#but I just think folks need to give Vickie a chance

[stevesaxetogrind]

I don’t particularly get Ronance bc Nancy doesn’t seem to have chemistry with anyone in S3/4, she’s beyond it all. And Robin is literally pining for the cutest little Molly Ringwald impersonator. i do like that a f/f ship has a major prescence though, but this is giving me faberry energy in the year of our lord 2023 and once again i am just in my rosenique world i guess

[allyvampirelass29]

The Lost Boy

A NOS4A2 Fanfiction By: Allyssa J. Watkins

"Vicki? Where are you!? Vicki, come here!"

"You're scarin' her, Linda, all your damn screechin'! Brat? Baby, come back here."

"Yeah, sure, Chris, you're the one drinkin' and throwin' whiskey bottles, and actin' like a freakin' lunatic, but my voice is scarin' our daughter! GOD, Mister Hero, and I'm always the BAD GUY!!! Damn it, Vicki, I SAID come here!!!"

Eight year old Vic McQueen hugged her denim jacket with the pink sparkly stars on the shoulders, tighter around her, rolling her dark eyes, as her parents fought in the open doorway. Biting her lip, she snuck her way around the side of the house, climbing on her red bike, pedaling away, shooting a quick glance over her shoulder, to make sure she wasn't being followed.

"Do they always engage in so unsightly a row?"

Vic squeezed the brakes on her handlebars with a gasp, her unruly brown curls falling in her eyes, as she stopped short, swerving, just narrowly missing the older boy, standing in the street.

"Geeze, Pal, ain't your mother never told you not to play in the street? What? D'you want to get hit by a car or somethin'? What's that mean anyway, row?"

"Feisty for a girl, aren't you?" The older boy, about twelve chuckled, adjusting his red silk kerchief, and dusting off his black vest. Vic was sure she'd never seen him before, dark wavy hair, and them thick eyebrows, he sure didn't sound like he come from Haverhill.

"Yeah, what of it?" She shot back, raising her chin defiantly, balancing on her bike. "Girls can be just a tough as boys, y'know? Ask Danny Merckle, I popped him one good. And if row means raise the dead with a lot of damn noise, then yeah, they sure row a lot."

The dark, mysterious boy shook his head with a smirk. "Girls shouldn't curse, nor should they engage in fisticuffs."

"That mean scrappin'?" She asked, screwing up her little face. Geeze what an oddball, this guy.

"More or less," The boy shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, well, I ain't exactly the type to play with dolls," She shot back, and he smiled again, his head tilted.

"So I see...... Well, Feisty, to answer your earlier question, no. My mother practically told me to go play in the street, nor would she have batted an eyelash if I'd gotten run over like a stray."

"Man ALIVE, your Old Lady is worse than mine!!!" Vic gasped, and she couldn't help but notice how sad the boys eyes looked. Real damn sad.

"You have NO idea, he said with a sigh," And they both jumped as the front door to Vic's house slammed shut.

"That's my cue," She whispered, leaning forward to pedal away again, when the older boy, grabbed one of the handlebars. "Hey, watch it guy, cant'cha see I'm tryin' to make a break for it?"

"I'm sorry." He said softly, his eyes going all sad again. "I'm sorry, you have to listen to them fight, and throw things, but you don't have to be scared."

"I ain't- I ain't scared," Vic's shoulders bristled, and the boy watched unconvinced as her lip quivered, and the autumn light caught in her pink sequins.

"It's okay..... to be scared. I am, sometimes."

"Pshhh are you kidding me?" Vic scoffed, resting her arms on the handlebars. "What's a tall guy like you got to be scared of, huh? Yeah, your old lady sounds like a witch, but, c'mon she's still your ma. She might carry on, but they love us. They gotta, right?"

The boy smiled again, but it was very sad. "One can only hope, Feisty. May I....... accompany you, on your daring getaway?"

"If that's fancy talk for tag along, then yeah sure." Vic shrugged her shoulders. "Damn, you're sure different, most boys older 'an me just want to push me around, you know, pick on me."

Vic pedaled down the sidewalk, away from her house, the sun hanging low in the sky, as the boy in the red kerchief walked alongside her, fighting his smile.

"I can't imagine anyone pushing you around. You're quite the novelty to me too."

"Thanks....... I think," Vic looked at him, scrunching up her brow. "So you got a rough home life too huh?"

"Horrendously so...... Your father may take to the drink, but I have the great misfortune of living in a bar, surrounded constantly by drunkards, and my mother, let's just say....... has a lot of boyfriends."

"No foolin'? GOD, that's gotta be some kind of awful! Folks get bonkers when they're drunk, at least mine come home...... most of the time, anyways. Boyfriends huh? What about your old man? Mine's a drinker, yeah, but he ain't all bad. He makes me laugh, y'know?"

"I don't have one...... I mean, I do, of course, but....... his identity could never in probability be ascertained. Whomever he is, he sure did not want me."

"God....... That's real rough. Everybody needs a dad......."

Vic's front tire hit a rock, and she swerved, accidently slamming into the boy, and he groaned as he fell back hard.

"Yikes! Holy sh- Are you okay?" She yelled, leapfrogging off her bike, kneeling down beside him, reaching to help him up, when she saw them....... "Hold on, guy, there's something on your neck there......"

"I'm perfectly sound, just a little jostled, hey, stop that, what are doing?"

Vic pulled off his silk handkerchief, and his hands flew to his neck, nervously. "Give it back."

"Hey........" Vic frowned, pursing her lip, and the boy shuddered, as she leaned over him, and pulled down his shirt collar. "You're bruised somethin' awful....... Did I-?"

"No-" He snapped quickly, leaping to his feet, one hand still hovering over his neck, the other held out impatiently, wiggling his fingers. "That's mine, thank you very much."

"No." She shook her rebellious curls stubbornly, clutching the kerchief tight. "You're not getting it back until you tell me....... Who did that to you, huh? You get in one of them rows with somebody?"

"Something like that...... Now give it, before I take it from you......." He scowled, knitting his dark brow.

"Like to see you try it, Buddy," She snarked back, holding it behind her back. "Who whaled on you, tell me....... It couldn't have been your old lady, c'mon."

The boy tried to look angry, tried to hide the guilt, and shame in his eyes, but they pierced through the dark shine, and he sighed, hanging his head. It was then Vic noticed the cuff on his sleeve had inched up, revealing the dark circles of even more bruises.

She gasped, her little hand flying to her mouth, slowly handing him the kerchief, which he snatched back, and carefully re-tied.

"I take it back...... Your mother's a witch with a "b."

The older boy couldn't stifle his smirk, hastily pulling down his long, starch white sleeve, fiddling with it. "Quite so."

"My ma used to get mad, and slap me around sometimes when I was talking back, but....... she ain't never left bruises like that....... You got to get yourself the hell out of there.

"I will....... Someday." He shrugged, hands in his pockets, and Vic walked her red bike alongside him, the sun casting long shadows behind them. "Someday, I'll drive away, in a fancy car, somewhere no one will ever hurt me again.

"Sounds real good, guy. You ever need a friend, you got one in Vic McQueen."

"Who's Vic McQueen?"

"Me, Stupid!" Vic laughed, elbowing him in the ribs. "You got a name, Kerchief?"

The dark-eyed boy smirked, bowing graciously, with a flourish of his hand. "Charlie Manx, at your service."

"God, you are so freaking weird. Well, put 'er there, Charlie!" Vic beamed, holding out her little hand with a smug grin, and hesitantly, Charlie took it, with a firm shake.

"A pleasure, Victoria."

Charlie Manx awoke with a jolt, bolting upright in bed, his hands flying instinctively to his neck, and he shivered, the sweat cooling on his skin.

"What on GOD'S green earth was that......!?"

His palm slid slowly down his neck, and he felt the pale brunette slumbering beside him stir, but she didn't fully wake. He stroked her face, breathing heavy, envying her expression of heavenly peace. How perfectly dreadful....... How dare you, Victoria....... Damn you, invading my sacred dreams, unearthing my- my secrets and shames. He rubbed his neck again, finding it still bare, and free of bruises, his skin, of course, flawless.

The angry tears stung his eyes, and he wiped them furiously away, his thumb circling his wrist over and over........ He had to admit this miniature McQueen wasn't quite so irksome....... Little Victoria was so far removed from her scathing, impulsive, teenage self, that there was something almost endearing about her, fussing over him and his boyhood inflictions. “How odd to think of us together, Victoria, as children, the bruised yield of broken homes. What might you have thought of him, The Lost Boy without his Neverland? We might even have been friends.......... How's that for a scary thought?”

He slowly fell back back onto the bed, his silky raven head sinking into the soft pillow, and he froze as his sleeping beauty whimpered, and eased her body against his, skin melting against skin, laying her crown of shiny curls on his bare chest.

"This one......." Charlie breathed, flaring his nostrils in a sigh, his claws caressing her luxurious curls, letting them sift, one by one, through his fingers. "She had a much different upbringing than the two of us........ An ideal childhood, and I envy her, Vic........ I envied her, her happiness, yes, I watched her grow up, loved, cared for, precious in her mother's eyes, and I ached to know what that was like....... To flourish in a tended garden, instead of left neglected in the thistle........ Ironic, isn't it......? She would have had no need of me to come, and spirit her away to Christmasland, and yet you....... who despise it most of all........ were exactly the kind of girl I would have saved.

He ran his hands through his mussed coif, his obsidian strands damp with sweat. "Imagine us, Vic, as childhood friends, the feisty girl, and the dapper dan, creating together, walking worlds that others can't even imagine....... Look at us now, scrapping, as you so eloquently phrased it, for a chance to kill each other, and I feel the swelter of your hatred, but even you can't deny that we....... are not so different."

I'm going to have to kill you, there's no way around that, not now. And I'm going to enjoy it, have fun, get...... creative with your meticulous undoing. He chuckled to himself, winding one of Ally's ringlets around and around his finger, with a menacing smirk. But that does not mean I won't miss this, our delicious conflict, the obscene pleasure that comes in hating you, hurting you....... In a perfect world, I would have you both, my conflicting passions, satisfied, her pleasure, your pain, my ultimate fantasy. But this one....... She was made too tender, Vic. Where your parents' endangerment hardened you an edge, this one feels too deeply through another's heart, even yours. She couldn't love a man that inflicts pain with such indecent pleasure, courting her tenderly with the same hand that harms you. In time, she will beg me to stop, fling herself at my feet, sobbing bitterly while you bleed, and being so affected by her, I will grant her wish. I will grant yours as well, and finally finish it, quell your flame, waste all of that Creative potential, killing you in secret. Then I'll tell her, Vic, I'll tell her I let you go.......

Charlie felt his heart quicken, imagining Victoria's aghast face, as though she were listening to his thoughts, racing by in a frenzy. That's right, My Feisty One, I'll make myself the hero of our doomed fable, and say I've decided to give up our fantastic feud, all for her, because she's changed my heart, absolved me of my sins, and she'll love me for it, Vic, praise me, reward me, even while you lay dead in the frozen wilderness. He closed his eyes, with a dark chuckle, a sinful breath escaping. You'd hate that, wouldn't you, Victoria? ANSWER ME!!! Tell me how much you'd hate that.......

You're messed up, Pal. You do that, and you're worse than your slap happy old lady.

Charlie's eyelashes fluttered open as he heard Little Vic's angry voice linger in his mind.

That's enough out of you, Young Lady. Only good girls get to go to Christmasland, and you've long outstayed your welcome.

You want me to scram? Make me.

Oh, I intend to....... Consider yourself grounded.

He simpered, feeling blissful, pressed against his wife's womanly warmth, visions of battling Vic frolicking through his head, as he smelled Ally's hair. You make me so happy, the both of you........ In hating one, and loving the other, The Lost Boy became a found man. You might not be one to play with dolls, Vic, but I certainly am......... And I don't intend to share.

[szivtalan]

1, 2, 3, 4, 19, 26, 32, 34, 36, 38, 41, 43, 44, 47, 53, 54, 69, 72, 80, 83, 84, 92, 105, 107, 112, 113, 115, 118, 132, 135, 136, 137 for the ask some question thing please?

Oh shit this will be so long and I can't put a line break anywhere yells I'm Sorry

1) 3 Fears

- living at my hometown/country for my entire life and not seeing nor experiencing the rest of the world at all

- not making any impact on this world, leaving it as I found it

- needles

2) 3 things I love

- friends, my brother

- laying down on the ground on a sunny day and staring up at the sky, watching the clouds roll by

- dogs

3) 2 turn ons

- someone making an effort to talk to me and basically letting me know they think about me

- I think homiro said gentleness and I agree yeah, being kind-hearted and soft spoken and attentive to people around you,,,,, Yeah that shit good

4) 2 turn offs

- people feeling the need to express superiority over others at any given moment

- general intolerance

19) How I feel right now

Kind of really sad.... Annoyed that I can't sleep, a whole lot anxious about things, worried about the ringing in my ears being back

26) The reasons I joined Tumblr

I genuinely cannot remember, maybe it was to look at inumog doujinshis in my Shizaya days

32) Do I like my music loud or at a reasonable level?

Depends, low when I need to focus on something else, loud when I want to just let it get to me and dissociate

34) Am I excited for anything?

My binder!!! I want That,,, also, the things I ordered for me and a friend, my date tomorrow, meeting my friends on Tuesday (maybe), and on a long-term, I think starting school again, moving out and maybe traveling a lil.

36) How often do I wear a fake smile?

I think I do it a lot, especially if I'm not getting something or just want to be nice. Honey I work in customer service, being nice is part of my contract

38) What do I think about most?

If I made/am making the right choices.

41) Do I perfer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

I think video chatting is nicer bc u don't just hear people, you can also see their faces and therefore interpret their words better

43) Do I believe in magic?

No fam

44) Do I believe in luck?

Uhhh I don't think so? I just think things have consequences and everything is interconnected. I believe in happy coincidences.

47) Do I have any nicknames?

Vicki, Vic, Viku, Vee, Vitya, Shinai (notice how one of these doesn't fit w the rest) and yeah I guess Vamos

53) What's my favorite word?

Maybe szerelmeskedés (it's hungarian for lovemaking, but we have two words for love: 'szeretet' which is more on the platonic side, and 'szerelem' which contains the infatuated aspect of it. The stem "love" in this word is based on the latter, whereas the more common 'szeretkezés' has the first sort of love in it)

54) My top 5 blogs on Tumblr

JUST FIVE? Ah fuck @homiro @kuwoko @transbucky @incorrectbballboys @takao-au-lait

69) Gotten my heart broken?

Several times. You know, you'd think once you get through the first couple of heartbreaks you stop hoping and harden your heart, but mine's still plenty delicate and I just...keep getting my hopes up all the time.

72) Learned another language?

Yeah I mean adgj I've been learning English for over 14 years (give or take), learned some German in first grade and high school, Latin for 4 years and French for one and a half. I also tried Russian and Swedish in duolingo but it's just not the same u know

80) What do I want for birthday?

