#as an aside one of my favorite projects I ever did was a reconstruction of a proto language

[sailor-aviator]

how anon took your response to their analysis on the term "Gaelic"

STEPH. 💀

[jonnamuseums]

The Met ~ 09/27/2022

For my trip to The Metropolitan Museum of Art today, I decided to focus my attention on the temporary exhibition, Chroma: Ancient Sculpture in Color, since it may not be here the next time I visit. This exhibition puts on display polychromatic recreations/replicas of some of the famous Greek and Roman statues we typically think of as solid marble in its natural all-white coloring or the untouched surface of bronze. Historians have discerned that these classic monochrome ancient artworks were actually, at their original time of creation and display, painted with many bright, expressive colors. This exhibition displays multiple 3D printed and hand-painted recreations of how the sculptures on display today likely looked thousands of years ago.

I entered through the left side of The Great Hall and was immediately surprised by the subtlety and scattered nature of the featured pieces. Yes, the Reconstruction of the marble funerary statue of Phrasikleia was front and center right away upon entering the Greek and Roman Art hallway, but aside from her, I was not seeing nearly the amount of pigmented portraits I was expecting. I knew the exhibition was spread out amongst thirteen different closely-related gallery rooms, but I was not anticipated the little number of colored replica statues that I ended up seeing. The Greek and Roman Art space was as white and spacious as ever. The informational Chroma posters and large description plaques were mostly just black with white text. Although I found this a bit ironic considering the subject matter, I thought the completely neutral color scheme of the text material and the Met walls/floors was completely appropriate for the exhibit, so that no additions were unnecessarily taking away from the main aspect of the show.

Once I walked around and was able to discover and observe all of the Chroma replica pieces, I came to appreciate the setup much more. The Greek and Roman Art section at The Met is so grandiose and elegant. It has white walls, high ceilings, bright windows, and a tiled mosaic floor that compliments the permanent works in the collection beautifully. Each connected gallery is filled with so many dignified marble statues and architectural fragments that your eye almost doesn't know what to look at at first, usually. But with Ancient Sculpture in Color on display, my eye immediately discovered the new additions when quickly scanning the spaces.

My favorite moments of the exhibition were the replicas that were displayed directly next to or surrounding their authentic, original inspiration. I enjoyed comparing the colorful Caesar's bust to the monochromatic ones I am used to seeing in museums and history books and imagining it being displayed in Ancient Rome in all its colorful glory. I found that whenever a colorful replica was displayed on its own, or in a separate section than its original, such as the reconstruction of a marble archer in the costume of a horseman, I found it to be a much less interesting experience. I enjoyed being impressed by the direct comparison of original and replica and allowing my eyes to travel back and forth between each piece during close observation.

Although I, of course, trust the historians and artists who worked on the replicas for this show, at times I did take note that the painting style seemed much less realistic, elegant, and refined than the actual sculpting style of the statues underneath. I wondered about this disconnect and wished I had more information on how the researchers on this project had come to the conclusion of what original colors had been washed off the works by history. I finally got answers to my questions when I reached the portion of the exhibition in the Mezzanine area (which I definitely would not have found had I not picked up a special Exhibitions Program pamphlet at the ticket counter). Upon walking up the stairs next to the famous big marble column, I arrived at a small, discreet room with a few display cases, some more replica art, and a couple of screens playing slides and clips that yielded much of the information I had desired downstairs. It was here that I learned about how scientists can study particles of leftover materials engrained in the statues' surfaces and match them to materials used in certain pigments used back in Ancient times. Another screen provided a detailed timeline of the recreation process. The display cases showed smaller, less damaged original artifacts which had paint jobs that survived well enough to convince me that the replicas were, indeed, true to the original Ancient Greek and Roman painting styles. The room was empty when I arrived in it, and I had wished that it was made more obvious to passersby that this was an important extension to the Chroma: Ancient Sculpture in Color show, in which many visitors seemed interested enough to want more background on. Also a note, there were elevators up to the mezzanine, but I think putting the most informational portion of the exhibition in a more accessible location would have been a better move.

Overall, I thought I knew what to expect going into this exhibition but I quickly realized I was wrong. I was surprised, however, not disappointed. I enjoyed how the exhibit pieces were spread out. It was a bit confusing at first (as is the Met in general to newcomers). I personally enjoyed having to explore a little to find all the pieces, but I'm not sure that part of the experience would appeal to everyone. I do respect how the curators managed to fit in each new work in an appropriate way. If one was unaware that this was a temporary exhibit, I don't think the Chroma pieces would have stuck out as something that did not belong. The biggest thing I would have changed would be putting the informational background videos and original color sculptures either at the beginning of the exhibit or having much clearer signage and directions to get to that portion of the show. I might also have put at least one recreation in each room, so as to eliminate confusion about whether or not the exhibition spans the entire Greek and Roman wing or not, as there were multiple times that I thought I had come to the end of the show when, in fact, there was still more to be seen in other rooms.

[fxkthatdairy]

Pretty Woman- Ethan Dolan Series (Part One:Wild One)

Overview: Ethan Dolan is the CEO of the most notorious reconstruction company in New York City. On one of his business trips to the city of Los Angeles, he meets an intriguing street woman by the name of (Y/N) (Y/L/N). Ethan hires (Y/N) to be his company for his week in Los Angeles, but what happens when the two very different individuals slowly begin to fall for each other. Will they be able to set aside their differences and work out or will they both end up more hurt than when they started? Heavily based on the film Pretty Woman but with a few twists that I have up my sleeve.

Warnings: mentions of prostitution, slight mentions of abuse, (not a lot in this part)

Ethan Dolan,one half of the chief executive officers of the most notorious reconstruction company; Dolan’s Reconstruction Corporation. The company was based out of New York but had spread globally throughout the years. Ethan Dolan was a true businessman, his whole life revolved around business. He had lost his first wife; Addison Thompson, because she said that he was never home and never paid attention to her or even loved on her. The cold honest truth about his marriage to Addison was to please his mother who was worried about her son growing up alone. He never loved Addison and she never loved him, it was just an attraction that caused them to get married. Once he divorced, he became a sort of playboy, almost every two weeks he had replaced another model with another. Which led to his current conversation with his most recent fling, April Reed, well known Victoria Secrets model.

“I swear Ethan, you are never home, you only ever talk to me if you want sex. Hell, I talk to your assistant more than I ever talk with you. So we are over, by the time you get back, all my stuff will be moved out of your condo,” April furiously yelled through the phone, angry about the CEO’s most recent business trip to the city of Los Angeles, where he was working on buying and reconstructing a well known expensive neighborhood

“Whatever you say April, leave your key at the front desk when you leave,” Ethan said, leaving a bewildered and frustrated model on the other end of the phone as he hung up the phone. It didn’t bother Ethan when the girls got frustrated and left because he never gets attached.

“Another one gone,” questioned Ethan’s business partner, other CEO, and own twin brother, Grayson Dolan.

“Yeah, doesn’t matter, all that matters now is getting that deal made with Mr.Rogers on the neighborhood near Rodeo Drive,” Ethan said as he adjusted his tie. The two brothers were currently heading to a realtors party to try and persuade Eugene Rogers, the current owner of the Villa Grande neighborhood, a very run-down neighborhood near one of the most popular places in Los Angeles, into selling the neighborhood to them so they could renovate it and bring in wealthy families into the neighborhood.

