in a Washington Post interview why the Republican National Committee was taking steps to declare its support for the president and potentially shutdown primaries.

“If he has unanimous support and everybody is on board, why shut down the normal process?” Hogan said. “It’s almost like a hostage situation.”

Referring to the governor specifically on Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference, RNC chair Ronna McDaniel said that any other potential challengers to Trump “have the right to jump in and lose.”

Jay Inslee (D) The Washington governor is expected to launch a presidential campaign within days, teasing as much during an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation” last weekend, and telling NBC that he’s made up his mind.

“I’ve been pleased by what I’ve been hearing across the country, that people do want a president that will act on a real emergency which is climate change,” Inslee said on CBS. “Look, we’re fighting real emergencies. The forest fires that are consuming the western United States. They need a president who will rally the nation to a clean energy economy.”

The governor went on to say that climate change would be his “number one priority.”

Amy Klobuchar (D) Klobuchar faced criticism after a New York Times report last Friday detailed her treatment of her staff, including throwing binders and phones in frustration and forcing an aide to clean a comb she used to eat a salad on a plane when it was brought to her without a fork. The senator’s defenders have characterized the anecdotes as inflated and claimed that as a female politician, Klobuchar was being held to a higher standard of behavior than her male counterparts.

The senator spent last weekend campaigning in South Carolina and New Hampshire, after a visit to Georgia where she met with former President Jimmy Carter.

Beto O’Rourke (D) The former Texas congressman said Thursday that he has reached a decision about his political future, but that it won’t include a challenge of Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who is up for reelection in 2020.

Though O’Rourke did not yet reveal whether that decision includes a presidential campaign, The Dallas Morning News reported that he is likely to enter the race and could make such an announcement in the next few weeks.

Bernie Sanders (D) During a CNN town hall, Sanders shared rare praise for Trump, ahead of his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, describing the summit as a “good idea” if it leads to eventual denuclearization. The Vermont senator further outlined his Medicare-for-all plan, pledged higher corporate tax rates and said that the allegations of sexual harassment within his 2016 campaign were “very painful” and “will not happen again.”

Sanders also pledged to support the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nominee, no matter who that person is, because “Trump has got to be defeated.”

Just over one week after launching his campaign, Sanders is holding rallies in Brooklyn and Chicago this weekend, with a stop in between in Selma, Alabama to speak at the Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King Unity Breakfast, which is honoring his former 2016 rival Hillary Clinton.

(AP) In this Oct. 30, 2018 file photo, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at a campaign rally in Bethesda, Md.

Elizabeth Warren (D) Warren announced Monday that she will not hold private events that are limited to major donors.

“That means no fancy receptions or big money fundraisers only with people who can write the big checks,” she wrote in a post on Medium. “And when I thank the people giving to my campaign, it will not be based on the size of their donation. It means that wealthy donors won’t be able to purchase better seats or one-on-one time with me at our events. And it means I won’t be doing “call time,” which is when candidates take hours to call wealthy donors to ask for their support.”

In the midst of Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen’s testimony on Capitol Hill Wednesday, the Massachusetts senator said that if she is elected president “there will be no pardons for anyone implicated in these investigations.”

After visiting New Hampshire last weekend, Warren will spend Friday and Saturday in Iowa, with events in Dubuque, Elkader and Waterloo.

Andrew Yang (D) In an interview with WMUR in New Hampshire, Yang said he was concerned about the ages of some of his presidential opponents and potential rivals, citing Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and former Vice President Joe Biden, who are 77 and 76 years old, respectively. He added that Trump’s 72 years are “probably playing into his mental health.”

“I do think that given the importance of the position, it would make sense to have some sort of transparency where if someone is past a certain age, then there should be some sort of physical or some sort of health report,” Yang added.

[junker-town]

The 10 best games of the NBA season, ranked by science

Jayson Tatum and Kawhi Leonard staged the NBA’s best game this season.