My friends to be happy and safe.

83) Have I ever got caught sneaking out or doing anything bad?

Mmm one time we as a class got caught drinking hard liquor, we were like 14 and some of us were seriously sloshed. Like near alcohol poisoning. We were all scolded harshly lol, but as an individual I think I've evaded being caught with shit so far. Which is incredible. I did so much stupid shit

84) What I'm really bad at

I suuuck at playing the guitar. My hearing's kinda wonky anyway, so I don't even actually know if my singing voice's nice or not, but I cannot carry a tune on guitar for dear life. I've been trying to learn this song, and it's a total of 4 chords, and the progress is terrible

92) What kind of people are you attracted to?

Sweet people who turn out to be sort of damaged, uh. Tall dudes with kind smiles and ropey muscles, and every girl ever probably. I can't really explain, looking back on my dating/crushing history, I do have a range dang

105) What do you do when you wake up?

Ideally, I lay in bed for a few more hours, have some adult fun time by myself, go out of my room, get washed up, make coffee, eat breakfast, get dressed. When I don't have time to do all this, I get half-dressed, eat, wash up, and dress up the rest of the way.

107) Do you ever want to get married?

....ha. As a child of divorce, I don't exactly believe in the sanctity of marriage, but like dude, who knows what will I think when I get there with a partner.

112) Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?

Some do, when there's willingness to change and grow. But it's better to be wary if you do grant them second chances, because they might go down the same path unconsciously - sometimes it's just all they know, you know?

113) Do you smile at strangers?

Yeah, at everyone who seems nice to me. Shit, I do fake-smile a lot.

115) Ever wished you were someone else?

Only pfff all the time?

118) Ever won a competition? For what?

I don't think I have, but we did get a gold medal with our drama club at senior year of high school at a big nationwide event. I mean, we weren't the only one with a gold, it didn't exactly mean first place, but it was stil very cool!!

132) Do you type fast?

I think so, yes? One time my brother's best friend asked me about how fast I typed so I opened a new Facebook post and typed "[his name] is a butthole that's how fast" and he laughed sgfjd

135) Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt?

*aggressively sighs* YEAh a lot of folks okay!! I'm sensitive and I feel a lot

136) Is cheating ever okay?

No. It isn't.

137) Do you believe in true love?

I mean, I want to, but I think my ability to fall for someone in a matter of seconds kind of cheapens the whole love thing for me. I believe it exists, and that it's out there, but knowing it is and believing that I won't really experience it makes me really sad.

[mamabearlarusso]

Journal: Getting Back to the Real World…Easier Said Than Done Part 2

So...since I knew what I wanted to do next, there was research to be done first. I started looking through pictures to get the right look...then I dug through all my old phones and contacts to find the number...it was a long time since I had the need to call it.

"Yelll-ooo?"

"Hey, Joey, it's Mandy...you manning the phones for your dad still?"

"Heeey, Mandy! Long time, girl! No, Dad put down the needle, a while ago...been living it up in one of those communities with Mom. He's got a weekly poker game with guys up there, too."

"That's really great to hear, Joey. He deserves it. You know, your Dad was my first? I thought I knew everything about what was going to happen, tried to hide how nervous I was. But he knew...he could definitely tell I was out of my element."

"Dad's a pro, you can't go forty-two years in the business and not pick up the signs."

"Yeah, I guess not. But he sure made me feel comfortable and was a complete gentleman about everything. I'll never forget that."

"It was just how Dad was raised, how he raised me...having respect for all clients is a must...no matter how hot they are." *grins*

*blushing* "Hey now. Didn't I hear somewhere that you got hitched?"

"Yup, to my one and only sweetheart, Vicky. Met her right out of college...and while you bring up the subject, didn't I hear someone made an honest woman out of you?"

"Married almost twenty years, two beautiful kids...divorced five months ago."

"Sooo...you're--"

"Yeah, soooo--maybe I should have a talk with that Vicky of yours." *raises a brow*

*clears throat* "Now...what did you need...dial the wrong number?"

"Very funny, Joey...looking for a new piece...can I email you some reference pics?"

"Sure...*waits for them to come through and looks them over*...where is this going to be?"

"Upper back, left of the spine."

"Okay, give me a few days to do a couple sketches and I'll call you back, alright?"

"Thanks, Joey. Love to the folks--"

"Will do, babe."

"--and to Vicky, Joey."

*laughs* "Just teasin', Mandy."

"Uh huh...see you in a few."

The next day after the phone call, Anoush walked into my office during lunch and sat down. He wanted a raise and to have some say in the next hire, since he would have to deal with them on the floor. He has definitely earned it, I couldn't have kept things going around here without him. I'm not exactly running on all cylinders yet either, so I wouldn't be able to handle him leaving for some place else. AND if I'm honest...if he left, I might just feel more of a failure, yet another person leaving--for whatever the reason--it's a pattern I don't think I'll ever get used to. So...we talked things out and I more or less gave him what we both needed...reassurance and security.

A few days had passed and work got a bit easier. I had looked through resumes and found a few I liked, then Anoush and I talked with them as they came in. I think we found a couple good ones. Things might actually be starting to look better around here. By their second day everything was going pretty well...so I when I got Joey’s call back, I felt secure and stable enough to take a long lunch. Anoush seemed calm and level-headed about it, too...he even smiled as he was shooing me out the door. 

As I drove to the old parlor--that I haven’t been to in decades--I felt happy. Blasting some AC/DC, banging my head and tapping the wheel to Iron Man...trying--but failing--not to think back the night we watched Iron Man and had Spaghetti for dinner...when things just kind of went pear shaped. I changed the channel to the oldies station and I Can’t Get No Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones was playing--it was perfect, for a minute or two...until it finished and Can’t Help Fight This Feeling by REO rolled over. You ever hear a song and it just hits you? Maybe not every lyric fits perfectly, but the music and some of the words paint a picture just right, or maybe it’s just enough to take you back to a memory and your living that memory over, or just wishing that the lyrics fit perfectly and wondering what it would feel like if it did and only half-listening to the song anymore? You know that feeling? Yeah, I don’t either.

I rolled into the parking lot and tried to wipe away my tears, before getting out of the car. I thought I was all touched up when I walked through the door, but as Joey stood up from his seat in the back to greet me, his mood changed and his face slowly stiffened as he escorted me into the back. “I haven’t seen that look in years, where does he live? I’ll definitely kick his ass this time.”

“No, Joey, I’m fine, I just...had a little bit of...what do they call it? I got hit with the feels...and they hit really hard this time around...but I'm good. You don't have to keep looking after me, I'm a big girl now, remember?"

*gestures to an empty seat a his work station* "Even big girls need help once in a while, Mandy."

*puts a hand up to his cheek and sighs* "You've always been a good boy and always treated me right. You ever wonder...?" *sits down*

*smirks and sits down* "Back then...hell yeah, I did. After seeing all those wrong guys you brought around here...*smugly*...when I was right in front of you...kinda hurts a guy's ego, you know?"

*Scrunches face* "Dude, you were the boss' kid AND three years younger than me, just out of high school. After all your folks did for me, I wasn't going to mess that up. Plus you didn't need me screwing with your mind, I was still pretty much a basket case back then...*laughs*...not that I'm much better these days. I just meant, If I wasn’t so...me, then maybe..."

"Hey, I’ve always liked you, Mandy...besides, I wouldn't have minded you scrambling the ol’ mind a bit." *grins*

*rolls eyes and tries not to smile* "Yeah, well, I'm sure Vicky would love to hear that."

*clears throat* "No, you're right, she'd totally kick my ass. You'd love her!"

*laughs* "I’ll bet. Now, are we gonna get this show on the road, or what?"

*opens a folder with the sketches, showing different angles and actions* "Here, let me know which one you like and we can get started."

*looks them over and a proud smile forms* (He's always been such a talented artist, and his skill has only improved over time) "Ooo, I like this one."

"Great." *hollers to an employee* "Kady!"

*steps in, behind the curtain* "Yeah, boss?" 

*hands her the page* "Prep this for me, will ya?"

"On it, boss." *looks to me* “Would you like some water?”

“Sure, that’d be great. Thanks.” *after Kady leaves, whistles* "Look at you, Mr. Boss Man. I remember when I was in her shoes, little miss go-fer. I was so happy to be off the phones, felt really accomplished.”

*Joey has a certain look in his eye as he sits back in his chair and crosses arms* “Okay, so, what’s the story with this new piece. You’ve been rolling with nostalgia every chance you get, and not mentioning much about your life now.”

(He knows me too well, all the time passed hasn’t changed that.) *puts down my purse and relaxes in the chair* “Well, all the drama before and after divorce nearly broke me, alright?” I got caught up in it all and old Mandy started peaking back out. I’m not proud of it. I thought I had gotten rid of her and buried the shovel, but--”

“Hey, shit happens. We don’t always react well to it. I know I wouldn’t handle divorce well in any capacity. But I know you, deep down you’re a good person, Mandy. No time away can change that or my mind about that.”

*Swallows back tears and tries to smile* “You know, you’re not the first person to say that me, lately.”

“I’d call you every week and remind you, too, if Vicky would let me. *smirks* so how does this *gestures to the still open file* come from that?”

“Well, I gained a couple friends out of it all--”

“Hey, look at that!”

“Smart ass! Anyway, one way or another...they helped me through everything and one them had to go and move outta town. I don’t know...I just never want to forget what he did for me, you know?”

*has that knowing look in his eye again* “Ah, he’s clawing at you still, isn’t he? All that tooth and nail business. What’s with the snake?”

The look in his eye...he knows it’s more than I’m saying, but he’s not coming out and saying it right out. He knows me, he doesn’t have to. *rolls eyes, and chuckles at the memory* “His nickname, from some lame joke.”

“Oh, a lame Mandy joke, haven’t heard one of those in a while. Hit me.”

*shakes head and sighs* “Fine. Well, he’s all about Cobras, right? Cobras are tough...Cobras are badass...and all that. But I caught him in a weak moment once and teased him. ‘Are you sure, you’re really a cobra and not a rattlesnake, because I think you’re shaking.’”

*laughs* “Oh jeez, I didn’t realize how much I missed those.”

*Kady walks back in* “Here you go, boss.” *hands him the sheet and me a coffee cup full of water*

*Joey stands up* “I’ll give you a minute. Kady you mind helping her get set up?” *sighs and laugh as walks out to the front* “I think you’re shaking.”

After I got all bandaged up, and Joey sent me on my way with the next appointment, I was back in the car on my way back to work and I felt good--sore, but good. I had to fix the seat and sit up just right, but I’d handle it...I just needed some tunes to take my mind off it...I just needed a song to let loose, let it all out...and forget for a little bit. Playing around on the stations I finally found something good...Killing in the Name by Rage Against the Machine...oddly enough, it was perfect...it took me back to my time working at the parlor. Once the song was over though, the next up slammed me right back to flashback land...Don’t You Forget About Me...my eyes starting watering as I sighed and sat back in my seat, quickly wincing at the pain. I start laughing hysterically. “Even if it WAS possible before, I don’t think I can now, Rattles.”

Ali had called to reschedule our brunch at her place, stuff came up at the hospital and she would be working late. We even made a point to make appointments at my old gym to get those cheesecake-burning exercises in. So, I had some time to heal up before my next appointment, work was getting better, things were going good with Ali...I felt like I more or less could breathe again.

[beatgees]

Veterinarians On Socialization Classes for Kittens

A kitty ’s head is a terrible thing to waste.  “It all started when my clients in puppy classes desired equivalent attention to their cats,” says Dr. Kersti Seksel, a veterinary behaviorist at Seaforth, New South Wales, Australia.  “Kittens deserve an education too. ” So, about a decade ago, she started offering what she called Kitty Kindy.  The 1 hour to 90 minute class meets twice and is exclusively for kitties seven to 14 weeks. “I’ve had cats my whole life, and haven't heard of anything so ridiculous,” says a manager of a pet shop in Madison, Wis. “It's ’s a concept for yuppies who have nothing else to do. ” To be sure, he’s not the only person who thinks this way.

A few years back, Dr. Illona Rodan heard about Seksel’s tutoring for tabbies; she immediately imported the program from Down Under to her feline clinic in Madison.  “that I ’m sure people thought I was a bit crazy,” she states.  “But I understood these courses would save lives.  The number one cause of death in indoor cat’s isn’t heart or kidney disease or cancer, it’s people who give up on their cats’ bad behaviour. ”

Surprisingly, Rodan had no issue registering feline students.

“I learned how to instruct Jasper to fetch,” proudly borrows James Schuelke, a 27-year old mill worker in Madison who took the class in the fall of 2003.

Even though he says Jasper’s since forgotten how to fetch, Schuelke says that he ’s happy he went to kitty class.  “I learned about why you shouldn’t play with your cats using your fingers. ”

“It may be cute if they’re little kittens, but it’s not so cute when an adult cat is biting hard on your palms,” instructs Angela Martin Licari, a certified veterinary technician who shares the teaching responsibilities with Rodan.

Veterinary behaviorist Dr. Karen Overall, a researcher in the psychiatry department at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pa.says, “Allow me to share a tragic fact that understand one talks about; countless cats don’t receive the kind of physical exam they should.  In fact, cats don’t, on average, don’t see the vet as often as puppies. ”

Signs of cardiovascular disease in cats are a murmur and rapid heart beat.  When a cat is traumatized, there’s no way to determine what the true heart rate is to hear a murmur.  Vets have to guess if high blood pressure is a consequence of stress or whether it’s a symptom of underlying disease.  In the same way, the wall off blood glucose levels may be a indication of diabetes, but might also be due to the ordeal of visiting the vet.

Typically, those Kitty Kindy’s take place in a vet office.  Seksel says, “At this young age, all you need to do is shed some treats at the carrier.  Kittens are happy to jump indoors.  Now, a visit to the vet office is similar to a party; there are treats and toys, and other cats to play with. ”

Rodan, who's also a past president of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, states Freddy was a kitty who began scratching in all the wrong places.  The owners were angry at Freddy.

Rodan says, “At least with dogs, if you neglect ’t find assistance from your veterinarian for behavior issues, there’s your dog coach.  For cats, folks never had an alternative ” now, there is one.  And even better, that person is a vet or someone working in conjunction with your vet.  As part of the course we answer specific questions, but we surely describe that all cats will need to scratch.  We talk about scratching posts.  Freddy had an article, which explains why the owners couldn’t understand what was happening.  However, the post was carpeting, and Freddy didn’t like using it.  When the owners replaced it with a post wound together with sisal and re-located the kitty scratching post away in the litter box, then Freddy was quite pleased to make use of it. ”

Rodan says that if she wasn’t accessible as a resource, the situation may have worsened, and the bond between the family and Freddy might have disintegrated, with Freddie landing in a refuge.