“You know mom is right, you focus so much on business, that you don’t spend any time on your own personal life,” Grayson said as he pulled into the parking garage of the building where the party was being held.

“Well, I don’t see you in any kind of relationship so yeah,” Ethan said as he got out of the car. It was true that Grayson Dolan was happily single and he wasn’t interested in any kind of relationship. Grayson was waiting for the right woman to walk into his life and until then he was content with himself. Unlike Ethan though, Grayson knew how to separate himself from work. He had a hobby in playing the piano and building projects (the irony of owning a Reconstruction company).

“Ethan, I know when to separate myself from work and you don't and that’s just the truth,” Grayson said as he got out of the car as well, locking it before putting the keys in his blazer pocket.

“I know how to separate myself from work,” Ethan said with a scoff but deep down he knew he truly didn’t.

The two brothers walked into the party together. The party was held in a very elegant ballroom and a bunch of rich snobs filled the entire room. Immediately businesses began walking up to the notorious Dolan Twins trying to sell off their properties or even trying to score a partnership where they would renovate the building and on any other day the brothers would have probably be more inclined to talk but today was different, they had a mission on their mind and they were not going to stop until the bought Villa Grande from Eugene Rogers, who was currently by the bar surrounded by other reconstruction owners.

Across town from the party on Melrose Avenue, sat a popular bar called “The Tipsy Cow”. Next to the bar, a rundown, low income, apartment building housed most of the “employees” of the Tipsy Cow. In reality, these employees were prostitutes that frequently picked up men at the Tipsy Cow. The best-known prostitute was (Y/N) (Y/L/N) who often went by her alias of Bunny. (Y/N)’s apartment was at the top of the three-story building and had one studio styled room. (Y/N) was currently standing in front of her bathroom mirror fixing her long black wig and a skimpy top that she currently had on. It was a Saturday night, which brought in a lot of desperate men that would pay her high dollar to have sex with them.

Out of the twelve girls that were common around “The Tipsy Cow”, (Y/N) was the most asked for because not only was she the youngest but she was the wildest one there. She had become a fan favorite last year when she moved from a small town in Georgia and has been ever since. (Y/N)’s father was never in her life and she was raised by her clueless mother and abusive stepfather so when she finally got tired of living in the same small town she moved to Los Angeles. She was only 21 when she moved to Los Angeles and her mother offered her no financial support so all (Y/N) had was the 5,000 dollars that she saved up in Georgia, which looked like a lot but in Los Angeles, it wasn’t enough. She used the money to rent the current apartment that she was in for 1,000 a month and then she walked right into the Tipsy Cow for a job and she met Peach, whose real name was Andrea, and since then she’s worked as a prostitute. It wasn’t her dream job if anything she wanted to go to college and study to get her degree in Psychology and become a counselor but she never had enough money for that so she settled for what she could get. The money she got from “work”, she used to buy her essential items and rent and then saved the rest in hopes one day she could go to college.

(Y/N) grabbed her purse which mainly contained her array of condoms, lubes, and even a few viagra pills. She also carried dental floss, toothpaste, and sample-sized bottles of body wash. She was a very clean woman, was on birth control, and made sure to get tested every month to make sure she was clean of STDs. (Y/N) locked her apartment door behind her before heading down the stairs that violated safety precautions but everyone was just extra careful using them. At the end of the stairs, she bent down to fix her knee-high heeled boots, which caused her mini skirt to rise up and caused a lot of stares which she was used to by now. She walked out of the apartment building and straight over to “The Tipsy Cow”, where she was immediately let in.

“Good Evening Bunny, looks like there is gonna be a decent-sized crowd tonight,” Said James, the bartender, and owner of ‘The Tipsy Cow”. He didn’t hire the girls that would pick up men from his bar but he did help them out as much as he could. They brought more business to his bar since they had been there.

“Sure is James, I feel like tonight someone big is gonna come in!” (Y/N) said in excitement. She spoke truthfully because ever since she started getting ready she had a feeling she was gonna meet someone big.

As the crowds started flowing in, (Y/N) did what she knew best, she started making small talk, asking people to dance with her, and she even would run and go buy the men their drinks for them. This time she walked up to the bar to get an older man a beer and she forgot all about it when she saw a man dressed in a suit and tie sitting at the bar stools which was strange because normally guys would be wearing jeans and an old tee shirt. The man spiked (Y/N)’s interest and she forgot all about the man's beer and walked up to the man who looked out of place.

Back at the party, Grayson and Ethan had finally gotten Eugene Rogers to themselves. They were on the balcony of the ballroom that the party was held in and it wasn’t long now until the Twin’s would sucker Mr.Rogers into selling them the property.

“Mr.Rogers, we would like to offer you 15 million dollars for the entire Villa Grande neighborhood,” Ethan had brought up the deal as he sipped on his glass of champagne.

“I’m sorry Mr.Ethan but I’m not really interested in selling the property,” Mr.Rogers said as he sat down in one of the chairs on the balcony.

“Mr.Rogers, this is an unbeatable deal, we would renovate each one of the houses, and offer you a portion of all the money that we make for reselling the renovated houses,” Grayson spoke trying to persuade Mr.Rogers on his opinion.

“You see that’s the thing, there are already people living there, what happens to those people,” Mr.Rogers questioned.

“We would make sure they were taken care of and compensate them,” Ethan said walking across the floor. This wasn’t how Ethan had pictured this meeting going and it put him in a very awkward situation which caused his nervous habit of pacing to start to show.

“How about this, Wednesday I take you two and possibly your dates out to dinner with my son and I and we can talk more on this, I would like his opinion on the situation,” Mr Rogers said standing up and straightening up his jacket.

“That’s a deal Mr.Rogers,” Grayson said and shook Mr.Rogers hand and Ethan followed suit.

“Thank you both, I’ll have my assistant send you two the information later tonight, Enjoy the party.” Mr Rogers said before walking away leaving the twins standing on the balcony.

“Well that didn’t go as planned,” Ethan sighed and downed the rest of his bottle of champagne before wandering off to the bar area they had. Grayson ran his fingers through his hair knowing his brother was holding his emotions inside because he couldn’t separate from work. He knew that he was probably gonna have to get an Uber because his brother was going to go to the “bar” they had at this party, find out they don’t have hard liquor, and leave to go find some bar and come back home drunk.

“Excuse me Ma’am do you have any bourbon?,” Ethan asked the bartender as he leaned against the bartop.

“No sir we do not, all we have that is an alcoholic beverage is champagne,” The bartender said politely.

“Okay, thank you,” Ethan said and walked away from the bar and walked out of the ballroom. He texted Grayson real quick to get an uber because he was going to take the rental car out somewhere. That somewhere was not known by Ethan at the time. Ethan got in the car and pulled out the parking garage and headed down the streets. He kept looking around until he found The Tipsy Cow which sparked his interest so he parked the rental car in the parking lot. He got out and grabbed his wallet and walked into the bar. He definitely stood out among everyone in the bar but he just ignored the strange looks and walked over and sat down on one of the bar stools.

‘What can I get you sir?” James, the bartender, asked as he saw Ethan sit down on the bar stool.