With help from Thuuz Sports, these are the best games of the NBA season determined by pace, historical context, novelty, parity, and momentum shifts. 

On Feb. 13, the Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 141-133. Jayson Tatum finished with 39 points and nine rebounds, out dueling last year’s Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, who tallied 28 points on 27 shots.

What began as an anticipated regular season matchup between two hopeful title contenders ended as a nationally televised coming out party for Tatum, who not only cemented himself as Boston’s best player, but also someone who could lead his team through a feverish high-wire walk that required two overtimes.

During crunchtime, it was the only game being played, and the last one before All-Star Weekend. Seemingly everyone who cares about the NBA was watching, and when it finally ended TD Garden felt more like a stage than a basketball court.

Four days prior, the Utah Jazz stunned the Houston Rockets, 114-113, when Bojan Bogdanovic erased what should’ve been PJ Tucker’s game-winning three by drilling his own well-contested 28-footer moments later. There were nine lead changes in that fourth quarter, including four in the final 28 seconds. It doesn’t take a genius to see how exhilarating it was.

But according to Thuuz Sports (as in: enthusiasm) — a 10-year-old company based in Palo Alto that boasts “the most powerful automated video highlights production platform for worldwide sports” — those games were not only worth the audience’s time, but also, objectively, the two most exciting NBA games of the 2019-20 season.

Thuuz was initially founded to essentially let fans know which sporting events are worth watching before they happen, how compelling they are in real time, and then, after they’re done, applying an “excitement rating” that measures each game on a 0-100 scale. In non-global pandemic times these are available on the NBC Score app, and can help guide Tivo and Dish Network subscribers.

But with zero games being played anywhere in the world, Thuuz took a look back at the NBA season to measure which games were the most exciting. Using metadata and a customized algorithm that factors in several relevant elements, they’ve shared their list of the top 10 most exciting games from this season (along with the worst of the season) with SB Nation.

Before we get there, here’s a quick overview of how Thuuz calculates their evaluations:

The key components are pace (the more points, the better), historical context (everything else being equal, a game between the Celtics and Lakers is slightly more attractive to a casual fan than one between the Hornets and Timberwolves — there’s also a “big game bonus” to help separate Game 7 of the Finals from a mid-January clash between the Magic and Cavaliers), novelty (it isn’t every day that Devin Booker will score 70 points), parity (how close the game is expected to be), and momentum shifts (everyone loves a good comeback).

“We ingest play-by-play data from a source and process it as the game goes along,” said Trevor Goldstein, a Thuuz product manager who works on the excitement ratings.

Social buzz is another factor that determines how exciting any one game is, which might lead to one game finishing with a higher rating than another simply because they have more fans and are able to spark a more expansive conversation.

“The best teams and the best players have a very slight advantage when it comes to the social buzz,” Goldstein said. “But that’s also partially because we’re trying to find the most exciting things to tune in and if we’re being frank, people are more likely to tune into a Lakers game than a Phoenix Suns game.”

Thuuz also utilizes a small input that factors in how much of a following every organization has that’s slightly outside the Twitter conversation, but it’s very small relative to the other elements already mentioned.

Scores that fall between 0-39 are “Dull.” Between 40-64 is an “OK game.” 65-84 is a “Good game.” And 85-100 equals a “Great game. You’ve got to watch this!” All 10 games listed below finished with a 100 rating, but in reality some scores climb above that mark, which allows Thuuz to separate them.

“It goes higher [in the app], but just for simplicity sake we limit it,” said John McGuire, Thuuz’s head of product. “I think the highest one I’ve seen is 105 or 106.”

There are many fans who enjoy the NBA but don’t believe regular-season competition can consistently rise to a level of appointment viewing that justifies almost three straight hours on a couch, seated in front of a screen. Those feelings are normal because the stakes are lower; whether in a win or a loss, individual outcomes rarely dent any one team’s bigger picture.