Rodan is so sold to the concept of courses for kitties; they’ve been included in the American Association of “Feline Practitioners Behavior Guidelines,” that she co-authored with Overall (free to obtain: https://www.aafponline.org/resources/guidelines/Feline_Behavior_Guidelines.pdf).  With vets around America reading these guidelines, kitty courses are bound to catch on.

Maybe.  1 vet sure doesn’t think so.  “Cats don’t want to go to school,” state Dr. Marilyn Mikiciuk, an internal medicine specialist in Alsip, IL, and former president of the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association.  She states that she ’s also concerned about infectious diseases being passed from kitten to kitten.  “You’re starting a Pandora’s Box,” she warns.

Rodan response is that cats have to be vet checked prior to enrolling.  What’s , all kitties are hand-inspected for ringworm and fleas till they’re permitted to interact with all the other students.  In case a litter box is used during a class, it’s immediately trashed.

Seksel, that has been supplying the classes the longest claims, “that I ’ve never had a health problem.  In reality, it’s potential that these kittens really construct their immune systems stronger with vulnerability to other people. ”

Mikiciuk isn’t convinced.  “Imagine if one (kitten) test is negative for feline leukemia, the cat enters the class, and then a second test a couple weeks later demonstrates favorable?  It can happen you know. ”

“Rubbish,” states Dr. Ian Dunbar, of Berkeley, Calif. “Sure, that may happen.  Anything could happen.  The truth is that more cats die since they scrape in the wrong places or miss the (clutter ) box compared to of feline leukemia. ”

Dunbar, a veterinary behaviorist and certified applied behaviorist is credited with pioneering the idea of puppy kindergarten classes in the late 1970s to the1980s.  He states in a few ways socialization classes might even be beneficial for cats.  “They’re inside their entire lives, and that’s nice so they don’t get killed by automobiles.  However they want things to do.  Being socialized to venture out to the world on a harness or in a carrier is wonderful. ”

“Of course, pretty much anything you can train a puppy to do you can train a cat to do ” except that the cat will probably do it better,” Rodan says and laughs.

“The great majority of indoor cats endure terminal coughing,” adds Overall.  “Some cats choose their anxieties out on the curtains or onto themselves (behavior issues like compulsively licking ), but just vegetate, transforming into overweight couch potatoes.  They eat, and if you’re lucky, they use the litter box. ”

It’s not only a matter of teaching cats tricks.  In her course with Rodan, Vicky Freyber of Madison taught her kitty, Cali, to stay from her houseplants.

Sherri Ruppel at Chicago adds, “I know if I had the chance to socialize Bates if he was young, he'd be less anxious and a lot more sociable now.  It'd be worth a whole lot, I suggest Bates is fine ” however he’s sure not happy if something out of the ordinary happens, or perhaps when I have traffic. ”

Don’t worry about applying for a scholarship, the kitty classes are usually inexpensive.  Rodan doesn’t bill her own clients a fee, others pay $10.

Seksel agrees and says graduates of her Kitty Kindy tend to be sociable and better understood by their owners.  Who knows, maybe some day Americans will import Vegemite, too.

[pisceslentil8-blog]

Special Sauce Live, Ed Levine Edition: A Serious Eater Is Born!

[Ed Levine and fries photographs: Vicky Wasik]

At the end of every week, Ed Levine—a.k.a. Serious Eats founder, a.k.a. Serious Eats overlord, a.k.a. "missionary of the delicious," a.k.a. Ed "The Good Ones Eat Through the Pain" Levine—hosts intimate conversations with food lovers of all kinds, diving deep into the ways in which eating and sharing meals has shaped his guests' lives.

For this and next week's episodes of Special Sauce, we turned the tables on Ed and had Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group and Ed's longtime friend, grill Ed in front of a live audience at Rizzoli Bookstore in Manhattan. The event was held in part to celebrate the release of Ed's memoir, Serious Eater: A Food Lover's Perilous Quest for Pizza and Redemption, named one of the best cooking, food, and wine books of 2019 so far by Amazon.

The evening started off with a bang, as Meyer admitted at the outset that he was going to be a combative interviewer. He noted that he'd been hankering for a chance to interrogate Ed about his business decisions, in much the same way Ed questioned the integrity of Meyer's business when he wondered, quite publicly, about Union Square Hospitality Group's inability to make good French fries. Or, as Ed so diplomatically put it at the time, "Why Do the French Fries at Blue Smoke Suck?"

Despite saying that he should "have his head examined" for helping Ed sell his book, Meyer did a fine job filling in for Ed, asking him all the questions that Special Sauce listeners have come to expect, such as "What was it like at the Levine family table?" Ed revealed that his grandmother's cooking was what sparked his intense love of food, and he identified the source of his missionary zeal as his parents, who originally met at a Communist Party meeting and bequeathed their passionate intensity, if not their politics, to all their children.

Part one of the conversation begins with Ed's childhood and ends with his college years, when he discovered a love for music that rivaled his love for food, even as he dabbled in a life of petty crime with an associate who will forever be known only as "Jerry Garcia."

To find out what that means, and to hear the origin story of the man who would go on to create Serious Eats, you're just going to have to listen to part one of this Special Sauce interview with Ed Levine. (Or, of course, you can buy a copy of Serious Eater for yourself!)

Special Sauce is available on iTunes, Google Play Music, Soundcloud, Player FM, and Stitcher. You can also find the archive of all our episodes here on Serious Eats and on this RSS feed.

Want to chat with me and our unbelievably talented recipe developers? We're accepting questions for Special Sauce call-in episodes now. Do you have a recurring argument with your spouse over the best way to maintain a cast iron skillet? Have you been working on your mac and cheese recipe for the past five years, but can't quite get it right? Does your brother-in-law make the worst lasagna, and you want to figure out how to give him tips? We want to get to know you and solve all your food-related problems. Send us the whole story at [email protected].

Ed Levine: So here we are at Rizzoli's Bookstore in New York City before an audience of voracious readers and eaters. Welcome to Special Sauce, Serious Eats' podcast about food and life. Every week on Special Sauce, we talk to someone of the leading lights of American culture, food folks and non-food folks alike. This week my guest is ... Hey, wait a minute. It's me. It's Ed Levine, Serious Eats Overlord, because I've just written a book entitled Serious Eater: A Food Lover's Perilous Path to Pizza and Redemption. And performing host duties tonight, as he does for his guests at the Union Square Café just blocks away, is Danny Meyer, my longtime friend. So welcome to my spot, my chair, man, Mr. Meyer.

Danny Meyer: I cannot wait for the opportunity to grill you because you've been doing this to me for a whole lot of years, even before you had a podcast.

EL: That's true, that's true. I'm not sure, did you ever forgive me when I titled the ... what was the title of the post?

DM: "Why Can't Danny Meyer Figure Out How to Make Good French Fries?"

EL: No, that was the G-rated. I think it was "Why Do the French Fries at Shake Shack Suck?"

DM: And I'm the chump that's sitting with him right now, helping him sell his goddamn book. I should have my head examined. I do want to say, Ed, and I think you want to go next, don't you, because you don't know how to not be the interviewer.

EL: No, go ahead, man. It's you.

DM: I do want to share with everybody, Ed and I have known each other for a really, really long time; so long ago that I remember a meeting on Table 67 at the original Union Square Café, before there was a Gramercy Tavern, that's how long ago it was. And Ed came up, and he talked to me about a cockamamie idea that he had. He was going to get underwriting from American Express. He was always trying to figure out who to fund everything, and I said-

EL: Some things never change, man.

DM: Forget about the funding part of it, what are you doing? He said, "I'm going to write a book where I'm going to tell everybody in New York where they could get the best version of every, single thing that I love to eat." And I said, "That sounds pretty cool." And going back that far, we weren't using the internet. I don't even know that we had the internet.

EL: There was no internet.

DM: There weren't things called influencers. There certainly weren't verified Twitter accounts or anything like that. But Ed wrote this book, and this book for anybody who truly loved food in New York City became the gold standard not only for eating, but I think for exploring the city, and for learning about how different neighborhoods organize themselves around culinary traditions. And I can remember many, many a Saturday with our four kids, and we would take trips and we would use Ed's book. We would take trips on the subway to different countries using Ed's book, and it always had a happy ending.

EL: Well, thank you. And you know what's weird about that, because when I was writing the book, there's a woman in the acknowledgements I call my Book Therapist who's sitting right there, Laura Tucker, and she actually said the same thing to me when we met for the very first time. She said, "You know, New York Eats changed my life." And so that was the basis at which we worked together. When you write a book like that, it's just one of those labors of love. I didn't make a lot of money, but I was thrilled to know that I changed people's lives.

DM: Well you did change people's lives, and it was really great until you decided now I'm going to start writing about restaurants. And now I was on the receiving end of some biting criticism every now ... and occasionally a nice word. But I will say this about Ed. He had then and has now a very, very unusual capacity to actually get along well with the very people he criticizes. And Vicky, I don't know how you've done it all these years. You've probably been the one criticizing him from what I read, and holding him accountable, but it's really a remarkable thing.

DM: I think journalists are mostly uncomfortable with having authentic relationships with the subjects that they cover, because from a journalistic standpoint you shouldn't really get too close. But Ed found a way to have it all. He found a way by dint of his personality, his generosity of spirit, and I would say a really strong desire to hold his subjects accountable to do it even better that he could deliver criticism in a way that you knew he was actually on your side.

DM: I could have done without that headline you just read about why do the french fries at Shake Shack suck. By the way, it had an impact. And whenever Ed would talk about any dish, we would have a breakfast on an annual basis at a different one of our restaurants that didn't serve breakfast, and the breakfast was an opportunity to catch up on real things that were really happening in life.

EL: Yeah, it was great. And we still do that.

DM: And also, you would let me have it about things that needed to get better.

EL: And you once, now if you remember, I was probably the only person who didn't work for you. You actually opened Gramercy Tavern so that you and I could have breakfast.

DM: I also did that at 11 Madison Park, and I remember some of the best scrambled eggs we've ever had in our lives.

EL: It's true.

DM: Remember that one?

EL: But that was a special breakfast.

DM: Then the chefs started ... We did it at Union Street Café, we did it at Blue Smoke. The chefs started getting mad at me, so I decided I'd better open a restaurant that actually serves breakfast, and that became Maialino, so it's a whole lot easier. Although I think Daily Provisions works as well, right? We did that.

EL: Exactly, absolutely.

DM: So Ed, I'm just going to tell ... before we get into a bunch of questions, because we are here to make sure everybody knows about this extraordinary book, and it really is. This is a book that wants you to think about food, and it's truly about life and love, and struggling and tenaciously triumphing. Can you say that? Triumphing.

EL: Triumphing.

DM: Whatever, emerging successful. You have done that, but I do have to just tell everybody the kind of impact that Ed's loving criticism can have. Shake Shack does have an expression which we believe very deeply; we call it S-F-S-G, which is Stand For Something Good. And the goal is that when we do things, treat people in a certain way, buy products, we stand for something good. So the beef has no growth hormones or antibiotics; the eggs that go into the frozen custard are cage free. And we woke up one day, and after reading Ed's lovely comment about the french fries, we said how in the world can a restaurant that stands for doing something good possibly think that frozen is better than fresh? And maybe he's right.

DM: So we decided on that day to take our frozen crinkle cut fries and trash them because Ed Levine said they sucked, and we went through a very, very expensive six month odyssey refitting our restaurants; fortunately, the company was way smaller back then; to learn how to make fresh french fries to make Ed Levine happy. And when I tell you that we with though 50 iterations; you fry them twice; nope, got to fry them three times; got hang them between their frying, you've got to figure out the right oil, the right kind of salt. You've got to figure out how to buy potatoes, understanding that potatoes just like every other fruit or vegetable has a season, and yet Shake Shack's open year-round.

DM: And we were so proud of ourselves for having said we're going to change the whole industry by having fresh french fries so we can make Ed Levine happy. And we rolled out the fresh french fries, and if you got them on a good day, they were some of the best french fries. I invited Ed to eat them with me one day. I think it was on the upper east side, if I'm not mistaken.

EL: Yes, 86th Street.

DM: And fortunately, I think we got a decent batch. But all of a sudden, we started hearing complaints. We heard complaints from Twitter, from Instagram, from mothers and fathers on the baseball field. "Why did you take away our kids' favorite crinkle cut french fries? They're oily, they're greasy, they don't retain their heat." We started doing research and we figured that in one aspect in food frozen is better than fresh, and that is french fries. And the reason is that they are picked at their peak, they are flash frozen. When you do them fresh, it's like eating an apple that I saw in the green market yesterday that was picked last September and October, and expecting it to taste great in June. It doesn't. It changes the starch, the sugar, et cetera.The coating on the outside of french fries after they're frozen seals in the heat, seals out the oil.

DM: However, I'm going to take it a step further. It got so bad that we printed t-shirts, sent one to Ed, and it said "Heard" with a big french fry on it, a big crinkle cut french fry on it. The criticism of our new fresh french fries got so bad that we almost went out of business at Shake Shack.

EL: See, and that's the Serious Eats legacy. You just always creep right to that point of going out of business.

DM: So we finally ... Randy Garutti, the CEO of Shake Shack, and I looked each other in the eye one day. He had gotten a pile of feedback from a mom at Little League. Jessica Seinfeld is tweeting at me saying, "Bring back the other french fries. We loved them." And what we did, which was great, to save face we found a new way of doing crinkle cuts. So instead of just throwing away the fresh french fries, we found a crinkle cut that had no GMOs and no chemicals in the coating. So we could say, "Thanks to Ed Levine, our french fries that he used to think sucked, are actually much better and better for you at the same time."

EL: And live up to your motto.

DM: And they live up to our motto. But you almost did it ...

EL: I almost did you in, too.

DM: ... and it's all because we respect you so much. All right, I want to hear about this book you wrote, Ed.

EL: Yeah. People ask me why I wrote the book, and I wrote the book for a lot of reasons; mostly because I learned so much about myself and the world of food, and the world of business, and I wanted to share what I learned. And also what I realized, that my experience with Serious Eats harkened back to my childhood. I said wow, this is a pretty good yarn, and I think it can be both inspiration and a cautionary tale at the same time.

DM: Way before there were Serious Eats, there was the Levine family and there was-

EL: There was the Levine family, which-

DM: -there was the role of the table, the dinner table.

EL: Yeah, exactly.

DM: Talk about that.

EL: Yeah, yeah. That was interesting, and it's why the first question on every podcast is 'tell us about life at the family table.' Life at the Levine family table was complicated.

DM: And this must be tough because some of those Levines are in the audience.

EL: Yeah, there's two Levines in the audience.

DM: That means you've got to tell us the truth.

EL: And the only reason the fourth Levine brother isn't is because he passed away, so I'm really on the spot. But his wife is here. Life at the Levine family table, first of all, and anyone who has spent any time with me knows, first of all it was really loud. It was just insanely loud, and I think in the book I talk about it was like Speakers' Corner in London. You literally had to sing for your supper.