“Bourbon, please” Ethan said, sliding his suit jacket off and laying it across the seat beside him. He rolled up the sleeves of his white button up and waited for his drink.

“You seem out of place, mister,” (Y/N) said sliding into the unused seat right next to Ethan.

Ethan glanced up and was greeted with the two most vibrant (e/c) eyes he had seen, he didn’t notice the skimpy clothes, or obviously fake hair. He was intrigued to say so so he decided he was going to follow up in a conversation.

“Yeah, Needed a drink and they didn’t have it at the party I was at, so I ended up here,” Ethan said as he took a sip of his glass.

“Well I’m glad you ended up here…” (Y/N) trailed on hoping for him to mention his name.

“Ethan, and what’s yours?” Ethan said.

“Nice to meet you Ethan, I’m Bunny,” (Y/N) said using her alias name.

Ethan wasn’t dumb, he knew what her job was, and he knew that her real name was not bunny, and he knew she was baiting him to have sex with her for money but Ethan didn’t necessarily wanted sex right now, he wanted someone to talk with, and she was who he wanted to get to know. For some reason, he felt the urge to get to know who she was, behind the fake name and wig.

“You know if you want, we can go to your place and I can make you feel good,” (Y/N) said twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.

“How much?” Ethan asked knowing that it was here intent of luring him. Normally, he wouldn’t do this kind of thing but he wasn’t paying her for what she thinks he is going to do.

“For you, $300 for the whole night,” (Y/N) said as she grabbed her bag.

“That sounds like a deal to me,” Ethan said, shaking her hand and downing the last bit of bourbon from his glass and slipping a 20 on the bar. He threw his jacket back over and grabbed his car keys. (Y/N) followed him to his car which was a nice black 2013 Chevy Corvette. Back in her hometown, she bonded with her stepbrothers over cars.

“Nice car, Ethan,” (Y/N) said as she slid into the open door that Ethan had opened for her like a gentleman.

“Thanks, it’s a rental, I’m just in town visiting for a business trip” Ethan said as he got in on the drivers side,

“Where are you from?” (Y/N) asked out of curiosity as she adjusted her mini skirt.

“I’ll tell you when you tell me what your real name is because I know it’s not bunny,” Ethan said as he followed the route back to the hotel penthouse that he was currently staying in. He knew that he didn’t have to worry about Grayson because they got separate penthouses.

“Fine, my name’s (Y/N), now where are you from, Ethan?” (Y/N) said in a sigh of defeat. She had never given her real name to anyone but there was something about Ethan that made her want to give it to him.

“That’s a pretty name, and I was born in New Jersey but I live and work from New York,” Ethan said.

“Thank you,” (Y/N) said under her breath as she adjusted her skirt again out of nervous habit. She had never been nervous with a guy before.

“Looks like we are here, here wear this, people can be judgmental,” Ethan said as he handed her his suit jacket.

“Thanks,” (Y/N) said as she wrapped the jacket around her. It fit like a dress on her and Ethan took her hand and led her into the lobby where he rushed them into the elevator. (Y/N) felt all the stares on her but she was used to them. In this industry you had to have thick skin. Ethan hit the button that took them to the penthouse level and she bounced back and forth on the balls of her feet. The elevator opened and they walked down the hallway and Ethan unlocked the door. The room blew (Y/N)’s mind when he opened the door. It was larger than her whole apartment and was in mint condition.

“Make yourself at home,” Ethan said as he walked to the kitchen and grabbed two wine glasses.

(Y/N) walked in and looked around the room, it was truly beautiful. She then took Ethan’s suit jacket off and laid it over the dining room chair. She opened her bag and pulled out her small cosmetics bag full of condoms and pulled it out. She joined Ethan in the kitchen and slid the bag over to Ethan.

“What’s this?” Ethan said and picked the bag up and looked inside. His eyes kinda filled with shock at the amount of condoms and the different types of condoms in there, “Oh that’s what this is,”

“You choose, and yeah, I’m a safety girl,” (Y/N) said with a smirk and twirled her hair around her finger.

“I’m flattered but I’m not in the mood right now, I honestly just wanted some company,” Ethan said, pouring two glasses of red wine.

“Oh,” (Y/N) said as she grabbed the bag and put it back up.

“Here you go,” Ethan said and handed her the glass of wine.

“Thank you,” (Y/n) said and grabbed the wine glass, “Since you’ve got me for the night, can i get something a little more comfortable please,”

“Of course, give me a minute, let me go grab something for you real quick,” Ethan said and walked back into his room to grab her some clothes.

(Y/N) walked around the penthouse and admired every single piece of furniture. The walls were a beautiful grey color and the sofas were white and the furniture pieces were stained a dark color. The TV screen in the living room was absolutely huge. The kitchen was open and it was gorgeous. The marble countertops, gas stove, stainless steel appliances, and island with bar stools. It was every inner girl's dream to have this kitchen.

“Here you go, they might be a little big on you but they should work,” Ethan said walking over to (Y/N) and handing her a pair of clothes, “You can go in the bathroom to change,”

“Thank you,” She said and ventured off into his master bedroom that was connected to the master bathroom. She was in awe at the bedroom. The bed was a king sized bed with an elegant black comforter and multiple pillows. The walls were the same toned grey from the living room and were adorned by very sophisticated pieces of Artwork. A large flat screen hung from the wall and underneath was a dark stained dresser. This man truly had a lot of money, she noted to ask him later what he does for a living. She walked into the bathroom and changed into the grey sweatpants and oversized black t-shirt that Ethan had given her. The clothes were very comfortable and smelled of over expensive cologne. She walked out of the bathroom and found Ethan cutting up some strawberries and putting them in a bowl.

“Thank you for the clothes, they are very comfortable,” (Y/N) said as she stuffed the clothes into the bag she brought with her.

“No problem, I hope you like strawberries, thought you might want a small snack,” Ethan said as he slid the bowl of strawberries across the table to her.

“They are my favorite, thank you,” (Y/N) said with a blush and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“(Y/N), I have a proposition for you and I’ll even pay you big but don’t feel pressured to say yes,” Ethan said seriously as he sipped on his glass of wine.

“I’m all ears, Ethan,” (Y/N) said, curious to what the proposition could be.

“Stay with me for a week and attend a few dinners with me, like I said don’t feel pressured to say yes, but if you do say yes I’ll pay you.” Ethan said hoping she would say yes but wanting her not to feel pressured.

“How much?” (Y/N) said taking in everything, she already knew her answer but she just wanted to see.

“50,000,” Ethan said, shooting high, he didn’t know why but he felt like having her with him for this week was meant to happen.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, Mr.Dolan, consider me yours for the week,” (Y/N) said with a smile as she grabbed the bowl of strawberries and sat down on the couch.

——————————————————————

I’m sorry that I’ve been absent on tumblr here lately but I promise I’m working on trying to update a write more! As always I hope you guys enjoy and if you would like to be on the tag list let me know and I hope you all have a wonderful day/night. If you have any requests or concepts or even questions send them in 😊 love you all 💜

Tags:

@chonisberonica

@melodiesforari

@llamascentedcandle

[queen-scribbles]

Silver

For @pillarspromptsweekly #36, The Hospitality of Caed Nua.  Got to play with the friendship Emiri develops with Alden, who showed up in Sarabande, but you don’t need to read that for this to work.