But that doesn’t mean a random game in February or January or even before Thanksgiving should be ignored. This list exists to shine a spotlight on why we watch.

1) Los Angeles Clippers 133, Boston Celtics 141: Feb. 13, 2020

Tatum smash:

2) Utah Jazz 114, Houston Rockets 113: Feb. 9, 2020

Bojan smash:

3) Philadelphia 76ers 129, Portland Trail Blazers 128: Nov. 2, 2019

The Furkan Korkmaz game! Philly’s best shooter decapitated Portland with 0.4 seconds on the clock, right after Blazers guard Anfernee Simons hit his own go-ahead three with 2.2 seconds remaining. This was way back when the Sixers could feel good about themselves, which now feels like 12 million years ago.

The end was amazing, but don’t overlook the fourth-quarter build up:

4) Houston Rockets 133, San Antonio Spurs 135: Dec. 3, 2019

The protest game! Houston led by 13 with eight minutes left when James Harden’s dunk was, for reasons that make little sense to this day, said to have not gone through the rim. The Spurs won in overtime, despite Harden going 24-for-24 from the free-throw line and finishing with a 50 ball. (Also, Lonnie Walker’s hair was on fire that night.)

5) Boston Celtics 112, Los Angeles Lakers 114: Feb. 23, 2020

It’s official: According to science, Tatum’s best performances are guaranteed to make you sit up straight. Here he finished with 41 points despite drawing constant double teams from one of the NBA’s best defenses. Not too shabby.

In the end, LeBron James had the last laugh when he turned Jaylen Brown into his little brother with a chef’s kiss fadeaway. The whole game was a gem.

6) Houston Rockets 119, Los Angeles Clippers 122: Nov. 22, 2019

This game inspired this article about how Harden was forcing defenses around the NBA to venture into uncharted waters. If you enjoy watching all-time great scorers bend all-time great defenders, this fourth quarter has your name written all over it.

7) Dallas Mavericks 120, Milwaukee Bucks 116: Dec. 16, 2019

It’s weird but understandable for the Bucks to not appear on this list until now, with a loss that ended their 18-game winning streak. This game featured a 48-point, 14-rebound powerbomb by Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Milwaukee still took the L even though Luka Doncic did not play. Kristaps Porzingis was everywhere and Jalen Brunson showed why he could be a long-term starter in Dallas.

8) Philadelphia 76ers 97, Denver Nuggets 100: Nov. 8, 2019

For 45 of this game’s 48 minutes, Philly had more points than Denver. Early in the fourth quarter they led by 21. But with 15 seconds left and their lead down to one, Al Horford (poor Al Horford) missed a three. Nikola Jokic came down to the other end and hit a totally unreasonable game-winner. Wild ending.

9) Orlando Magic 119, Los Angeles Lakers 118: Jan. 15, 2020

Markelle Fultz had a triple-double and scored more points than James. Quinn Cook also scored more points than James. Instant classic.

10) Dallas Mavericks 107, Toronto Raptors 110: Dec. 22, 2019

I personally refuse to acknowledge this game because after the third quarter I changed the channel and am still not over it. If for whatever reason you’re still wondering why people think Nick Nurse is a great coach let this game bless you with all the answers you’ll ever need.

And now, the worst game of the NBA season

Miami Heat 86, Philadelphia 76ers 113: Nov. 23, 2019

Every other game mentioned in this article received a score of 100 (or slightly above). This was awarded a 1. Jimmy Butler’s first game in Philadelphia since they traded him to Miami was a monumental let down. The Sixers went up 28-8 in the first quarter and never looked back. I remember trying to get through it on my DVR but giving up early in the third quarter, when Philly took a 73-38 lead.

Check back next week for the NBA’s 10 best games of the 2010s.

[johnatthemovies]

John’s Top 10 Movies of 2017

So here we are, another year in the books.  Let’s take a moment to put out another list among thousands and thousands of lists.  If you don’t agree, you can start your own blog.  Maybe you’ll be better at providing content on a regular basis than I am.