EL: My dad and mom met at a Communist Party meeting at city college. They both grew up dirt poor in New York. My father actually stayed a Communist all the way maybe 'til his death, to the point where my oldest brother, Mike, did a book report when was 11 or 12 on a Howard Fast book. I think it was Spartacus but I'm not sure. And the teacher asked him, this was right in the middle of the McCarthy era, the teacher asked him where he got that book, and he said, "From my parents." That night, he came home and told my parents that story, and they hid all the books in the basement. So you know, it was a house full of passion; passion about politics, passion about everything.

DM: And were there disagreements about those topics at the table?

EL: I think that's a rhetorical question. Yes, there were many, many disagreements. My oldest brother, Mike, had sort of become a, I would say and maybe his wife can correct me if I'm wrong, sort of a libertarian/iconoclastic thinker about politics. He was not a doctrinaire thinker. He was genuinely interested in the greater good, but he just thought there had to be other ways to achieve the greater good besides overthrowing the American democracy.

EL: And so, yeah, there were frequent disagreements, but the food sucked. The food was really terrible, I talk about this in the book. My mother thought that cooking was counterrevolutionary because my mother was the columnist for the South Shore Record, which was a local paper. And I went back actually years after she died, obviously, and when it still existed, and I fished out all her columns. And they were these amazingly progressive feminist tracts written two years before The Feminine Mystique had been written. So there was always lots of discussion-

DM: So if the food sucked, was that your impetus to fall in love with food? And what-

EL: No, my impetus was my grandmother. My grandmother had at one point, at least by family lore, had a deli in the Bronx; sold pickles out of a pickle barrel on the lower east side; also grew up in abject poverty. My grandmother was a complicated package. When she took on a lover because her husband died, I never met my grandfather, she used to put my father in an orphanage. It's like, that's really not cool, right? But my father hated oatmeal; he couldn't eat oatmeal because that's all they served them at the orphanage was oatmeal. But anyway, they overcame that. She lived in the Bronx and she used to show up at our house on the weekends, and she'd cook up a storm. And she'd make potato pancakes, and she'd make blintzes, and she'd make rugelach, and she's make matzo brei.

DM: So, was that the first time that the-

EL: That was it.

DM: -family table became in part about pleasure as opposed to just arguing and debating?

EL: Yes, for sure. And she would feed all of our friends. She just loved to cook for people, and it was the first time I saw that food was connected to love in this very primal way. And because she was a sort of typically doting grandmother, we used to sometimes, the four of us would go up to her one bedroom apartment in the Bronx. And because she grew up so poor, she used to serve us what she considered luxury items that she couldn't afford; luxury items like canned fruit cocktail, and what she called Havana Punch, which was Hawaiian Punch because she couldn't believe that syrupy, sweet water you could buy because you could afford it. So she'd say, "I have Havana Punch for you all."

DM: I have another related question. One of the really neat things about the book, and we'll talk a lot more about the arc of your story, which is really moving; I actually found myself crying a couple of times reading a book that I thought was going to be about food and it wasn't. But one thing I didn't expect was the, I should have because you and I have talked both at the Jazz Standard, which is our jazz club, and also for years at the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party right here on Madison Square Park when we had music, Ed always knew more than the music director did himself. And I'm not sure I remember where your early interest in music came from. I don't remember many books that have a soundtrack to each chapter.

EL: That's true. It was weird because my mother used to play piano very badly. I have conductor brother who's here somewhere, and he could probably attest to that. And she used to sing really badly, too, but she used to sing a lot of leftist folks songs, and they'd go to Paul Robeson concerts and that, and so there was always music. And my brother, Jess, who's here also, introduced me to jazz at a very young age because he was a jazz fan. And my brother, Gil, started playing the recorder, then played the bassoon, and so there was always music. My father died, as you alluded to, when I was in seventh grade, then my mother remarried and she married this jerk.

DM: You liked this guy, number two?

EL: Yeah, I really hated this guy. We argued because I was besotted by pop music, and I used to go down to the basement and I'd play my singles on my little phonograph. I remember the first single I bought was Rhythm of the Rain by The Cascades, and then I bought the Jackie Wilson single, Work Out, Baby Work Out, which is an amazing song, by the way. Still to this day it is on the playlist. And Dion and all kinds of stuff, and so I think there was music all around the house. And when I got to high school, when my mom died, which was the last time I ever saw the evil stepfather, and we used to argue, that's why I brought him up. We used to argue because I used to play As Tears Go By by the Stones and I would say, "That's a great strings piece," even though probably really in retrospect sucks, and he just couldn't abide my interest in pop music. He was a real pseudo-intellectual.

EL: So when I went to live with my brother and his wife, who is here, they loved pop music and they also loved classical music too, but music sort of bonded us as a family because I didn't really know my brother ...

DM: And had food played that same role?

EL: Yes. When we moved to L.A., that was what got us through that year, 1968 through '69, was our common love of food and music. People don't remember, but L.A. was a great food town even in the late '60s. The urban sprawl contained Korean communities, and Japanese communities, and obviously Mexican. But it was magic, and it was my-

DM: And it was already speaking to you.

EL: Yes. It was my solus. I can tell you about more bites of food that I ate that year than-

DM: So now you decide it's time to go to college, or you sort of struggled your way to making that decision, and you said, "Now that I know how much I love food, I'm going to go to Iowa for college." Help us understand that.

EL: Here's the thing. Maybe I can admit this for the first time to my sister-in-law. My brother told me about Grinnell, which is this great small school in Iowa, and so I went and it took a really long time to get to. So what I couldn't tell my brother was the real reason I went to Grinnell is that it would be hard for me to see them. It was like, okay, I'm going to go to school in the Fiji Islands, only it was Grinnell, Iowa, and so the food was an afterthought. But the interesting thing is ... I mean, I found some food there, but pork tenderloins. How many pork tenderloin sandwiches can you eat? What I found was a group of jazz lovers. Gary Giddins, who became the jazz critic of the Village Voice.

DM: You introduced me to him when we opened at Jazz Standard.

EL: My friend, Peter Keepnews, who's now an editor at the Times, whose father was Orrin Keepnews, who produced many records we love by Wes Montgomery, Sonny Rollins. And so I met these people, and Peter's always fond saying, "When I first met you, you told me you didn't like jazz because it was too intellectual." But I fell in love with the music and the stories behind the music, and so I became the concerts chairman, and I just thought it was the greatest thing in the world. You got paid to pick musicians that would come play at the school, but it was so great to me.

EL: And so, look, one of the things that I didn't say, we all inherited the missionary gene from my parents. My dad used to get on a soap box about politics; my mother used to get on her soap box about feminism; and so I got on my soap box and I just fell in love with the jazz culture, and I decided I would come to New York when I graduated. I was going to save the jazz world.

DM: Tell us about the transition from music to food, and I guess I should make one other stop along the way. How'd you meet your wife?

EL: Don't get me started on that.

DM: I am. I'm getting ... come on. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

EL: I met my wife at a party because I heard that they were serving homemade ice cream. Kind of a lame idea, but ...

DM: And how old are you at this point?

EL: You mean am I 10 or am I 22?

DM: Yeah, that's what I'm asking. How old were you?

EL: How old was I? 26. And anyway, it actually was at the house of the publisher of Portfolio, interestingly enough who published the book. And so I went and there was this woman who I was just stunned by, and she's here tonight. And I'd never met anybody like her. How could anyone so beautiful be so smart and just so present? And I was just bowled over. And she laughed at my jokes. That was the other thing that was really, really important. And she remembers that I told, I think I told the Sonny Rollins story that I tell in the book, which is Sonny was supposed to be casting around for his guest soloist. And so I called him one day and I was like, "Sonny, have you heard from Stanley Clarke?" this bass player who's still alive; Sonny's still alive, not playing anymore but ... Sonny goes, "No." I said, "Well, why don't you call him again?" And then he goes, "Fuck Stanley Clarke and fuck you," and he hung up the phone.

DM: We don't talk that way at Rizzoli.

EL: So then he called my bosses. He said, "I never want to talk to that guy again." And so there were only three people at the company, so they said, "Look, we need you to talk to Sonny to get this concert together, so you're going to have to change your voice and pretend you're a different name." So I called myself Bob Scronson ...

DM: So this was before Trump was calling himself different names?

EL: Exactly. Because Bob Scronson was my nom de pot at Grinnell. There was a story I do tell in the book of getting arrested because my friend used to send me pounds of pot from Albuquerque and then I was arrested.

DM: And you kept them in the car, yes?

EL: Yes.

DM: That was smart.

EL: And also his return address was Jerry Garcia. So when the cops busted me, they said, "You could do yourself a big favor if you tell us who this Jerry Garcia guy is." Anyway, I told that story about Sonny Rollins and Vicky laughed. And so she says, and it was the night of a huge snowstorm and that we lived a couple of blocks from each other, and she still has not forgiven me for not walking her home that night, but you marry up and you hang on for dear life.

EL: Special Sauce theme music tells me that we are out of time for part one of this extraordinary edition of our podcast in which I, Ed Levine, am the guest, and the host is none other than the Prince of Hospitality, the King of the Shake Shack empire, Danny Meyer. Next time, more of our conversation emanating from the Rizzoli Bookstore on Broadway, when I will continue to shamelessly flog my new book, Serious Eater: A Food Lover's Perilous Quest for Pizza and Redemption. This before a live audience, who are somehow still awake. See you next time, Serious Eaters.

This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Serious Eats. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.

Source: https://www.seriouseats.com/2019/06/special-sauce-ed-levine-live-part-1.html

[jazzywazzy89]

Lol Tonnie I love! And yes I need to update To All the Boys and as much as I love their fake dating high school dynamic I wouldn’t mind doing an adult version or college version for Tonnie as well but Vicki works as she is a underappreciated character and would be an unexpected surprise and I think that folks would be hear for it, especially if they give my Jennifer’s body AU thing  a chance. 

Vonnie I guess. Bicki is meh. I remember when they used to call Matt and Bonnie Bonovan. Lol. I can’t think of any other names for them. I love Batherine but for the one you suggested Vick works better. I love the idea of Bonnie and Vicki fake dating in any of these scenarios because the reactions would be so interesting and it would give both girls a chance to develop in different ways. Plus it’d be like an inverse of To All the Boys either way because I could play around with their dynamics differently. 

Also Vicki and Bonnie is becoming like way enjoyable to write with this Jennifer’s body AU that I want to keep writing them. Like speaking of reactions it is endlessly funny to me that Bonnie’s response in the his Jennifer’s Body AU to Jeremy cheating with Anna is basically to fuck Jeremy’s other exgirlfriend. Lmao

But anyway with Damon and the desk job. Like maybe if his dad pulled some strings for him after he was done sowing wild oats or whatever and he wants to earn the promotion on his own merit to prove he doesn’t need daddy’s help but I still can’t take the idea of him working in an office seriously and that is 100% to do with his TV show characterization and Ian’s portrayal

I was thinking like a Two Weeks Notice dynamic but with the fake dating proposal premise. Not Bonnie taking shit from him until the opportune time because like you said it’s just not in her character. 

I’m hella petty so I would LOVE to write the scene with Bamon announcing an engagement/dating at Elena’s wedding. While I would love this with Stelena I love Stefan so it could easily be with another Elena pairing or just have it be Stelena but Elena ends up alone because of her reaction to Bamon letting Stefan know she’s wishy washy and having Stebekah and Bamon be endgame and my all time favorite pairing Elena/Loneliness only to be dethroned by Elena/Death. Also I could see Bonnie wearing Sheila’s ring as a momento and playing with it as a nervous gesture. 

13 Would be fun too though just because I could see Damon running his mouth when he’s drunk. Like he has to eat this stupid family dinner and Stelena are being a picture perfect  couple and he’s talking shit about how his girlfriend is way hotter and smarter and they’re more in love and blah blah blah and just embarrassing himself and begging Bonnie with a hangover the next morning to fake date him so he won’t lose face 

Vicki x Bonnie: 43 given what we just discussed Bonnie would be really defensive of Vicki. As for Bamon you gave to go with 9, Bonnie making him more family oriented in appearance and reality is just *chef's kiss*

Sorry for the delay on this ask. I’ll fill whichever prompts I end up going with likely on FF.net, particularly the Vicki/Bonnie ones because I got some femslash stories going up soon anyway as we talked about. I have some alternative suggestions to both of these and some answers to both these suggestions so bare with me. 

Vicki x Bonnie

Vicki and Bonnie are a ship that I am unexpectedly so here for. Like they are becoming one of my fav potential femslash ships because of our talks so I love the idea. I am putting the prompt here in case others have some input as well.’

43.  so your popular friends are mocking me for being dateless and you swoop in to announce that you’re taking me to the dance

This one I feel like fits Bonnie/Vicki well with Vicki being viewed as trash by the town at large and I could see Bonnie championing her, particularly because she’s also close to Matt as well. I also feel like this would be an interesting way for Bonnie to see her friends as they truly are. Also in the same vein here are a couple of others that could work for them. 

03.  my ex is an asshole and I really don’t want them to think I’m still in love  

This would make sense with the season one Vicki/Tyler dynamic whether canon or au

25.  there’s a rumour going around that I made up the fact that we slept together and I’m ‘pathetic’ so you show up to kiss me in front of everyone (bonus if they didn’t actually sleep together)

This would just be interesting because I could see this idea that Bonnie was too good for Vicki among her friends and it being an issue if she ever claimed they hooked up. Like a “Bonnie would never” sort of thing

28.  you’re upfront that your friends dared you to date me because I’m the Ice Queen/Forever Bachelor and I’m always up for proving people wrong  

I could see this one as a response to Bonnie coming out maybe and Bonnie doing it just as a fuck you to everyone on her and Vicki’s behalf. 

38.  you did a really big grand gesture only to get rejected on the spot and it goes viral, so I offer to pretend to date you (starting with my own grand gesture) so people will think you got a happy ending instead of pitying you ‘

When I thought about this one I thought about season 1 Vicki showing up at the Lockwood event all dressed up hoping to impress Tyler’s parents and finally go public with their relationship but being shot down so hard and I could see this being something Bonnie would do in response.

I am open to any of these. 43 works well and would be a one-shot likely but I could see the others potentially being multi-chapters.

Okay so moving on..

Bamon

09.  in order to get that promotion, I have to show the Big Bosses that I’m a family person too but I don’t have a family so can I pretend to be part of yours?