There were times Emiri almost regretted Caed Nua’s reputation for hospitality, with how often it made her play the hostess. There were plenty of nobles she wouldn’t shed a tear to never see again. And, of course, there were the gawkers, who had heard the Watcher of Caed Nua was both aumaua and ‘blessed by Ondra’ and came with petty praise or problems simply to stare at her.

There were other times, however, that were definite silver linings to her position. Today was one of those days. Which was why, rather than receiving petitioners or schmoozing guests, Emiri was pacing the battlements over the western gate.

Pacing won’t get him here any faster, you know, a wry little voice in her head piped up.

True, but it gives me a way to burn off extra energy, Emiri retorted. Gods know I have plenty of that today.

Before her conversation with herself could devolve into an argument, she caught a glimpse of sunlight glinting off silver that heralded the arrival of the Aedyran diplomat and his entourage. Always so formal, Emiri thought fondly as she hurried down from the ramparts and toward the main keep. Much as she wanted to greet her guest at the gate like the friend he was, she had too many other nobles visiting to show so much favoritism. Just because she loathed the rules that came with her status didn’t mean she was going to eschew them entirely.

“Ah, my lady, there you are,” the Steward said in greeting when Emiri entered Great Hall. “You have a number of issues that require your attention.”

“Can they wait? The Aedyrans are here.”

“Ah.” Were she not made out of stone, Emiri would have sworn the Steward was smiling at her excitement. “There is time for you to greet them, yes, of course. And then while they settle in, you can see to other business.”

“Fine. Deal.” Emiri ran her hands down the front of her dark blue silken tunic as she settled on the throne.

“If I may, my lady, I haven’t seen you this happy since the last time Master Corfiser managed to visit.”

“I’m always happy to see my friends,” Emiri countered, knowing full well the rumors some of the nobles circulated about her and Aloth. “There’s nothing more or less to it than that.”

“As you say, my lady,” the Steward said, and gave Emiri another minute or two of silence to compose herself as the proper lady she was supposed to be before the door guards announced the arrival of Thayn Alden Brethart of the Cythwood to see Watcher Emiri, Roadwarden and Lady of Caed Nua.

Emiri struggled to keep her smile appropriately demure rather than the ear to ear grin it wanted to be. Usher’s scythe, it had been so long since she’d seen him, almost as long as Aloth. “Welcome, Thayn Brethart. Caed Nua is always happy to see you.”

“Thank you, Lady Emiri.” He bowed, green eyes twinkling with amusement. “The feeling is quite mutual; it’s always a pleasure to visit.”

“I’m sure you’re tired from your journey, I’ll give you a chance to get settled in before I bother you with any kind of official business.” Since there was no one around but her people and his, Emiri did let her smile widen a little. He responded with a friendly wink.

“I appreciate that, my lady.” He bowed once more, then her and his entourage followed a waiting servant out of the hall to the group of rooms that had been prepared in anticipation of their arrival. 

After the last of them had left and the door shut behind them, Emiri turned her attention back to the Steward. “Alright, what’s this other business I need to see to, so I can get it over with?”

o-o-o-o-o-o

She was pleasantly surprised that there wasn’t as much as the Steward had made it sound--mostly approving plans for other nobles’ visit in the near future--and it wasn’t much more than an hour before she was free to do as she wished. Emiri knew exactly where to head.

Alden was waiting in the same garden they’d used for catching up every time he visited since they first met. It was secluded enough they wouldn’t be bothered much, public enough to keep rumors from starting. He swiftly turned and crossed the garden when Emiri appeared, pulling her into a warm, tight hug. “Gods, it’s good to see you, Emiri.”

“You, too, Alden,” she laughed, returning the hug. “It’s been too long.”

“Yes, well,” Alden shrugged. “Perils of leadership, you know how it is. The Cythwood needs its thayn. Only so often I can get away, even for official business.”

“I do know how it is,” Emiri said as they sat on one of the benches that dotted the garden. “I see you finally took your sister’s advice about your hair.”

He smirked at her amusement, almost sheepishly reaching up to tug the small ponytail that had tamed his usually riotous blond curls. “Well, I’m in the Dyrwood for her wedding, so I figured I could humor her for  few months and if it works, I’ll keep it.”

“So her erl finally gathered the nerve to ask?”

Alden waggled one hand in a so-so motion. “Yes and no. He was going to, lost his nerve at the moment, and so Lucile asked him. She still finds it endearing that he’s so fearless in every other situation, but gets shy around her.”

“Love makes fools out of most people, I’ve found,” Emiri commented. “How’s this... match gone over back home? You mentioned once your father wasn’t fond of Dyrwoodans; is the rest of the family a bit more accepting, or do Lucy and her intended have an uphill fight on their hands?”

He pulled a face but shrugged. “Mother isn’t thrilled, but Lucy’s an intelligent young woman, and her erl is a good man. Besides, since I inherited Father’s thaynu, she knows I’ll be staying in Aedyr, aside from jaunts like this, so she can throw every eligible Aedyran noblewoman at me until we find one we both like.”

“Your mother sounds like a smart woman herself; knowing when to pick her battles,” Emiri said, fiddling with one of her bracelets.

Alden laughed. “She is, but in this case I think its more that Lucile’s her favorite and Mother doesn’t want to lose her. Besides, Eldren’s an erl, so it’s not a complete scandal.” He smiled warmly. “And what about you? What have you been up to since we last saw each other? Aside from what you put in your letters, I mean.”

“Well, let’s see, my last one was... four months ago, I believe?” Emiri pursed her lips and dug through her memory. “Oh. One of the local town’s meeting hall had fallen into complete disrepair, so I used some of Caed Nua’s funds to sponsor its renovation.” She made a face. “Or, well, reconstruction is more accurate. It was so far gone they pretty much had to tear it down and use the foundation for a new building.”

“That’s a big project,” Alden said. “Are you overseeing or just funding?”

“I have too much on my plate to directly oversee,” Emiri replied wryly. “But I only gave a set amount of money and I have someone I trust staying to oversee and make sure the money’s being spent properly.” She paused to think a moment more. “Caed Nua’s become rather popular the last couple years, so I always have plenty of visitors. Few I enjoy as much as you, but all the stuffy or grumpy ones live far closer than you do, so I see them more.”

Alden laughed. “What a shame.”

“At least you’re here now,” Emiri said with a smile. “So I can come find you as an escape if anyone is too awful.”

“I will happily play that role. And Lucy’s wedding isn’t for another month, so I can spare you two whole weeks before I have to go back and play big brother again.”

“I’ll take it. I have a banquet in.... oh, Berath, six days. You can be my escort-dining-companion person. So no one gets any bright ideas about sweet talking me.”

“Happy as I am to help out a friend, won’t that cause issues of a rumor-mongering nature?” Alden pointed out.

“Rumor had attached me to everyone I’ve ever so much as glanced at for more than five seconds,” Emiri shrugged. “Including a few of my traveling companions.”

He laughed softly. “Yes, the ones about you and your aumaua friend made it all the way to my homeland. I suppose because those are the most plausible.”

Also the ones I wish were true. “Funny, around here the most common one is me and Aloth. Part of me still thinks Hiravias started that one as some sort of joke and it got out of hand,” she said wryly. “The fact he and I are such good friends has only fueled it, from what I can tell. Honestly, just the fact that you visit and we talk privately is enough for some of the worse gossips. But if you’re worried about your reputation rather than mine” -she bit back a grin- “I’m sure we can come up with something.”