HONORABLE MENTION: Star Wars: The Last Jedi (December 15)

I can’t rank a Star Wars film in good conscience, especially one as polarizing as this one.  It was a great film (The Star Wars Nothing But Star Wars Retrospective will continue soon, trust me), but I still believe that the Star Wars saga is its own thing altogether that has managed to transcend its medium, yadda yadda yadda, pretentiousness.  So it takes the honorable mention in this list.

HONORABLE MENTION II: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: The Disaster Artist (December 9)

I’ve put this as an honorable mention because, being the die-hard fan of The Room that I am, it’s the one movie I desperately wanted to see this year, but as of press time, I have not yet made it to see it.  First, it took forever for any of my local theaters to show it.  Then, there was a one-two punch of Christmas and a death in the family when it finally graced the tri-state area with its presence.  Then this weekend, my car broke down and no one would drive me.  Seriously, someone up there does not want me to see this fucking movie.  

10. Power Rangers (March 22)

This film was a very welcome surprise.  With such a beloved franchise, a reboot could only end in disaster.  And yet, it was a fun, refreshing, character-driven film that even non-fans, like myself, can enjoy.  I just wish that it could somehow get a sequel.

9. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5)

I’ll admit, this one wasn’t as good as the first one.  It had its moments, like the Mr. Blue Sky opening (because I just can’t quit ELO), Ego’s big reveal, and the heartbreaking finale, but some of the jokes outstayed their welcome and weren’t as funny as the jokes from the original.  However, my opinion changed after I watched Lindsay Ellis’ wonderful essay on the film.  Give it a watch.

8. Kong: Skull Island (March 10)

So many studios have tried to replicate the lightning of a bottle that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Universal had its Dark Universe, which has had three different starting points, and none of them stuck.  Warner Bros.’ DC universe is barely a success in box office numbers alone.  And then there’s Legendary Entertainment’s MonsterVerse, which hit the ground running with 2014’s Godzilla, and followed that up with a damn good King Kong movie.  Kong’s first scene is terrifying, as is Samuel L. Jackson’s Captain Ahab-esque character who will not stop until Kong is dead.  2019’s Godzilla: King of The Monsters cannot come soon enough.

7. Thor: Ragnarok (November 3)

This film was an absolute delight.  It’s deliciously funny, there are some scenes that appear to come straight from the pen of Marvel legend Jack Kirby, and other scenes that are just begging to be painted on the side of a ‘70s panel van.  This one has to be the best Marvel film of 2017 hands down, with maybe Spider-Man Homecoming coming close.  That scene in the car with Peter and Vulture/Batman/Birdman, though.

6. IT (September 8)

IT was probably the first horror movie I’ve actually watched in theaters, and to be honest, it’s probably the best one I’ve seen that didn’t come out in the ‘80s.  Bill Skarsgård is ridiculous and terrifying in equal measure as Pennywise, even though I still hope that should I ever come across a clown hiding in the sewer, it’s Tim Curry.

5. Logan (March 3)

This is the solo Wolverine movie that fans wanted to see.  It’s gory, it’s brutal, it’s thrilling, it’s heartbreaking to watch, and of course, the perfect swan song for two iconic performances: Patrick Stewart’s Professor X and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.  Third time’s the charm, eh?

4. Dunkirk (July 21)

I made a mistake this year in not seeing Dunkirk on the big screen.  It demands to be seen in IMAX with the best sound system money can buy, especially when it comes to the dogfight scenes.  Being a World War II airplane nerd, seeing those Spitfires and hearing those Rolls Royce Merlin engines (“The sweetest sound you could hear out there,” a character remarks) in those well-shot and choreographed fight scenes make it worth the astronomical price of admission.  Or at least, I’d think so.