This would be hilarious but it may be my anti-Damon bias but I can’t see Damon at like a desk job where a promotion would be on the table for this guy. Like I don’t take him seriously and his characterization doesn’t fit as someone who would give  shit about a job enough or care enough what his boss would think for this to be a thing.  But I love the idea of family oriented Damon and I DO think if he would be searching for approval it would be for his family, I would want to explore his dynamic with his parents and Stefan being the more stable brother even though he is younger and Damon the disappointment works in both canon and AU and a family dynamic could still be played with just not involving kids or work or whatever so I am suggesting these ones as alternatives:

04.  I’m tired of my friends/family setting me up on horrible blind dates so I made up a relationship and now they want to meet this mystery person

I could see this being like Stefan is settled down and they want to see Damon settled and they have an image to uphold and Damon’s like a perpetual bachelor and so they try to fix him up with all this “suitable match” types and he gets annoyed. Enter Bonnie

07.  I answer an ad so we’re each other’s partners to our family gatherings 

This kind of fits with too because I could see both Damon and Bonnie being irritated at having to go stag to  family stuff and especially if everyone around them is partnered up and it could be an exploration of both the Salvatore and Bennett family dynamics

11.  I’m your assistant and you just informed me that your entire family thinks we’re dating and you don’t want to let them down 

This one would once again require Damon at a desk job LMAO which....I still can’t see but I am a sucker for boss/employee relationships and I could see a kind of Two Weeks Notices or a Proposal type scenario happening because Bonnie would be that assistant has to deal with this man child but knows him inside and out and they bicker like an old married couple and so everyone just assumes something is there and Damon would just roll with it because why the hell not and people would be impressed that Bonnie would even give someone like him the time of day and maybe if she takes him seriously enough to date him he’s not entirely incompetent. HA!

13.  I’m really competitive and drunk and I just told a rival that my relationship is way better than theirs, but they don’t believe you exist (but I’m too stubborn to admit they’re right) 

This I could just see because its something Damon would get drunk and do and the rival would obviously be Stefan lol

32.  you needed a date to your ex’s wedding and I was anxiously playing with my ring and put it on the wrong finger so now everyone thinks we’re engaged

This I think would be hilarious, especially if it was a Stelena wedding.

And because why not I think this one would work for either pairing. 

  10.  my ex just showed up with their new partner and I don’t want them to win this breakup

The fake dating trope is so fun and I think it would work with either of these ships. Just not sure what route to take. Any of these would be fun to write though. I am just being hella indecisive Lol

[ernmark]

can I get a Vixen Peter sequel?

Since this is timed to coincide with Juno’s initial debt to Valles Vicky, he’s in his mid-twenties. And somehow even more of a mess than when he is thirty-seven.

That’s right, folks, we get to see another glimpse of Actual Human Disaster Juno Steel!

Part 1 | Part 2

The universe has a weird sense of humor, doesn’t it? Just when I’ve decided that I’m quitting Valles Vicky’s Vixen Valley and its most eye-catching entertainer, he comes right to my door.

He may be wearing practical clothes instead of body glitter or metallic contacts, but I know it’s him in a heartbeat. I’ve spent entirely too long gazing into those eyes to ever mistake them. But he probably doesn’t want anybody else recognizing him in the hallway of my apartment building. I step back from the door.

“Come on inside.” He steps past me, close enough that I can smell his cologne. It’s more subtle than the usual scents he wears at work, but its draw is magnetic. “Go ahead and sit down wherever.” 

Inwardly I’m dying. When’s the last time I actually cleaned up in here? I’ve got dirty laundry all over the place, dishes piled in the sink, red-ink collection notices sitting on top of piles of mail, empty bottles migrating away from the kitchen…

“Do you want something to drink?” I offer, already mentally sifting through my pantry. What do I actually have that isn’t stale or molding? “Water? Coffee? Gin?”

“Thank you, Juno. Coffee would be much appreciated.” He sounds sincere.

“Right.” I get to work brewing a pot and grab the cleanest mug that isn’t covered in outright obscenity. I bring him his drink quickly, before he has the chance to really appreciate the disaster area he’s just walked into. “So what seems to be troubling you, Silver?”

“Please,” he says, taking the mug from my hands. “It’s only Silver while I’m at work. My name is Gray. Gray Corsac.”

“Gray, then.” I pull up a dining room chair and sit across from him. “Same question.”

“I’ve been having a bit of trouble with a client at the Valley. He’s developed a bit of a fixation on me, and he doesn’t like taking no for an answer.” 

“You don’t say.” Maybe if I keep my voice stony enough, emotion won’t seep through. There’s a whole lot of it churning in my head right now. “I thought you had bouncers for that sort of thing.”

“Oh, we do. I imagine that’s why he’s been as civil as he has– at least, within the establishment. But a few nights ago, something went missing from inside my car while I was working. Later he approached me on my way out and… suggested certain steps I could take to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.”

I’m supposed to be writing all of this down, but I can’t see straight anymore. The pencil is cracking in my hand. 

I manage to keep my voice steady. “This guy got a name?” 

“Toivo Gravil,” he says. “I tracked down his home address the same way I did yours. I’m afraid I don’t know where to go from here, though.” 

“That’s what I’m here for.” I’ll collect the specifics when my blood isn’t boiling. “Exactly what did he take from you?”

He hesitates. “Something… private. Something that could do me a lot of harm if it’s turned over to the wrong people.” 

“Listen, if you can’t tell me exact details, that’s fine. But I can’t help you get this thing back if I don’t know what I’m looking for. Is it bigger than a bread box?” 

More hesitation, but at least he’s willing to put it into words: “Smaller than that. It’s a memory card. He keeps it on his person.”

He looks more vulnerable than I’ve ever seen him, and I get it. He’s trusting me with a lot here. I want to pull him close and hold him, but I get the feeling that wouldn’t help things right now.

“A memory card. Got it.” I jot it down and then close the notebook, just to telegraph that I’m done prying. “It’s going to be okay. I’ll take care of it.”

“I appreciate it.” He takes a long drink of his coffee, probably to mask the fact that he’s fidgeting with the mug. “So how does this work, exactly? Should I expect an invoice, or do you only take cash, or…?”

I’m not going to think too hard about what he thinks might fill in that blank.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s on the house.” 

“Are you sure?” 

I hate the way he’s looking at me right now. I have no idea what it took for him to come to me with this– how much he risked trusting another old client not to blackmail him the way Gravil did– especially when he knows that my feelings for him aren’t exactly professional. It kills me to know that I gave him another reason to feel unsafe.

“No,” I say too fast, before I have the chance to think about what I’m saying. “I mean, yes, I’m sure. It’s not like–” I stop talking and catch my breath for a moment before I keep babbling. “I don’t expect anything from you, okay? Anything. At all. Creeps like him are scum, and they need to be stopped. So yes, it’s on the house. Completely. No strings attached.” 

I don’t know if it’s something I said, or if it’s just how flustered I am as I said it, but he seems to relax a bit. 

“Thank you, Juno,” he says softly. “I don’t think you understand how much this means to me.”

Toivo Gravil isn’t an easy man to tail. He’s a high-ranking researcher at a high-end tech firm called HelixCorp, and his habit of taking his work home with him at the end of the day means that he’s invested in a lot of security.

I call in a favor or two with an old friend from the HCPD, though, and that stops being a problem. 

I catch him in a dark parking garage, when the security cameras have conveniently stopped functioning. 

I’d like to bury my fist in his gut a few dozen times, but I’ve been warned: the guy’s rich and powerful enough that the cops might actually give a shit about him. A whole lot more than they’d give about a stripper and the city’s least popular ex-cop. If it’s either of our words against his, Gray and will probably end up going away for a long time.

So I keep my revenge cold: a laser, set to stun and shot from the shadows. He never sees me coming. I find the memory card exactly where Gray said it was, and I get out of there before the cameras go back online. 

It doesn’t feel like enough– I can think of so many other ways Gravil might lash out after this– but Gray doesn’t seem to think so.

When I hand him the memory card, he throws his arms around me. And suddenly my senses are flooded with him: his voice in my ear, his warmth against me, his cologne all over me, his lips pressed to my cheek.

“Thank you, Juno,” he murmurs into my ear. 

Instinctively I want to return the hug, deepen the kiss. Habit, though, warns me not to touch him. Reason is caught up in a tangled mess of yes/maybe/no/maybe/yes. Is this an invitation? Permission? I don’t know. I should ask, but that might make him uncomfortable, and then he’d stop. Is that taking advantage? Is it being polite? Am I not picking up on whatever signal he’s sending?

It takes all my faculties to string together a shaky “no problem.” 

Even if I won’t let him pay me, Gray insists on taking me out for coffee. I forget what I ordered even while I’m drinking it– my mind is racing trying to keep up with the conversation without looking like a complete idiot. There’s nothing provocative about his clothes or his body language, but when he touches my hand, my brain shorts out entirely. It’s such a casual touch, friendly and trusting and intimate in ways that the lap dances never were. 

I carry on the conversation as well as I can without letting it show. I may be out of my mind in love with him, but that’s my problem to deal with, not his. 

He picks up the tab; I leave him my number. 

“In case you have anything else you need help with. Just give me a call.” 

Our fingers brush as he takes the scrap of napkin from me. It’s all I can think about for the rest of the day.

Gray calls me back a few weeks later; another client has started stalking him outside of work. The bouncers at the Valley are enough to keep him safe at work, but they’re not much good to him when he’s at home. 

Fortunately, Gray knows the guy’s name. It doesn’t take me much to track down the scumbag and leave an impression on him. He doesn’t bother Gray again. 

My crush is past the point of being unhealthy. I know it. I should do something about it. I should stop seeing him.

I still pick up the comms every time he calls me. I’ll be the one person he can rely on. I’ll be there for him. I’ll save him from anything.

[greenappleeyes]

When You Go (Part 1)

Words: 1600+(including song lyrics)

Summary: You and Misha were together until insecurity and lack of communication led to an unresolved break up. He seems to have moved on fine while you are still struggling with losing him. You write a song to try and finalize that chapter of your life in hopes that you can move on without him.

A/N: So the song is not in fact an original, just using that for the story. It is a song written and performed by Jonathan Coulton. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VRCWFrwJwBM Also, obviously there is no hate for Vicky; this is a fictional story and in real life I love Vicki, Misha, and their family. And lastly, this is my very first fic. I’d appreciate any constructive criticism.

Warnings: Kind of angsty, adult themes(smutish-but nothing major,) some language, mentions of growing insecurities

—————

“You’re sure he won’t be here?” you asked Jensen for the third time this evening. He sighed and reminded you again that Misha wouldn’t be attending due to a previous engagement.

You were glad he wouldn’t be there to see you perform at the Saturday Night Special. You had written a song after your breakup and had always wanted to perform it; but you weren’t ready for him to hear it.

Sighing, you asked “He’s with her, isn’t he?” Jensen knew he was, but didn’t want to rub it in your face so he didn’t answer; just offered an apologetic smile.

—————

Your relationship with Misha started out as co-stars and friends; then slowly bloomed into something more. You were completely, pathetically in love with him from day one, but tried to play it cool. He eventually asked you out and you both felt instant sparks when you shared your first kiss that night.

Misha was a flirt. It was simply part of his personality, but you couldn’t help but get jealous from time to time. You decided to turn the tables and give him a taste of his own medicine. You had no idea at the time how jealous Misha could get, and more so, how hot it was. He was usually a gentle, giving lover, unless you wanted to bring out his jealous, dominant side.

Gentle Misha was all praise and proving that you had nothing to be jealous of by showing you how much he loved you. He would kiss you in all the right places, drawing out your pleasure for as long as possible. He would rock in and out of you slowly, caressing your hair and repeating that he loved you over and over. Slow and gentle would escalate into heated passion as he would tell you how beautiful you look and beg you to come for him. These were the nights he wanted to finish with you at the same time. It felt so much more intimate and intense; it was just another way for him to feel the love you had for each other.

Jealous Misha was rough, possessive, and full of lust. He wouldn’t even bother removing all your clothes half the time and would fuck you hard and fast. As you’d approach your climax, he’d make you beg for it. “Do you really deserve it, babygirl? Huh?! Do. You!?” The last 3 words accentuated by hard thrusts. He’d finally make you come after confirming that you were his and only his; following you over the edge grunting out “Yes! Mine!” Afterwards, he’d always make sure you were ok and that he wasn’t too rough followed by those 3 little words he told you every night before you fell asleep in his arms. “I love you.”

You two went back and forth with this game for a while, constantly upping your game. It was fun and kept things interesting, but you couldn’t help that little voice in your head from telling you that it wasn’t a game for him. Every female he interacted with seemed to be more attractive than the last and soon your fun jealousy turned into full-on insecurity. Had Misha known it was actually starting to bother you, he would have dialed it back; but you kept quiet. “I started this little game,” you thought to yourself. “I’m only going to look stupid if I’m suddenly bothered by it. I’m just being silly. He loves me… right?”

It came to a head when his high school sweetheart, Vicki, came back into his life. She was smart, funny, beautiful, and just so happened to be Misha’s first love. Misha acted like his usual flirty self towards her, but you saw it as something deeper. You began seeing meaning behind every laugh, touch, and gesture which drove you crazy; but not the fun sexy kind of crazy, the insecure and paranoid kind of crazy. Misha and Vicky began spending a lot of time together working on a charity project. He was always so passionate about his charitable endeavors and would talk about them constantly. Currently, this also meant he was talking about Vicki and her contributions a lot as well. To your eyes, he was talking to her all day everyday; even though it was a text or call here and there. Once they started working late at her office you became so blinded by your insecurities that you started to question his loyalty to you.

“Of course he’s cheating! Why wouldn’t he be fucking her?! She’s practically perfect for him!” you sobbed on the phone with your best friend. “It’s only a matter of time before he leaves me.” That is when things started to fall apart. You were so caught up with thinking he wanted someone else that you couldn’t see that you were pushing him away.

He didn’t understand why you slept facing away from him at night instead of cuddling close like you used to, why you stopped playing your game of jealousy tag, or why you didn’t seem to even want to look him in the eyes anymore. You were either listless or irritated when he was around. Every sound his phone made would put you into a worse and worse mood. He’d ask you what was wrong, you’d lie and say you were just tired. He’d make his usual cheesy jokes to cheer you up just for you to barely react. He’d try to initiate physical contact with you and you’d accuse him of only caring about sex. He loved you, but he could only take so much. He didn’t know what he had done, but you clearly no longer loved him. He couldn’t stay in a relationship with someone that didn’t feel for him the way he felt for them. To him, it seemed the longer he stayed to more unhappy you got.

“Sweetheart, I love you, but I can’t fucking do this anymore. I’m not sure what happened, but you’re not happy and neither am I. I think you know what we need to do.” He was trying to be as diplomatic as possible, even though he felt like he would shatter at any moment. You couldn’t even look at him. Maybe if you did, you would have seen in his eyes how much he loved you and how much it was killing him to leave you. 

But you didn’t. You were too angry. All you could say was “Just go.”