“The ‘only one tall enough we didn’t look a mismatched set’ excuse worked pretty well last time,” Alden suggested.

“Yes, but that was a ball, Alden,” Emiri pointed out. She watched a sparrow perch briefly on a bush before darting off. “This is just a fancy dinner. It doesn’t matter if my partner is significantly shorter than I am.”

“Maybe not in practice, but for appearances’ sake,” he countered.

She had to give him that one. While the Dyrwoodans didn’t care as much as Aedyrans or others about propriety and such, it would do no harm to claim Alden as her escort due to friendship and him only being two inches shorter than her. “Fine. We’ll go with that.” She glanced up at the sun, made a rough guess at the time from its position, and sighed. “I have another meeting I need to get to, and I’m sure you’d like more time to rest after all your traveling.”

Alden caught her wrist as she started to stand. “Before you go, I have something for you.”

Emiri turned, intrigued, and gave him a teasing smiling. “Giving me gifts is a good way to feed the rumor mill, Alden. At least, doing so in private.”

“It’s a small token of my gratitude for the repeated hospitality of Caed Nua,” he said, an equally teasing smile curving his own lips. He reached in one pocket of his silver and green jacket and pulled out a dark leather pouch, embossed with his family coat of arms. “Especially since I have it from multiple sources that said hospitality is always above and beyond. You don’t have to open this now, if you’re in a rush” -a nod to the pouch as he handed it over- “I just wanted to remember to give it to you.”

“Thank you,” Emiri said, sliding the pouch into one of her own pockets. “I really do have to go, but I promise I’ll open this after my meeting.”

Alden nodded. “Hope the meeting goes well. I am going to take you up on that suggestion of more rest. I’ll see you at dinner?”

“Of course,” Emiri nodded back. As she hurried off to her meeting, her hand crept into her pocket and rubbed the fine, soft leather. She’d let the anticipation help carry her through her meeting with Erl Bademyr’s representative. If it was the man he usually sent, she would need something to look forward to if she wanted to stay sane.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

It was the usual representative, but the meeting went better than Emiri expected. She only sort of needed the something good to look forward to, instead of desperately. The remaining few hours until dinner were, blessedly, all hers, so she headed for her quarters. While not as cozy as her room in Brighthollow, the suite intended for the master of Caed Nua was large enough she could have all her pets with her, so she’d taken the trade off. Lottie and Copper both looked up and wagged their tails as she entered, and Emiri sat on the edge of her bed to scratch them between the ears before opening Alden’s gift.

“Hey, girls,” she crooned as Copper let out a soft rrrr of pleasure and Lottie panted happily. “Did you keep everyone in line for me?” Lottie wuffed and lay her head in Emiri’s lap. “Good girl. Let’s see what Alden felt would be a good gift...”

She stopped scratching the dogs and pulled out the leather pouch. The cord closure uncinched easily and the pouch’s contents slid out into her hand. Emiri grinned. Of course he did. On her palm lay a silver bangle bracelet, half the width of her finger, etched with the heraldry of Caed Nua. He’d even remembered to size it large enough she could wear it as a bracelet.

Emiri could almost hear the Steward’s voice in her head, cautioning that wearing such a trinket could be seen as favoritism, or taken as a sign of courtship, or another half dozen options for how it could be taken the wrong way. Frankly, she didn’t care. It was a gift, from a good friend. She was going to wear it. Besides, it only had Caed Nua’s heraldry on it; it wasn’t as if Alden had given her something with the Cythwood’s crest on it-

Her gaze flicked to the pouch and she hastily stuffed it under her pillows. No one needed to know about the wrapping. She wasn’t even going to make a fuss about the bracelet, just wear it. No one but Alden would likely even notice beyond the fact it was fancier than her usual accessories. She could thank him for it after dinner.

A tiny, tiny part of Emiri that remembered the chains and whips and deep, unending loneliness like it was yesterday rather than four years ago didn’t care if someone thought she was playing favorites. Friends were a luxury she’d never expected to have again, she was going to treasure every single one. The rest of her knew she had to be diplomatic about that sentiment.

I’m still not going to deny it, she reflected as she slipped on the bracelet, the silver right at home among the woven colors already there.

o-o-o-o-o-o

Alden smiled when he saw her at dinner, but saved any further acknowledgement he’d noted her appreciation of his gift until after the meal.

“I’m glad you like it,” he said, something like satisfaction lighting his eyes. “I remember your fondness for bracelets, but it’s rather different than the ones you usually wear, so I wasn’t sure...”

“That just makes it special,” Emiri winked. “Like our friendship.”

“Oh, gods, Emiri,” Alden groaned at the pun.

“In all seriousness, though, since all the patterns and colors are different, every one of my bracelets is unique. Yours is just the most unique,” she said, holding up her wrist as evidence.

“Are you planning to wear it every day?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Tempting as that is, I think I’ll save it for special occasions. By nature of being a bangle, there’s more chance of me losing it in the day to day. And that would be a shame.” She ran her fingers over the shining silver surface. It really was a pretty piece. “I treasure it far too much to risk that. Thank you. Very much.”

“You’re very welcome,” Alden replied around a yawn, one especially rebellious curl finally popping loose to hang in front of his eye.

Emiri chuckled as she reached over and smoothed it back. “Go to bed, Alden.”

He gave an exaggerated bow. “Yes, my lady. As you wish.”

She was smiling smiling long after they parted ways, as she lay in bed staring out the window at the silver-white scattering of stars. With him as her escort, she could almost look forward to next week’s banquet.

Almost.

[mermaidsirennikita]

Hi! Do you like Gone with the Wind and what do you think about Scarlett O'Hara?

So.  Gone with the Wind and I have a complicated relationship.

I.  I’m a young child.  Maybe seven or eight.  My mom’s playing Gone with the Wind, which she would because my mom loves it.  It’s pretty boring, though I distinctly remember bits like Scarlett getting drunk after her second husband’s death and Scarlett and Rhett dancing while she’s in her widow’s weeds.  But there’s a scene I find particularly disgusting--when some guy’s leg gets amputated.  It’s gross and gory (to little me) so I’m like fuck this shit.

II.  I’m thirteen, in the eighth grade.  Gone with the Wind is a classic, and I was on a classic kick at the time because I’d just read Wuthering Heights and decided that it was one of my favorite books ever (it still is).  I check GWTW out from the library, and UGH, a fire is lit.  I devour that long-ass book.  I read it again.  I go on various websites dissecting it, read articles and analyses of what it all meant.  I watch the movie, buy the DVD, buy an ancient copy of the book because it’s beautiful and a paperback because I need more than one copy.  I read my mom’s book about the making of the movie, watch other movies Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh did.  I make the book the centerpiece of my final project/paper for 11th grade high school English, basically about how Rhett symbolized reconstruction south and Ashley symbolized the antebellum.  (I get an A.)  