3. Logan Lucky (August 18)

This was another welcome surprise for me.  It’s probably one of the funniest movies of the year, with show-stopping moments like the warden arguing with the prison inmates over the perpetually-delayed final books of the A Song of Ice And Fire series or Daniel Craig’s character stopping the heist in its tracks to give a chemistry lesson on how gummy bears, a bleach pen and imitation salt can make an improvised explosive device.  However, I cannot suggest that you try this at home. Also, this year must’ve been really good for John Denver’s estate.  How many movies can you possibly shove “Take Me Home, Country Roads” into?

2. Blade Runner 2049 (October 7)

This film should not work.  A sequel to one of the most beloved sci-fi movies of all time made 35 years after the fact shouldn’t be the masterpiece that it is.  And yet, Denis Villeneuve and his cast and crew managed to pull it off.  It’s as beautiful to look at, as enigmatic, and sadly, as much of a financial heartbreaker as the original.  Seriously, I haven’t been as personally hurt by a film’s underperformance at the box office since Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.

And our Number One: Baby Driver (June 28)

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, If It’s Edgar Wright, You Can’t Go Wrong.  Spacey be damned, this film is another masterpiece by a director that has long been my favorite living director and my second all-time favorite, next to Kubrick, of course.  The soundtrack, the editing, the stunts, all top-notch.  On a more personal note, outside of a wonderful trip to Chicago, my summer had been a depressing trainwreck.  I bashed my eye against an endtable moving out of my college dorm, my grandmother died, I couldn’t find a job, it was a mess.  Then I went and saw Baby Driver.  When I saw the Bellbottoms Chase for the first time, it made me happier than I’d been in a while.  So thanks, Edgar.  Whatever you’ve got planned next, I’ll be in line day one.

[mubal4]

See you in Fairplay!

 Fairplay is a town in the high country of Colorado, about 23 miles south of Breckenridge & 85 miles southwest of Denver.  It sits just under 10,000 feet elevation, has approximately 700-800 folks living there and is home to the World Championship Pack Burro Race.  Yes, that last part is true, and I linked to the race for proof 😊!! Fairplay, CO is also home to the Shane Family; Cindy, Bryan, Tanner, Taylor & Cora; 5 of our most favorite folks in the whole wide world.  Bryan and I have known one another for about 30 years, maybe more.  Although he is about 5 years younger, we grew up together and his mom and dad, Debbie & Tim, actually trusted me enough back then to babysit Bryan and his 3 younger brothers.  Debbie & Tim were brave parents leaving these 4 kiddos in the hands of me during those years 😊.  We all wrestled back then so of course, that made us grow close over the years and Bryan and my relationship developed following his high school graduation when he went to Penn State.  At that time, I had season tickets to football games so there were many weekends in the fall where he and I, as well as a number of our close friends, enjoyed some spirited games and adventures in good old Happy Valley.  Over the years we started going on our own journeys, always keeping in touch and continuing to have that common bond of wrestling, Penn State, and of course, Mountain View Village 😊!!!  We both ended moving west over the years and starting families of our own.  During my first stint out in AZ and with him being in CO, we had the opportunity to get together a number of times and when Robin and I had our first daughter, Isabella, we asked Bryan to be the Godfather. The years following involved adding more children to the coral, trips to CO, them coming to AZ, meeting up in AZ and then again back in PA when Robin, the girls, and I moved back.  Our friendship continued to grow as we and our families did.  