—————

That was about a year ago. You still saw him time to time on set, but luckily your characters did not interact much which meant you could avoid having to talk to him. About six months after your breakup, he started dating Vicky. He was trying to force himself to move on, while you saw this as proof that he had been with her all along. You tried to move on as well, but still weren’t ready for another relationship. You threw yourself into your acting and song writing. “When You Go” had been the favorite thing you had ever written and getting the chance to perform it live was bittersweet. Misha had always loved listening to you sing and helped motivate you into writing your own music. A small part of you wanted him there to see you perform, to be proud of what you had accomplished. Part of you wanted to rub it in his face and prove that you didn’t need him; even if the song itself was about him. You weren’t ready for any of that, you were mostly glad that you could perform this song without confessing your pain to him.

“Alright Y/N, you’re up,” Jensen told you while patting you on the shoulder. 

You took a deep breath and walked out on stage. “Folks, we’ve got something extra special for you tonight! Y/N here is gonna perform one of her original songs for the first time ever!” Rob excitedly told the crowd. “Have at it, Y/N.” 

You stared out and were relieved that the lights were too bright to show how many people were anxiously waiting for you. “This is called ‘When You Go’ and it means a lot to me. Go easy on me, okay?” The crowd cheered and died down as you begin to play the solemn opening riff.

——-(Song lyrics)——- Only a moment ago we had nothing but time Everything lasted forever and you were all mine Only a dream I know Thinking you’d never go Tearing off pieces of myself Just for the time it buys me

Fold my heart up small Or break it into pieces Find somewhere and keep it there Take it when you go

There in the frame of your face, in the cast of your eyes I saw this coming but still I am caught by surprise All of this time I knew That I’d be losing you That doesn’t mean that it’s OK That doesn’t mean I’m ready

Fold my heart up small Or break it into pieces Find somewhere and keep it there Take it when you go

Some things you always remember, some things you forget No way to make it up now, no room for regret That’s no good for anyone And so I come undone Now I am less than what I was Whatever’s left is yours now

So fold my heart up small Or break it into pieces Find somewhere and keep it there Take it when you go

—————

You couldn’t believe how cathartic it was to perform that song. You finally felt like you had some semblance of closure to the situation and maybe you could move on. The cheers from the crowd and congratulations from the band only heightened the experience. You bowed and thanked everyone before stepping off stage and heading toward the back when you heard someone behind you say “Y/N, that was beautiful.”

You froze and your stomach dropped. “Misha?”

[bella-narchy]

BLACK LIVES MATTER

They mattered before the trend and they’ll keep mattering once the trend ends. We have to educate ourselves in order to do better - we need to do better. Be better. We may stumble, we may make mistakes along the way, but that’s okay, we’re learning. Learning isn’t linear. As long as you’re learning, evolving and fighting to make the world a safe space for everyone, you’re on the right path.

Here are a bunch of links to Petitions, Donations, Hot Lines, Books, Podcasts, etc... anything and everything so you can support the movement and educate yourself too:

Petitions:

If you are international and are unable to sign any of these, here are some zip codes you can use

90015 - Los Angeles, California

10001 - New York City, New York

75001 - Dallas, Texas

When it comes to petitions keep in mind that if you have more than one email you can sign more than once; also, white house petitions don’t do much. They were only effective under Obama’s administration, but aren’t so much under Trump’s as they aren’t obligated to give a statement after 100k signature.

#DefundThePolice

Defund MPD

Fire Racist Criminal from the NYPD

Get the Officers Charged

Charge All Four Officers

Life Sentence For Police Brutality

Censorship of Police Brutality in France

Pass the Goergia Hate Crime Bill

Hands Up Act

National Action Agaisnt Police Brutality

Abolish Prison Labor

Stand with #BLM

Movement for Black Lives

Mandatory Racial Bias Test

Junk Terror Bill

Get Schools to Speak Up

Police De-Escalation Training

Immigrants Being Poisoned by ICE

The Trayvon Martin Law

Working Conditions for Black People in Italy

Defund Police in Dallas

Enact Civilian Oversight of RPD

Require Dash/Body Cams in King County

Defund the Police

Classify White Supremacists as Terrorists

Defung SDPD

Washington State Police Accountability

Illegal Export of Riot Equipment

Ban/Restrict Tear Gas

Knock Down Slave Market Center

Black Trans Women UK

Reject Trump’s Violence Towards Protesters

Make Police Brutality Illegal

Teach Black History In UK

Migrant Domestic Workers in Lebanon

End Systemic Racism

Make KKK Illegal

Donations:

Do not donate to Shaun King, or change.org (on the latter, the money is kept by change.org, it does not go to the causes, however the petitions work wonderfully). The following list contains only places were international payment is accepted.

BLM Fund

BLM LA Fund

Black Trans Women Fund

Reclaim the Block

North Star Health Collective

ACLU

The Marshall Project

NAACP Legal Defense Fund

Loveland Therapy Fund

Lake Street Cleanup

Rebuild Native American Youth Center

Cambodia Town Relief Fund

National Bail Fund Network

Unicorn Riot Fund

Black Owned Businesses Atlanta

Black Mental Health Matters:

Black Emotional and Mental Health Crisis Hotline

The Association of Black Psychologists

Crisis Text Line

The Love Land Foundation

The Boris Henson Foundation

Sista Afya Community Mental Wellness

Black Mental Wellness

LGBTQ+ Psychologists of Color

Melanin & Mental Health

Family Paths

Nami

The Safe Place App

National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network

Ethal’s Club

Black Mental Health Alliance

The Unplug Collective

Dive In Well

YouTube Videos, Film & Television:

A BLM Documentary

A debate that puts things in perspective

breakdown of all lives matter

background info of BLM

a little girl gives a speech on BLM

Systemic Racism Explained

YouTube video of Robin DiAngelo discussing White Fragility

“Dear White Friend: You Need to Take a Side”

TED Talk: What My Coloring Book Taught Me About Racism

Rachel Cargle’s TED Talk: Coming to Terms With Racism’s Inertia

Why Rioting Makes Sense

Why White People Need to Use Their Bodies to Defend Black People

Just Mercy

When They See Us

Dear White People

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Selma

Mudbound

12 Years a Salve

Moonlight

The Hate You Give

I Am Not Your Negro

The Blood of Jesus

Within Out Gates

Harriet

Do the Right Thing

Daughters of the Dust

Killer of Sheep

The Learning Tree

Boyz n the Hood

Sidewalk Stories

Fruitvale Station

Hidden Figures

Fences

13th

The Great Debaters

Miracle at St. Anna

Straight Outta Compton

Pariah

Antwone Fisher

Dreamgirls

Black Panther

Blackish

Insecure

Empire

Scandal

All American

Atlanta

Marshall

Monsters and Men

Middle of Nowhere

Mississippi Burning

A Time to Kill

To Kill a Mockingbird

Corrina Corrina

Burning Cane

The Black Power Mixtape

The Black Panthers

Time: the Kalief Browder Story

Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story

Stranger Fruit

POSE

Read a Little… or a LOT:

In Defense of Looting - Vicky Osterweil

White Witness and the Contemporary Lynching - Zoé Samudzi

Black is Crime: Notes on Blaqillegalism - Dubian Ade

A Guide to Allyship

There’s No Such Think as a Pretty Protest - Tirhakah Love

7 Ways We Know Systemic Racism Is Real

How White Feminists Oppress Black Women: When Feminism Functions as White Supremacy

Guide by Rachel Cargle explaining the relationship between white feminism and black women

How to Talk to Kids About Racial Violence and Police Brutality

We Need More White Parents to Talk to Their Kids About Race. Especially Now.

Resources from The Conscious Kid

Are Your Kids Too Young to Talk About Race?

Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness - Anastasia Higginbotham

How to Tell Someone You Love They’re Being Racist

How to Communicate With Racist Family Members

How to Talk to Your Family About Racism

Here’s What to Say to Racist Family Members During the Holidays

What Exactly is a Microaggression?

Microaggressions don’t just ‘hurt your feelings’

Crook County: Racism and Injustice in America’s Largest Criminal Court - Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve

Justy Mercy - Bryan Stevenson

The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness - Michelle Alexander

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston

The Color Purple - Alice Walker

Women, Race and Class - Angela Yvonne Davis

Policing the Planet: Why the Policing Crisis Led to Black Lives Matter - Multiple

Tears We Cannot Stop - Michael Eric Dyson

Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates

The Origin of Others - Toni Morrison

Heavy - Kiese Laymon

Brown Boy - Daphnie Glenn

75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice - Corinne Shutack

How White Womens’ Tears Threaten Black Existence - Cameron Glover

When Feminism is White Supremacy in Heels - Rachel Cargle

The Souls of White Folk - Stephen Jamal Leeper

What do we do with white folks? - Anthony James William

White People Have No Culture - Lorena Wallace

White Fragility - The Conscious Kid

Trump Defends White-Nationalist Protesters: ‘Some Very Fine People on Both Sides’ - Rosie Gray

Discourse & Debate: Is performative activism inherently bad? - Kayla Abrams

Amy Cooper, White Spaces, and the Political Projection of Whiteness - Wear Your Voice Magazine

The White Space - Elijah Anderson

This Is What Black Burnout Feels Like - Tiana Clark

Amy Cooper Knew Exactly What She Was Doing - Zeba Blay

Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race - Renni Eddo-Lodge

Black Lives Matter & COVID-19: An Activist Roundtable - Aislinn Pulley, brian bean, Frank Chapman, Damon Williams, Alyx Goodwin, Todd St. Hill, Khury Petersen-Smith, Haley Pessin

We’re Sick of Racism, Literally - Douglas Jacobs

Letter From a Birmingham Jail - Martin Luther King, Jr.

If Beale Street Could Talk and the Urgency of Black Love - Hannah Giorgis

Embracing Sadness When Joy & Rage Are the Only Options the World Offers to Black People - Zhailon Levingston

How White People Can Hold Each Other Accountable to Stop Institutional Racism - Elly Belle

What the Prison-Abolition Movement Wants - Kim Kelly

I’m Not Black, I’m Kanye - Ta-Nehisi Coates

1619 Project - New York Times compilation on the lasting legacy of slavery in the US

The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration - Ta-Nehisi Coates

The Case for Reparations - Ta-Nehisi Coates

Where is the outrage for Breonna Taylor? - Renee Nishawn Scott

Forget “Looting.” Capitalism is the Real Robbery - William C. Anderson

A Timeline of the Events That Led to the 2020 Uprising - Michael Harriot

Why Protest? (Zine) - Chicago Prison Industrial Complex (PIC) Teaching Collective

America, This is Your Chance - Michelle Alexander

How Do We Change America? - Keeanga Yamahtta-Taylor

44 Mental Health Resources for Black People Trying to Survive in This Country - Zahra Barnes

What Kind of Society Values Property Over Black Lives? - Robin Kelly

Business of Fashion 500 is now 499. - Kerby Jean-Raymond

What It’s Really Like to Be Black and Work in Fashion - Lindsay Peoples Wagner

Model Minority’ Myth Again Used as a Racial Wedge Between Asians and Blacks - Kat Chow

20+ Allyship Actions for Asians to Show Up for the Black Community Right Now - Michelle Kim

6 Ways Asian Americans Can Tackle Anti-Black Racism in Their Families - Kim Tran

The Asian American Reply to Pandemic-Era Racism Must Be Cross-Racial Solidarity - Kelsey Liu and Monica Hahn

Mariame Kaba: Everything Worthwhile Is Done with Other People - Eve L. Ewing interviewing Mariame Kaba

Free Us All - Mariame Kaba

The Wretched of the Earth - Frantz Fanon

Pedagogy of the Oppressed - Paulo Freire

Assata: An Autobiography - Assata Shakur

#8ToAbolition - Site with 8 demands for abolition

Abolition Cannot Wait: Visions for Transformation and Radical World-Building - K. Agbebiyi, Sarah T. Hamid, Rachel Kuo and Mon Mohapatra

By the end of his life, Martin Luther King realized the validity of violence - Hanif Abdurraqib

Yes, We Literally Mean Abolish the Police - Mariame Kaba

How Videos of Police Brutality Traumatize African-Americans and Undermine the Search for Justice - Kia Gregory

What to Do Instead of Calling the Police - Aaron Rose

The Case for Delegitimizing the Police - William C. Anderson

Abolish the Police? - Maya Dukmasova

Alternatives to the Police - Evan Dent, Molly Korab, Farid Rener

Calling Someone Other Than the Cops - Conor Friedersdorf

finding ways not to call the police

Twitter Flags Trump, White House for ‘glorifying violence’ in George Floyd protest tweets - Travis Pittman

Desert Sun ‘looting’ quote source

Abolish the Police (Part 1 and Part 2) - brian bean

How to Safely and Ethically Film Police Misconduct - Palika Makam

11 Things You Can Do to Help Black Lives Matter End Police Violence - Lincoln Anthony Blades

Abolish the Police. Instead, Let’s Have Full Social, Economic, and Political Equality. - Mychal Denzel Smith

The Myth of Police Reform - Ta-Nehisi Coates

Community Safety Looks Like…

Project NIA

Summer Heat - Mariame Kaba

Check in on Your Black Employees, Now - Tonya Russell

Rebellions Get Results: A List So Far - brian bean

Where Bail Funds Go From Here - Jia Tolentino

How The Police Could Be Defunded - Alexis Okeowo

Curriculum for White Americans to Educate Themselves on Race and Racism - Jon Greenberg

Anti-Oppression: Anti-Racism Guide - Simmons University

SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice)

Whiteaccomplices.org Resources

Taking a Stand Against Police Violence

Antiracism resources for white people

JusticeforBreonna

Abolitionist Resources

Critical Resistance

Antiracism Resources

GoodGoodGood

Resource Guide: Prisons, Policing, and Punishment - Micah Herskind

Transform Harm - Mariame Kaba

Fumbling Towards Repair: A Workbook for Community Accountability Facilitators - Mariame Kaba and Shira Hassan

The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin

Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States - Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

How to be an Antiracist - Ibram X. Kendi

Pushout: the Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools - Monique W. Morris

From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation - Keeanga Yamahtta-Taylor

As Black as Resistance - Zoe Samudzi

When Affirmative Action was White - Ira Katznelson

So You Want to Talk About Race - Ijeoma Oluo

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism - Robin DiAngelo

The New Jim Crow - Michelle Alexander

Freedom is a Constant Struggle - Angela Davis

Women, Race and Class - Angela Davis

Sister Outsider - Audre Lorde

Your Silence Will Not Protect You - Audre Lorde

Beloved - Toni Morrison

The Bluest Eye - Toni Morrison

Song of Soloman - Toni Morrison

Who do you serve? Who do you protect? - Alicia Garza, Joe Macaré, Maya Schenwar, and Alana Yu-lan Price

Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex - Eric A. Stanley

Race Matters - Cornel West

How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective - Keeanga Yamahtta-Taylor

Crunk Feminist Collection - Brittney Cooper, Susana M. Morris and Robin M. Boylorn, Crunk Feminist Collective