III.  Some time passes.  I read more about how Butterfly McQueen felt about her role as Prissy--and I’m increasingly made more uncomfortable with her scenes.  I read about the paradox roles like Prissy and Mammy present, because while they’re not good representation for black women, it’s not like we can dismiss the importance of Hattie McDaniel’s Oscar win or the quality of those performances.  I think about what it means, exactly, that the movie cut the KKK plot from the book (and how did Margaret Mitchell feel about that plot--does the fact that Rhett, a character who symbolizes inevitable and necessary progressive change, think it’s bullshit mean something?).  And what about that marital rape scene?

Basically, I think that a lot of what you’ll see old white male film critics (who never consider the book, which admittedly aside from a few changes like aforementioned KKK plot and Scarlett’s first two children) critique about GWTW is bullshit.  The story itself, from a story perspective, is epic and complex.  It’s both entertaining and deep--there is intentional symbolism, there are incredibly deep characters.  I think it’s so important that the book was written by a woman and is about a woman--and a woman who isn’t good at all, but is selfish and sexually voracious and not a good mother or friend.  But who does love people truly and deeply, and doesn’t do what she does solely for personal gain (though that’s often her motivation).  Scarlett’s a real human being.  So is Rhett.  Many of the other characters are plot device-y, but those two felt and still feel wholly real to me.  (And though Melanie isn’t super real I love her anyway.)  

The issues with Gone with the Wind have nothing to do with things like character and story and everything to do with the fact it’s dated and inherently problematic.  Though I should note that Margaret Mitchell apparently disliked that the movie turned the story into a romantic ode to the bygone era of the south, when Mitchell herself evidently saw it as a story about how the south of Scarlett’s childhood had to die.  It was weak and unsustainable, like Ashley.  Does this mean she was progressive?  No.  There’s something wrong with Mammy’s undying loyalty to Scarlett, despite her critiques of the woman.  The slaves are treated as simpletons, more in the movie than in the book.  In the book you see Scarlett think stupid shit like “well the slaves wouldn’t get on without us” but you’re also like mmmm Scarlett is a dumbass a lot of the time and couldn’t do a lot of what she does without Mammy, SOOOO what’s really going on here.  I don’t know if that was intentional on Mitchell’s part, so I can’t critique it.

It’s impossible for the material to not be dated and problematic and I think that it’s important to consume it with a critical eye.  But yes, I absolutely love Gone with the Wind.  It’s one of my favorite books and favorite movies and Scarlett O’Hara is one of my favorite characters.

(I didn’t address the marital rape scene because... it’s another thing I have very mixed feelings about.  And I basically have to measure the scene by the way that Scarlett feels about it--which is also mixed.  Do I think it’s problematic that her reaction to that scene is basically “best sex of my life”?  Yes.  Do I think it’s out of character that Scarlett, a malicious person who takes pleasure in inflicting pain on others, who has enjoyed fighting with Rhett most of their relationship even before they married, and loves getting a rise out of him to find that experience thrilling?  Not really.  Does that absolve Rhett?  Nope.  But there’s also an element of “they deserve each other” to Scarlett and Rhett’s relationship tbh because while he’s hideous to her at points, she’s also incredibly emotional manipulative and abusive to him at times.  I’ll also say that the scene is waaaay more interesting in the book, for obvious reasons because the movie at the time couldn’t show what happened AFTER they went into the bedroom.  And even in the book it’s vague, but it’s debated for a reason.)

I love Scarlett so much and I measure a good character by Scarlett sometimes.  She’s just such a hateful person, and yet so many of us love her?  She’s an antihero, a borderline villain to be honest.  When you really look at GWTW, it’s this 12-year saga of a woman-child who wraps people around her little finger romantically and platonically, is incredibly jealous and vindictive and basically sets out to ruin another woman’s life because of events entirely out of her control.  She’s a horrible wife, basically not giving a fuck about her first husband, only marrying the second because she needs cash (and ruining her own sister’s prospects in the process) and ignoring the fact that she loves Rhett and absolutely destroying him emotionally in part because... he genuinely loves her?  She genuinely loves him?  It’s complicated.  Also she’s like the worst mom and it’s kind of HILARIOUS in a dark way.  Scarlett being like “BE A LITTLE MAN WADE” to her sobbing toddler in wartorn Georgia as they struggle to escape Atlanta is... terrible but iconic.  It’s implied that her second child suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome and Scarlett just dislikes her because she’s ugly.  Rhett is literally a better parent to his two stepchildren than their own mother, which isn’t saying shit because Rhett is a human disaster whose indulgence of his child indirectly leads to her death.

But the thing is that I admire so much Scarlett’s ability to survive.  Her sheer determination and resilience.  I think the book is kind of about the fact that in order to survive certain things, you have to let your inner rabid animal out.  You can’t necessarily be a good person and live through certain traumas, and that’s... okay.  Maybe you can recover your goodness, but if letting go of it means that you’ll keep your life and your sanity intact--that shit happens.  And it’s also about growing up and shedding the dreams of what you thought life would be, accepting the reality that the world has given you.  That’s what Scarlett as a character is about, really.  

And just as landmarks of fiction, the book and the movie are hugely impactful.  The book contributed heavily to the idea of the flawed female protagonist, sometimes the antagonist of her own story.  It’s an erotic read, and the movie for the day was an erotic movie--and that eroticism is targeted towards WOMEN, the female audience.  Scarlett is allowed to be a sexual being--in fact, it’s a big part of the Ashley vs. Rhett conflict.  Sure, Ashley is her romantic dream, but what if a woman doesn’t just want romance?  What about the sexual side of her that isn’t necessarily about love--it’s about getting fucked and well?  (Say what you will about That Scene, but the image of Vivien Leigh SINGING in bed after implied sex was a pretty big deal for the 1930s, esp. when it came to mainstream blockbusters.)  God, what about the fact that though Rhett leaves her at the end, Scarlett isn’t necessarily “punished” in one big sweeping way.  Her life is a nightmare, sure--she loses her parents, her favorite child, her unborn baby, the husband she loves ditches her after she finally realizes that she loves him.  But she’s alive.  She’s got her ancestral home.  She lives to fight another day and ends the story with hope.  After all she’s done, the story STILL lets her have another shot at life.  Hell, she’s still only in her late twenties.  Few male protagonists got away with that kind of shit, let alone females.  I love it.

Also, she definitely gets Rhett back after the book is done, I’m not saying it’s right or fair, I’m saying that Rhett Butler is her emotional bitch and there’s no way he didn’t take her back eventually, the end.  

[tauers-go-dutch]

Road trip through the Balkans

The Balkans are a destination that I never really thought of going to before moving to Europe. However, more and more people have been talking about this region, and it really is a gem.  I would have said hidden gem, but Croatia in particular is becoming a more and more popular destination.  This was a longer trip for us, where we spent seven days road-tripping from Dubrovnik (Croatia) to Kotor (Montenegro) to Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) to Split (Croatia).  This was a more adventurous trip where we explored cities, ruins, beaches, and national parks.  It was great fun, and I highly recommend the Balkans as a destination for your next trip to Europe.  

Our hotel in Dubrovnik was located a bit outside the old city.  To get there, we had to navigate several narrow alleys and streets.  After looping around several times, we did eventually find it.  The hotel was a really nice surprise- we had the most fantastic view of the sea and the old city.  We enjoyed the view for an hour or so then went out to do our first activity- an escape room.