 Then, we came up with this wonderfully crazy and stupid idea to start doing ultra-endurance races.  So back in 2011 we decided to start training for our first Death Race. A few of those, some Goruck events, and a bevy of ultramarathons later, for the grace of God we continue to keep challenging ourselves AND, we continue to be friends 😊😊 (sorry Bryan, couldn’t resist).  Actually, I believe our friendship, scratch that, our brotherhood, is stronger than ever. Because that is what it is, I’ve always considering him my brother and Chris, Kevin, and Jeff, his brothers in that same boat.  Debbie and Tim, I’ve always felt as they were another set of parents for me and knew they would be there if I ever needed them at the drop of a hat.  I’ve been fortunate to have a number of families like that in my life!!  The last 7-8 years as Bryan and I have pushed each other to, and past, our limits; whether we were in events/races together, we were crewing/pacing each other in races, or, just following one another’s progress from afar, have been an epic adventure.  I know there have been times we haven’t been doing races together that I wish he was with me or, I with him.  We’ve shared a ton of miles together and so many life conversations; it has been a gift that I am grateful for.

 Okay Mike, what the hell does this have to do with Fairplay.  Roger that – at the beginning of 2017, Bryan and I committed to and completed our first 100-mile ultramarathons.  The pictures above are from his race in August of that year, the Silverheels 100 mile in the backdrop of beautiful Fairplay, CO 😊!  I was fortunate to be able to crew and pace Bryan during the race where we spent the better part of 15+ hours together traipsing the vast 12,000-foot mountains around his home!  Yep, it was pretty epic and a special day to say the least.  He was awesome out there and there are so many great memories I have of that experience.  You can see from the pictures, the course and the landscape was incredible. Previously, I had been up to Fairplay several times but up until this point, I hadn’t experience it this intimately. I wanted to get another look.  

 After a year hiatus of 100-mile races in 2019, I made it a point to do another one in 2020.  Ideally I was working toward earning a lottery entry into the Western States 100, arguably the most iconic, oldest, and favored 100 mile race in the country.  The spots are limited each year and you have to do qualifying races to earn entry tickets into the lottery.  The first weekend of December each year they hold the drawing and names are picked.  This year, 2nd year in a row, my name wasn’t drawn.  That is okay because your tickets roll over each year and I am already signed up for another qualifying race in February.  The good news, there are 100-mile races all over this great country throughout the year so many options.  Initially, after consulting with the team (Robin, Isabella, & Alaina) we were thinking about the San Diego 100 and then head out to the beach for a few days following. However, the girls decided they wanted to go back to Philadelphia this summer for some time.  I could still do SD100 but thought there may be a better option out there for just Robin and I to hit.   Couple weeks ago I was listening to the Human Potential Running Podcast and Race Director John LeCroix was rattling off some of the 2020 races on the docket; he mentioned Silverheels and wheels started turning in my mind.  It was an awesome course, great experience with Bryan and the Shane Crew Team, a place that I love, that I know, in July.  I talked with Robin and she loved the idea of being in Colorado in the summer and out of the heat of Phoenix.  She doesn’t have school at that point, the girls will likely be back east, and we can spend a good amount of time in the mountains; made perfect sense.  A call to Bryan to get his input and thoughts and the plan was hatched.  He seemed quite excited about the possibilities, made sense from a timing perspective, at this point, hoping the rest of the Shane Crew is on board.  Not having my girls there is a downside but have a crew that I know and knows me to support and pace me through this grueling 100 miles will be ideal!  

 So, there was only one thing left to do, commit and register and I took care of that yesterday.  With the simple click of the mouse we are headed to Fairplay, CO to take on the Silverheels 100 in mid-July and we are very excited for it.  Caveat here, Bryan is on the wait list for another 100, High & Lonesome 2 weeks after Silverheels; his commitment for another 100 in 2020.  That race, also in CO, is 2 weeks after Silverheels.  Originally, I was going to head up and crew/pace him, and that is still the case. However, there may be a chance his name isn’t called off the wait list and hopefully, just hopefully, he may be joining me for his 2nd edition of Silverheels 100.  How awesome would that be?  Shit, there will be some stories to tell the week of July 13th.  Hell, there will be stories to tell no matter what. In the meantime, well, for the next two weeks we will be enjoying the holidays but come January 1, the training, planning, and fun begins.  Fortunately for me I have a pretty awesome group to share in this next step in the process.