They Can’t Kill Us All - Wesley Lowry

Racism Without Racists - Eduardo Bonilla-Silva

This Bridge Called My Back - Compilation, edited by Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldua

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

Redefining Realness - Janet Mock

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston

The Warmth of Other Suns - Isabel Wilkerson

Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party - Joshua Bloom

Just Mercy - Bryan Stevenson

Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color - Andrea Ritchie

Jackson Rising: The Struggle for Economic Democracy and Black Self-Determination in Jackson, Mississippi - Kali Akuno and Ajamu Nangwaya

The End of Policing - Alex Vitale

On Being White - James Baldwin

The Invisible Weight of Whiteness: the Racial Grammar of Everyday Life in Contemporary America - Eduardo Bonilla-Silva

Race, Power & Policy: Dismantling Structural Racism - the Grassroots Policy Project

Words Matter: Thoughts on Language and Abolition - Critical Resistance Abolition Toolkit Workgroup

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack - Peggy McIntosh

Anti-Racist Lesson Plans & Resources for Educators - Compilation

Here Are 21 Free Resources for Teaching Social Justice in the Classroom - Megan DeMatteo

Children’s books that discuss race and racism - @wanderingbritt_ (twitter thread)

Your Kids Aren’t Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup - Katrina Michie

Racial Equity Tools Glossary - Racial Equity Tools (key terms in discussing racism)

Where Do I Begin?: A 28-day reading plan for white and non-black POC (people of color) aspiring allies - Amy Sanchez

How to be a better ally to Black people, reading guide by level - Victoria Alexander (Facebook Post)

Anti-Racism For Kids 101: Starting To Talk About Race

Here’s How W. Kamau Bell Talks About Race With His Kids

100 Race-Conscious things you can say to your child to advance racial justice

Article on Raising Race-Conscious Children

4 Things We Should All Teach Kids About Racism Right Now

Teaching Tolerance: Race & Ethnicity

No White Saviors: Kids Books About Black Women in US History

How Kids Learn Prejudice

Even Babies Discriminate: A Natureshock Excerpt

Podcasts:

About Race

Code Switch

The Nod

The Stakes

Scene on Radio: Seeing White Series

The Heart: Race Traitor Series

United States of Anxiety

Shine Brighter Together

Listen to the movement on spotify: “WE’LL REST WHEN WE’RE FREE”

[harolddetective]

StayHomeWriMo Public Health DEA Cases and more Counter-Surveillance – 084

Right-click and select “Save As” to download this podcast episode to your device.

transcript:

​

​his week on the Writer’s Detective Bureau, StayHomeWriMo, public health, DEA cases and more counter surveillance. I’m Adam Richardson and this is the Writer’s Detective Bureau.

Welcome to episode number 84 of the Writer’s Detective Bureau, the podcast dedicated to helping authors and screenwriters write professional quality crime-related fiction. This week I’m answering your questions about the new StayHomeWriMo initiative, how law enforcement works during a public health crisis, whether DEA discloses case info to local cops, and how one might spot surveillance in a restaurant.

I need to thank Gold Shield patrons, Debra Dunbar from debradunbar.com, C.C. Jameson from ccjameson.com, Larry Keeton, Vicki Tharp at vickitharpe.com, Chrysann, Larry Darter, Natalie Barelli of nataliebarelli.com, Craig Kingsman of craigkingsman.com, Lynn Vitale and Marco Carocari of marcocarocari.com for their support. And I also need to send a big thank you to my Silver Cuff-link and Coffee Club patrons as well. You can find links to all of the writers supporting this episode by going to the show notes at writersdetective.com/84. And to learn about setting up your own Patreon account for your author business or to support the show for as little as $2 per month, visit writersdetective.com/patreon. P-A-T-R-E-O-N.

​How quickly the world has changed. How are you holding up? I saw a new take on a popular meme recently and it said, “Introverts, check on your extroverted friends. They are not okay.” I am definitely an introvert and would probably love to be self-isolating. I say probably because I’m still working as usual, but if I was in self-isolation mode, I’d seriously consider tackling StayHomeWriMo brought to you by the NaNoWriMo folks. They are posting daily self-care checklist of things to do for yourself while you’re stuck inside. Each day has four things to do. Number one is for mental wellbeing, number two is for creative wellbeing, three, social wellbeing, and four, physical wellbeing.

So day one’s checklist was for mental wellbeing, put your phone in a drawer for half an hour and give yourself a break from the news and social media. For the creative wellbeing, they gave you a writing prompt. Write about a character who’s stuck inside. How do they feel about it? Why are they there? For social wellbeing, write and mail a letter to a friend or a family member. And for physical wellbeing, take note of where the tensest points in your body are. Take three deep breaths while relaxing those muscles. So I’ll provide a link to the StayHomeWriMo page in the show notes at writersdetective.com/84 if you’d like to get the daily checklists sent to you.

Also, Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income, who I consider a virtual mentor of sorts, has some great content right now geared toward dealing with the quarantine as an online business owner, which as a writer you are. Pat’s showing up every morning on YouTube for a Q and A and he just put out a great video on five things you can lean into to make the most of the new time you have and come out better on the other end. So I’ll link to that video in the show notes as well. So watch it when you have a chance and think about how this giant timeout can be viewed as a chance for you to do something you wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise. This is you time and we’re going to get through this and I can’t wait to see what you create.

And if you’re just looking for a laugh and a little rabbit hole to go down, follow end NCWHM on Twitter. It’s the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Unlike most places, it’s closed right now. So the museum left Tim, their head of security, in charge of the museum’s social media account while the museum is closed. Tim’s a grandpa and he’s learning the ropes of how to use Twitter and he is funny. I’m not really into the whole cowboy thing and it doesn’t have anything to do with police work, but I am loving this account and I bet you might as well. So check it out on Twitter at NCWHM if you just want a smile for a bit and help him go viral in a good way. All right, let’s get into this week’s questions…                                                                                                                                                                    Continue reading…

StayHomeWriMo Public Health DEA Cases and more Counter-Surveillance – 084 syndicated from https://harolddetective.wordpress.com/

[shadowfollowweb]

StayHomeWriMo Public Health DEA Cases and more Counter-Surveillance - 084

Right-click and select "Save As" to download this podcast episode to your device.

transcript:

​

​his week on the Writer's Detective Bureau, StayHomeWriMo, public health, DEA cases and more counter surveillance. I'm Adam Richardson and this is the Writer's Detective Bureau. Welcome to episode number 84 of the Writer's Detective Bureau, the podcast dedicated to helping authors and screenwriters write professional quality crime-related fiction. This week I'm answering your questions about the new StayHomeWriMo initiative, how law enforcement works during a public health crisis, whether DEA discloses case info to local cops, and how one might spot surveillance in a restaurant. I need to thank Gold Shield patrons, Debra Dunbar from debradunbar.com, C.C. Jameson from ccjameson.com, Larry Keeton, Vicki Tharp at vickitharpe.com, Chrysann, Larry Darter, Natalie Barelli of nataliebarelli.com, Craig Kingsman of craigkingsman.com, Lynn Vitale and Marco Carocari of marcocarocari.com for their support. And I also need to send a big thank you to my Silver Cuff-link and Coffee Club patrons as well. You can find links to all of the writers supporting this episode by going to the show notes at writersdetective.com/84. And to learn about setting up your own Patreon account for your author business or to support the show for as little as $2 per month, visit writersdetective.com/patreon. P-A-T-R-E-O-N.

​How quickly the world has changed. How are you holding up? I saw a new take on a popular meme recently and it said, "Introverts, check on your extroverted friends. They are not okay." I am definitely an introvert and would probably love to be self-isolating. I say probably because I'm still working as usual, but if I was in self-isolation mode, I'd seriously consider tackling StayHomeWriMo brought to you by the NaNoWriMo folks. They are posting daily self-care checklist of things to do for yourself while you're stuck inside. Each day has four things to do. Number one is for mental wellbeing, number two is for creative wellbeing, three, social wellbeing, and four, physical wellbeing. So day one's checklist was for mental wellbeing, put your phone in a drawer for half an hour and give yourself a break from the news and social media. For the creative wellbeing, they gave you a writing prompt. Write about a character who's stuck inside. How do they feel about it? Why are they there? For social wellbeing, write and mail a letter to a friend or a family member. And for physical wellbeing, take note of where the tensest points in your body are. Take three deep breaths while relaxing those muscles. So I'll provide a link to the StayHomeWriMo page in the show notes at writersdetective.com/84 if you'd like to get the daily checklists sent to you. Also, Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income, who I consider a virtual mentor of sorts, has some great content right now geared toward dealing with the quarantine as an online business owner, which as a writer you are. Pat's showing up every morning on YouTube for a Q and A and he just put out a great video on five things you can lean into to make the most of the new time you have and come out better on the other end. So I'll link to that video in the show notes as well. So watch it when you have a chance and think about how this giant timeout can be viewed as a chance for you to do something you wouldn't have been able to do otherwise. This is you time and we're going to get through this and I can't wait to see what you create. And if you're just looking for a laugh and a little rabbit hole to go down, follow end NCWHM on Twitter. It's the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Unlike most places, it's closed right now. So the museum left Tim, their head of security, in charge of the museum's social media account while the museum is closed. Tim's a grandpa and he's learning the ropes of how to use Twitter and he is funny. I'm not really into the whole cowboy thing and it doesn't have anything to do with police work, but I am loving this account and I bet you might as well. So check it out on Twitter at NCWHM if you just want a smile for a bit and help him go viral in a good way. All right, let's get into this week's questions...                                                                                                                                                                    Continue reading...

StayHomeWriMo Public Health DEA Cases and more Counter-Surveillance - 084 published first on https://detectiveservicesmelbourne.tumblr.com/

[andrewdburton]

Playing with fire: Words of wisdom from Vicki Robin

During my recent two-week break from blogging, I wasn't just focusing on my mental health. I did a couple of television interviews. I continued to hammer out details for a potential major project (details soon, I think). And last Monday, I drove to Seattle to attend a screening of Playing with FIRE, the new film about financial independence and early retirement.

I was impressed with the turnout. I thought that maybe 100 people would show up. But the local Choose FI group stepped up their game. The theater — which reportedly contained 278 seats — was packed with an enthusiastic audience.

Although I've seen the film before, this was my first chance to view it on the big screen. I thought it looked great! (Even the parts with me.)

And again, I was impressed how the movie, which is ostensibly the story of Scott Rieckens' journey of discovery, really belongs to his wife, Taylor, who has to overcome her skepticism (and fear) in order to adopt a leaner lifestyle.

After the screening, I participated in a Q&A panel alongside Scott, Taylor, and Vicki Robin, who is one of my personal heroes. I was so interested in what Vicki had to say, in fact, that I whipped out my laptop to take notes!

What follows are some of Vicki's thoughts — and my responses now that I've had time to think about what she said. Most of this is from the Q&A panel. Some of it comes from a conversation earlier in the evening.

What Is Money For?

One audience member asked if we believed that these concepts would ever become mainstream, if average folks would ever embrace the ideas of financial indepence and early retirement. Will the movement pick up steam? Or has it run its course?

I'm on record having said that I think we're at (or near) “peak FIRE”. I won't say that the FIRE movement is a fad, but it's certainly faddish. It's a product of the incredible economic prosperity we've enjoyed during the past decade — the longest economic expansion in this country's history! — and the rise to prominence of a few vocal proponents of early retirement.

I think there will always be some sort of financial independence movement, but the current size and momentum is unique. And it won't last.

I didn't say any of this on Monday night. But Vicki did.

“Every generation in America has had some version of this,” she said, “from the Puritans to the Transcendentalists to today. They realize that money and the story of capitalism isn't the whole story of life.”

She specifically cited Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Edward Bok, the long-time editor of Ladies' Home Journal.

As she has many times in the past, Vicki lamented the fact that today's iteration of financial independence seems to be less altruistic and more selfish. People are more motivated by personal gain. She's all in favor of lifestyle design, but she wishes more people would pursue “lifestyle design with the world in mind”.

“The whole focus is on money,” she said. “But money is a tiny, meaningless part of your life. It's just there for support. Yet it ends up occupying so much space in our minds. It's problematic.”

I don't want to put words into her mouth, but she seems to believe (as I do) that financial independence should be a side effect of a life well-lived, a byproduct of pursuing meaning. Wealth shouldn't be your primary aim.

“This generation is aspirational at the level of money but not at the level of service,” she said. “There's certainly an element of Stoicism from people like Mr. Money Mustache, but because the focus is so much on money and materialism, it makes it tough when people hit their ‘FI number'. They don't know what to do next.”

When she and Joe Dominguez originally taught the “Your Money or Your Life” course, the people they served were on a spiritual journey. A lot of them wanted to go back to the land. That's not how it is today.

This is a product of generational differences, of course. When Vicki and Joe were spreading the word in the seventies and eighties, our world was different. Now, forty years later, we're even more immersed in technology and marketing and consumerism. But maybe that's why her message continues to resonate with so many people?

“The whole point of this economy is to hook you up to a milking machine,” Vicki complained. Throughout the evening, she likened our consumer culture to The Matrix. She wants to help people escape the Matrix — and so do I.

For further reading on Vicki's thoughts about the purpose of money, check out my March write-up of the talk she gave in Portland.

The Levels of Financial Independence

Vicki does appreciate how willing the modern FIRE folks are to discuss personal finance. She's attended Camp Mustache and an FI Chautauqua. (She'll attend another one in Ecuador this fall.) She's impressed by the folks who attend these events.

“They're good at social learning,” she said. “They like to get together and talk about this stuff, to talk about money. As a result, everybody gets better and better with money. Most people don't talk about money, so they never improve.”

At one point, Vicki shared what she calls her “levels of financial independence”. “Each level gives you a degree of freedom,” she said.

At the first level, you “liberate your mind from the thrall of consumer culture”. You develop the capacity to know for yourself how much is enough for you. This is the level of consumer resistance.

The second level is getting out of debt, which frees you from financial chains and allows you to make more purposeful decisions.

At the third level, you have six months of savings in the bank, which gives you even greater freedom.

At the fourth level, you begin to develop useful skills. You learn that you can do things for yourself. You can do things for others. You can use these skills to make money, but you can also use them so that you don't need money. “The less hooked in you are to money, the more independent you are,” she said. She wants people to become broadly educated and broadly skilled.

At the fifth level, you develop your social networks. You connect with people to create a “sharing economy”. At this point, I interrupted her. “Do you mean social capital?” I asked. “I like to call it belonging,” Vicki said.

At the sixth level, you've developed enough savings that you can invest your money and it throws off enough income for you to live.

These levels remind me, obviously, of my own stages of financial freedom, which I share from time to time at Get Rich Slowly. These started in 2009 as three (then four) discrete stages. Over time, my list has evolved.

Apparently, I need to update that graphic. It's still branded for Money Boss!