An escape room is a room where you are locked inside with a series of puzzles that you need to solve to ultimately escape the room within a set time limit.  These rooms have various themes.  Being in Dubrovnik, the obvious theme of this room was Game of Thrones, specifically set in the Battle of Blackwater Bay.  While the room was fun, Mariah and I needed a lot of hints in order to solve the room. We’d both like to do more, but we definitely need some practice.  Luckily Amsterdam has a few for us to try.  Afterwards we had dinner and drinks, and went back to the hotel. Randomly, a boat outside our hotel started launching fireworks.  We still don’t know what the occasion was that Thursday evening, but it was really cool.

Surprise views from our apartment rental

The photo sent to us by the escape room owners!

I am a big fan of this tradition. Best table wine I’ve had! 

Surprise fireworks in the bay beneath our apartment 

Friday we spent the morning exploring the old city.  As alluded earlier, the old city of Dubrovnik is the setting of King’s Landing in Game of Thrones.  When you look at pictures from above, it is easy to see the resemblance.  Mariah and I hiked around the city walls, which provided fantastic views, but we were drenched from the humidity (higher than Amsterdam) and the 28 degree heat (yes, I’ve converted to Celsius- it’s about 82 F).  While the raw heat isn’t bad, our acclimation to Amsterdam (it’s always in the low 20s) and the dense humidity was a killer.  This was a theme throughout the vacation.  Once we saw the city, we ate at an amazing vegan, yes vegan, restaurant called Nishta.  I had faux-enchiladas, and believe me, this was one of the best meals I had. Seriously.

Game of Thrones Battle of Blackwater Bay 

The Red Keep!

After lunch we had a kayaking tour.  It was really nice going around the city and the nearby island.  Interestingly, the island is said to be cursed ever since Austria-Hungarian powers took over.  They kicked out the local monks and used the island as a private resort.  The monks cursed the island so that the owner would meet an early demise.  Our guide traced the tragic deaths of all of the various rulers right up to Franz Ferdinand. Since Franz, the island has been made a public park open for all, thus breaking the curse (ie, no one person is using the island for personal pleasure or gain).  It was a fun legend with neat connections.  Unfortunately, we were not able to visit the island.  We would really like to go back and explore it, and visit the actual Iron Throne ;).  Back to Kayaking, we also saw an abandoned hotel on the sea, which is the basis for the rendering of the Red Keep (more GoT).  Also interestingly, this hotel was the most popular hotel in Europe up until the collapse of the USSR (and subsequently the independence war of the various Balkan countries from the former Yugoslavia).  The sights were breathtaking.  

After the kayaking trip, we had a bit of dinner.  We went to a place that specializes in raising roosters specifically for meat. While it was good, if you talk up chicken that much, you better blow my mind.  It really just made me look forward to visiting The Post Brewing and getting some fried chicken when I visit home.  After dinner we visited a wine bar.  Croatian wine is legit.  The biggest grape used is a near relative of Zinfandel, which is a big jammy and peppery grape that is popular in Californian wines.  We wish we could have taken some wine home (we didn’t have checked baggage). Look out for Croatian wines, it just might be the next popular wine region.

The next morning, we started driving to Montenegro.  The border crossing went smoothly enough.  We pulled up at 9:00 am and had to wait for 30 minutes or so as four cars were in front of us, but we had about 20 cars line up behind us as we waited. Good timing on us!  The Montenegro bay is gorgeous- extremely picturesque. Kotor is the main destination for the old city, and the hike up to St. John’s Fort.  The hike was ridiculous, and, with GoT still fresh on my mind, reminded me of the path up the Veil.  The hike was enjoyable, but again we were drenched!  We went back down and explored the old town for a bit.  While Kotor is beautiful, we did feel like we ran out of things to do after a while.  The city is very small, and very touristy.  It is a popular spot for cruise ships, which is appropriate as I really think it is a stretch to spend a full day there.  We ended up walking around to the newer part of town, and found a really nice restaurant where we ordered a meat platter for two, but came with enough for four.  Well after the hike, we wolfed the entire thing down!  With that platter and two drinks, we paid about 17 euro- amazing! That night was the Champions League final (soccer), and it is a big deal in Europe.  We sat on the patio of a bar that set up a large projection screen and enjoyed the game (well, at least until Real Madrid pulled away- 4 to 1 final score).

Views from the hike to St. John’s Fort

The next morning we trekked to Bosnia.  This experience was very different from the drive from Croatia.  Croatia was admitted to the EU a few years ago, and clearly has better infrastructure than Montenegro.  Most of the ‘highways’ were worse than unmaintained rural country back roads.  Potholes, crumbling asphalt, unpaved gravel (again, for a supposed highway) made the drive interesting.  However, once we were in Bosnia (which is currently bidding to join the EU), we noticed the better infrastructure.  Those gripes aside, the drive had nice views.  It reminded us of driving through California.  Plus we saw quite a bit of wildlife, including a turtle that crossed a back road (it was pretty cool and we stopped for some pics with our new friend).

The Bay of Kotor 

Turtle friend! 

We made our way to Mostar, but first stopped at a Dervish abbey called Blagaj Tekke.  The cave and the house are stunning, and worth an hour if you are in the area.  Once in Mostar, we had an adventure finding our hotel- we had to drive down a pretty steep and narrow road which was more footpath than road.  But the hotel was luxurious, by far the best we’ve stayed, in Europe, and run by the sweetest couple.  Once settled in, we explored the city and the famous bridge.  The bridge was built during the rule of the Ottomans, but was destroyed during the civil wars of the 90s.  We visited a museum which showed how the bridge was painstakingly reconstructed using the same specifications (literally down to millimeters), materials, and techniques of the original.  Just be careful when crossing, it’s slippery!  Locals will also jump off the bridge once they collect enough funds from the crowd.  In fact, the bridge divers are so famous that Red Bull is hosting its official 2017 diving competition in Mostar.  

A cool observation of Mostar is that it is a city of dualities.  For example, nowadays, the bridge literally connects the Christian and Muslim sides of the city (specifically the old city).  The Muslim side was pretty cool- we explored the bazaar (and bought some neat jewelry) and a mosque with a fantastic view of the bridge and city as a whole.  After exploring the old city, we made our way to the new city (the second duality). The new city had its own charm, and is overall less touristy.   The new city has a nice park (with a wicked Bruce Lee statue), international schools and universities, bars and churches. But the final duality is the proximity of new, up-kept, and maintained buildings with abandoned and war-torn projects clearly reminiscent of the past Eastern European regime.  These abandoned buildings play host to some fantastic street art- easily one of my favorite parts of exploring Mostar.  Later, we made our way back to our hotel in the old city, and ate at one of the best restaurant I have ever been to.  Some of the other expats swore by Tima-Irma, and I have to agree that this place is amazing.  Just like the place in Montenegro, the place specializes in meat platters that are enough to feed a small army.  But the chicken, the cheese, the pork, the grilled veggies, the everything was amazing!  Plus, the owner, Irma, was hilarious.  And she gave us a free beer.  Again, with tip (which shows how much I loved this place as I have grown accustomed to the European way of not tipping), I spent less than 20 euro.  We loved everything about Mostar, and we highly recommend a visit.

The mosque from the bridge

The bridge from the mosque

The next day, we made our way back to Croatia, but stopped over to a Bosnian park called Kravica. The waterfalls were stunning. However, once you see the waterfalls, there isn’t much else to do.  Even still, we hiked around a bit, and we actually saw a badger!  It was pretty cool, because it sat in a tree about five feet away from us.  Luckily, it scampered away after few moments and didn’t cause us any trouble, but I also was unable to get a picture.  Regardless, it was very cool.  Afterwards, we continued on to Split.  Split also has an old town (sensing the theme of the places we visited?), but it also has a much more sprawling city surrounding the touristic old town.  The old town is actually the remnants of the original Diocletian’s Palace. Driving into Split, we immediately went down to a beach just outside of town.  We caught some rays and enjoyed the water for the afternoon.  Afterwards, we went to another wine bar for dinner and more fantastic Croatian wine.  

Kravice Falls

The port of Split

Diocletian’s Palace -- Diocletian, A Roman, was buried in the tomb on the left. The Christians then turned it into a church and added the bell tower. 

The next day, we visited Krka, a Croatian national park famous for its waterfalls.  Unlike Kravica, the park is huge!  We visited several areas of the park, and had to drive around to get to each place.  The waterfalls we also absolutely stunning, and I really enjoyed hiking around the park. This place is absolutely worth a day trip.  Afterwards, we went back to Split, and enjoyed some burgers (which were ok, but this place really had fantastic onion rings!), homemade ice cream, and Croatian craft beers (most are surprisingly good).  

Krka National Park

We brought our suits but decided not to take a dip! 

The next morning we had another great meal (breakfast crepes), walked the beach (with some more street art), and headed to the airport (more difficult to find than it should be).  While we didn’t get to do everything we wanted in Croatia (like visiting Hvar, Plitvice, and Zagreb), this region definitely has enough charm to warrant coming back at some point in the future!

Tot Ziens!

[recordedgarbage-blog]

And On the Seventh Day, He Jammed Out

In an effort to actually post on this blog, I’ve set a weekly post goal for myself. Every Saturday, I’ll post the songs on my everchanging Spotify playlist reserved for songs that I am currently obsessing over. This playlist might as well be a reflection of my mood too, so maybe it’ll act as a little insight into what I’ve been feeling that week. Maybe not! Maybe it’s just good shit!

Seeing as this is the first week I’m doing this, I’m still not sure what this’ll look like. If I have time I’ll link to the songs on youtube or Spotify or something, but if not I’d like to at least post the titles and artists. I might even link to the music video! I also think I’ll sometimes talk a little about the songs, I mean this blog is about sharing my perspective, right? I will also be adding how long these songs have been on the playlist. I try to keep it to songs I can truly listen to over and over, and as soon as I’m tired of a song I remove it from the playlist. It’s a cruelty I must enforce.

 And so for our first installment of SUPER SONG SATURDAY (working title?) we have 32 songs!

1.     All For Love – Jukebox the Ghost (15 Weeks!) This is the first song by Jukebox the Ghost on this playlist but not the last. I was shown this band in my first semester of freshman year and in the winter I began to obsess over the band album by album. This one comes from their third album Safe Travels, possibly my favorite.

2.     I Am a Real Doctor – Posture & the Grizzly (13 weeks) Gah! Posture & the Grizzly! I found them when they released their album I am Satan of which this song is from. The band The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die tweeted it, and I absolutely fell in love with the entire album. This is definitely my favorite song from it. Check out the album opener though titled I am not a Real Doctor.

3.     Long Way Home – Jukebox the Ghost (12 weeks) from their fourth and slef-titled album. It’s fantastic and has many songs worth obsessing over.

4.     When the Nights Get Long – Jukebox the Ghost (12weeks)

5.     Hollywood – Jukebox the Ghost (12 weeks)

6.     All Time Low – Jon Bellion (12 weeks)

7.     A Part of Me (ft. Laura Whiteside) – Neck Deep (12 weeks) okay so this song was featured on this playlist for a quite a few months in the second half of 2016 before being removed from this playlist early 2017 only to find its way back.

8.     Idea / Intent – The Beths (7 weeks) okay listen, “The Beths” happen to be absolutely fucking fantastic. Just a fact. This song? Pumps me the fuck up. Great vibe, fantastic energy, all around a banging bop. I’m underselling it honestly.

9.     Sun in an Empty Room – The Weakerthans (6 weeks) This song is the one that introduced me to The Weakerthans, and I am so happy it did. I first heard the song in a podcast called Heavyweight (PLEASE LISTEN TO IT) and promptly looked up the rest of their music.

10.   Stay the Night – Jukebox the Ghost (4 weeks) NEW SINGLE FROM A BRAND NEW ALBUM FUCK

11.   Smoke & Felt – The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die (4 weeks)

12.   Last Night – Ricky Montgomery (3 weeks) You know, this guy as an amazing youtube channel. Hilarious blogs. Here’s the first one.

13.  67, Cherry Red – Aaron West & the Roaring Twenties (3 weeks) These guys sound just like the Wonder Years I swear

*okay so here i’d like to make a statement. After looking it up, Aaron West & the Roaring Twenties is a solo project by the front man of the Wonder Years. Way to go, Soupy. You’ve outdone yourself. and I feel like an idiot. Good music, tho.

14.  You Told the Drunks I Knew Karate – Zoey Van Goey (3 weeks)

Actually a pretty cute song with an equally cute and funny music video

15.   Carry Me – The Original Crooks and Nannies (3 weeks) so fuckin cute, and their music video is alittle weird but cute too

16.   Face – BROCKHAMPTON (3 weeks) ALRIGHT BROCKHAMPTON IS THE BEST MOTHERFUCKINGCOLLECTIVE EVER. Okay so I probably am not the person to be offering that kind of opinon,BUT I love these guys. With Kevin Abstract as their *face* and other fantastic memebers like Dom McLennon, Matt Champion, Ameer Vann, and Merlyn Wood they’re finna bout to drop the hottest albulm of the summer: Saturation. Here’s the vid:

17.   Dang! (feat. Anderson .Paak) – Mac Miller (2 weeks)

I actually dig the way this video was shot, like damn, look at those colors

18.   The Reasons – The Weakerthans (13 days)

19.   Reconstruction Site – The Weakerthans (13 days)

20.   Caroline – Aminé (10 days)

21.  Tambourine - N: Thyme – Nana Grizol (7 days) really clever title actually

22.  Heebiejeebies – Aminé (7 days)

23.   No Halo – Sorority Noise (7 days) Okay this song happens to have one of the best music videos I’ve seen. Directed by Kyle Thrash I immediately checked out some of  his other videos which were also good, but this one has been the best I’ve seen so far.

24.   Rory – Foxing (7 days) Why does this song keep coming back to me?

25.  Why You so Short? – bong mountain (7 days) Actually really cute, thank you Davina.

26.   Young and Happy! – Hop Along (6 days)

27.   Aside – The Weakerthans (6 days)

28.  Whatever – The Beths (4 days) Here they again! This time with The Summer Bop. Idk I love it

29.   Your Graduation – Modern Baseball (3 days) another Kyle Thrash music video

30.   UHF on DVD – Rozwell Kid (3 days)

31.   Gold – BROCKHAMPTON (3 days)

Although it wasn’t on Spotify I’d like to give a huge shout out to STAR by  BROCKHAMPTON, probably my song of the week, great music video and gets me hella hyped for their album dropping this Friday!