Toward the end of the Q&A, I got riled up. I went off the rails about people who complain that those who work in retirement aren't retired. (“Bullshit!” I said, because it is.) Mostly though, I listened with everyone else as Vicki pontificated on her 30+ years of experience in this movement.

It's not every day you get to sit next to one of your heroes and take notes. I'm glad I did.

The post Playing with fire: Words of wisdom from Vicki Robin appeared first on Get Rich Slowly.

from Finance https://www.getrichslowly.org/vicki-robin-wisdom/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[bulbspoon9-blog]

22 Hot Cocktail Recipes for Cold Winter Nights

[Photographs: Vicky Wasik, Elana Lepkowski]

It's still practically shorts weather in California, where I live, but the folks at Serious Eats World Headquarters in New York assure me that it is, in fact, winter. Back when I lived in places that actually got cold, winter meant hot drinks—hot cocoa and mulled cider when I was a kid, hot cider and hot cocoa with booze when I got older.

But there's more to the world of hot drinks than pouring a shot into whatever's in your mug. If you put some thought into them, hot drinks can have all the class and sophistication of chilled cocktails. To show you what I mean, we've rounded up 22 of our favorite hot toddies, spiked ciders, cocoas, coffees, and other hot cocktails to keep you toasty all season long.

Hot Toddies

[Photograph: Elana Lepkowski]

Next time you're craving a hot toddy, think beyond a simple mixture of whiskey or brandy with hot water. Here we change it up, using caramelly, herbal Averna and adding a sweet-spicy syrup made with brown sugar, cinnamon, and black pepper. Getting rid of the hard liquor keeps the alcohol content down, so you can keep refilling your mug throughout the evening.

Spiced Averna Toddy Recipe »

Back to the full list

[Photograph: Autumn Giles]

We make this bright, herbal toddy with citrusy New Amsterdam Gin instead of the brown liquor more commonly found in the drink, and replace the water with mint tea for extra flavor. A sweet-tart cranberry syrup gives this cocktail a festive ruby-red color that's made for the holidays.

The Hot and Cold »

Back to the full list

[Photograph: Nick Guy]

Even more of a departure from the traditional hot toddy, this smoky, Mexican-inspired drink combines mezcal, Green Chartreuse, Angostura and mole bitters, stick cinnamon, and sprigs of fresh mint. A splash of ginger beer complements the spicy notes in the drink and adds a pleasant fizz.

Remontel Toddy Recipe »

Back to the full list

[Photograph: Sydney Oland]

This drink may be more mulled wine than hot toddy, but it's a crowd-pleasing option no matter what you call it. To make it, we combine Riesling, brandy, and honey, then steep bay leaves and toasted cardamom pods in the mixture before straining and serving. It's a soothing, herbal mix that'll warm you all the way through.

Riesling Hot Toddy Recipe »

Back to the full list

Spiked Cider

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

Anyone can pour a shot of bourbon into their hot cider—for something more interesting, try infusing the liquor with sweet, toasty caramel popcorn first. Once you've made the infused bourbon (which takes just a few minutes on the stove), all you need is the cider and a little pat of butter to float on top of each drink.

Hot Caramel-Popcorn Bourbon Apple Cider Recipe »

Back to the full list

[Photograph: María del Mar Sacasa]

Not sold on popcorn-infused bourbon? This darker, moodier butter-topped cider is spiked with dark rum instead, for a hot buttered rum–like feel, and it gets its sweetness from pure maple syrup rather than caramel. To contrast the rich, deep flavors of the drink, serve it in glasses rimmed with an eye-opening combination of lemon juice and Maldon salt.

Salty Maple Buttered Cider Recipe »

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[Photograph: María del Mar Sacasa]

We don't infuse the whiskey with anything fancy for this spiked cider, but we do give it an unexpected twist (or three) by stirring in sweet-and-spicy ginger liqueur, pouring it over rich Luxardo cherries, and finishing with freshly cracked black pepper, which reinforces the subtle burn of the ginger.

Peppery Ginger Cider Recipe »

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[Photograph: Tara Striano]

If plain old cider just isn't apple enough for you, you'll fall in love with this aptly named fruity concoction. We triple down on the apple here by adding Granny Smiths and Applejack brandy, and mix in clementine orange and dried cranberries for even more fruity flavor. To balance the drink, we turn to a slew of spices: cinnamon, cloves, allspice, coriander, and black peppercorns.

Eve's Addiction Recipe »

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Boozy Hot Chocolate

[Photograph: Elana Lepkowski]

The best boozy hot chocolate starts with the best hot chocolate, so ditch the store-bought mixes and make it from scratch, using unsweetened cocoa powder, semisweet chocolate chips, and sugar. Once you've taken care of the basics, you can doctor the drink up as you'd like—here, we mix in a shot of amaro and top with homemade Angostura whipped cream. Try subbing fernet for amaro if you want a minty kick.

Amaro Hot Chocolate Recipe »

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[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

I rarely say no to a cup of cocoa spiked with Baileys, but you can make a much tastier drink by separating the liqueur into its component flavors—Amaretto, espresso powder, vanilla extract, and Irish whiskey—and adding each to your cocoa individually. Not only are the ingredients going to be better-quality that way, you can also adjust the ratios exactly to your liking.

Better Than Baileys Hot Chocolate Recipe »

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[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

I'm sure you're familiar with the concept of spiking Guinness with Jameson and Baileys, so why not use all three to make a seriously boozy hot chocolate? The Baileys and whiskey can be added straight to the cocoa, but in order for the flavor of the beer to come through, you'll need to reduce it into a concentrated syrup on the stovetop first.

Guinness, Whiskey, and Baileys Hot Chocolate Recipe »

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[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

Forget commercial butterscotch sauce—it's easy to make your own with nothing more than sugar and heavy cream. (Despite the name, butterscotch isn't actually made with Scotch whisky, but we add a shot anyway, since we like the notes of smoke and vanilla it provides.) We use the butterscotch syrup two ways—most of it is mixed in with the hot chocolate, and the last bit is drizzled on top as a tantalizing garnish.

Salted Butterscotch Hot Chocolate Recipe »

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[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

The peak of the all-bacon-all-the-time craze may be behind us, but the combination of bacon and chocolate is tasty enough to be more than a fad. To give this hazelnut hot chocolate as much smoky bacon flavor as possible, we emulsify rendered fat right into the drink before adding Frangelico, bourbon, whipped cream, chopped toasted hazelnuts—and the essential fried-bacon-strip garnish.

Bacon, Bourbon, and Hazelnut Hot Chocolate Recipe »

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[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

Not all boozy hot chocolate recipes have to be quite so involved—this one just requires spiking the cocoa with tequila, a surprisingly appropriate partner for chocolate, and peppermint schnapps. Garnish each mug with mint leaves to complement the schnapps and give the cocoa a fresh, herbal aroma.

Tequila Mint Hot Chocolate Recipe »

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[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]

You could use tequila in this hot chocolate, too, but if you have mezcal on hand, we encourage you to try it instead—its smokiness works wonderfully with the dried ancho chili and cinnamon that give the cocoa its kick. If you don't have mezcal, try substituting dark rum, which will give the drink some extra richness.

Spicy Aztec Hot Chocolate With Chili, Cinnamon, and Mezcal Recipe »

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Spiked Coffee

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

As good as a classic Irish coffee may be, there's more to spiked coffee than that. This version takes its inspiration from the flavors of Nutella (hence the name, a play on gianduia), replacing the usual whiskey with hazelnut-infused Frangelico and topping the drink off with chocolate whipped cream. We also add a tablespoon of simple syrup to each mug to take a little of the edge off the coffee.

Just-Do-Ya (Hazelnut-Spiked Irish Coffee With Chocolate Whipped Cream) Recipe »

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[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

In our opinion, the sugarcane sweetness and slight kick of spiced rum make it an even better partner than whiskey for coffee, so we put it to work in this Irish-coffee variation, topped with butterscotch whipped cream and a dusting of nutmeg. Malted milk powder and brown sugar in the whipped cream help simulate the slow-cooked flavor of traditional butterscotch.

Everything Nice (Spiced-Rum Coffee With Butterscotch Whipped Cream) Recipe »

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[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

Fair warning: This recipe isn't going to appeal to everyone, but it will speak to fans of the minty and bitter flavors of Fernet Branca. We start with coffee (already pretty bitter), then pour in the fernet and top the drink off with tangy lemon whipped cream. It's certainly a more assertive combination than our other Irish-coffee recipes, but give it a chance and you might be surprised by how much you like it.

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (Fernet-Spiked Irish Coffee With Lemon Cream) Recipe »

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[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

If you find Fernet Branca a little too intense, this bittersweet spiked coffee might be just the thing for you. This hot cocktail gets just enough bite from caramelly Amaro Averna and herbal, citrusy Gran Classico, while bourbon gives it a boozier kick and crème de cacao lends it rich sweetness. Look for a good-quality brand of crème de cacao, such as Tempus Fugit.

Bittersweet Amaro- and Whiskey-Spiked Coffee Recipe »

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[Photograph: Lizz Schumer]

This recipe also strives for a more balanced, bittersweet flavor, spiking the coffee with spicy rye whiskey, Luxardo Amaro Abano, and Angostura bitters. All those bitter flavors get nicely mellowed out with the addition of apple brandy, Demerara sugar, and a topping of whipped cream; stir a bit of the cream straight into the drink to soften it up even further.

Architects and Kings Recipe »

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Other Hot Cocktails

[Photograph: Elana Lepkowski]

A classic chilled Ward 8 is made with rye, lemon and orange juice, and grenadine. Those fruit juices don't work so well in a drink that has to be diluted with hot water, so to make this version, we replace them with a more intensely flavored oleosaccharum and a couple of ounces of orange curaçao. The grenadine is swapped out for pomegranate juice to give the drink a brighter flavor. This recipe makes a big batch—enough for eight cocktails—so it's ideal for filling up a Thermos on a day of sledding, ice skating, or other winter fun.

Hot Ward 8 Cocktail Recipe »

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[Photograph: Lizz Schumer]

Clarified-milk punches haven't been in the spotlight for a couple hundred years, but that just means this cocktail is super retro and therefore cool, right? Besides the clarified milk, we make this version with a lemon oleosaccharum, lemon juice, simple syrup, cognac, and rum, for a drink that's both rich and citrusy.

The Varnish's Milk Punch Recipe »

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This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Serious Eats. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.

Source: https://www.seriouseats.com/roundups/hot-cocktail-recipes

[girlieinterns]

Carter’s Interview: Business Manager.

- First off, you once said you came to New York with no intention of doing PR related work. Could you give us a little overview of your journey from graduation to Girlie?

I moved to New York about ​eight years ago and ​started out by interning at a casting agency for Broadway shows. It was a way for me to get ​involved ​with a​ creative industry, but once I saw how the theater world ​really ​worked​ -​ I decided that I wanted to try ​out the ​music​ world instead​. I had a friend who knew the current business manager at Girlie and told me he could ​recommend me ​for ​an internship. During the interview I ​explained to his friend​, “Look I don’t have any experience, but I can write pretty well.​. and if you’re willing to take a chance, I​ ​can be scrappy and learn whatever you need​!​” I interned for eight months​, and​ remember having a​ check-in​ with Felice and Vickie​ during that time​ about what I was interested in​.​  ​I was​ really​ passionate about trying to get a job here​,​ but I ​​didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I didn’t feel like publicity was the ​right fit ​for me personally, ​so I ​considered ​maybe  do​ing​ something with ​live ​events or help​ing​ Vickie ​develop ​our artist management ​division. They advised me: “If you really wanna work in the music industry, ​first of all - ​you’re crazy, but if ​you still really do​ -​ the​re will always be decent paying​ jobs​ in​ booking and management.” I thought I wanted to do artist management so I tried ​it. ​But after​ the​ir​ ​​​​business manager ​(​at the time​)​ decided to go back to school ​- Vickie ​serendipitously ​called me the ​same ​day I ​had quit my restaurant job and ​asked​​ if I want​ed​ to interview for ​the Business Manager position​,​ ​Needless to say​,​ I was thrilled!

- What kind of administrative tasks do you do for the business?

A lot of ​operational organization ​+​ managing the company’s finances​ & branding​. ​I​ ​process payrol​l, organize company and employee expenses.. ​& basically keep track o​f​ every dollar that ​comes in and ​goes​ out.​ ​​ ​In addition to finance: I sort insurance plans each year, run the intern program, ​oversee Girlie's social media pages, manage everyone's IT and office needs, plan all the birthday parties, and serve as "general council" to anyone who needs my ear or a boost of positivity throughout their week. The staff knows that if they have an issue with anything they can ​always ​come to me​.. so I guess I've become kind of the resident therapist as well, haha.  

-How is Girlie different from when you started?

​Well the most obvious answer is our Staff. ​Every once in a while someone will get another opportunity or decide that PR isn't for them.. and since we're a relatively small company, it's never easy to say goodbye to folks! ​I’m a very empathetic person who loves ​genuinely ​getting to know people, so that’s probably one of the hardest parts​ of my job​. Also, our services in general. When I first started, it was only PR. But now, Vickie​ has​ ​developed ​A​rtist ​M​anagement ​& ​D​igital ​Marketing​ alongside PR + we expanded to Cali w/ Savrin opening "Girlie West" out in Los Angeles​. ​ Vickie​ and I ​work pretty closely together​,​ ​so watching her role ​shift has ​always played a ​huge part ​in ​the specifics of ​my w​ork here.​ ​Also also.. the different types of projects​!​ ​For example, ​Lady Parts Justice ​signed on with us last year and that’s been awesome to participate in ​since ​politics​ ​are​ unavoidable right now​ (& I believe everyone should be involved in activism of some kind!)​​.​ ​Getting to ​work in music ​alongside these other kinds of projects has definitely breathed fresh air into the whole of what we do here.

-How has the PR industry changed since you’ve started?

The main difference ​for me has been noticing how the media ​shifts its ​posturing. ​Certain goals that we used to include in our campaign just aren't relative​ anymore​ with the growing​. A big thing is watching all of these magazines go out of print and become exclusively online. It’s kind of sad but also as an environmentalist it’s also kind of good! A good press campaign is about strategy. It’s which outlets are they being publicized in and why do those outlets matter in terms of their music or whatever your campaign is? It’s not as simple as writing a press release and pitching a ton of outlets you think will be interested. It’s developing sincere relationships to the people we’re pitching to so we can build a relationship bigger than “let’s put this on a blog so someone will read it,” Who’s reading it? Are they going to be someone that goes and signs up for a newsletter or membership? Will they go out and buy an album? Having those specific targets is something that’s become more important.

-How do you determine what client is worth ​engaging with? How often and how many artists ask you to represent them?

First and foremost​:​ do we like the music? ​Do we think we could achieve something that significantly benefits everyone involved? ​Depending on the time of year​..​ we’ll have a ton of people wanting to work with us or we’ll have fewer just because​ some ​​seasons are more popular than others. For the most part, Felice goes through​ all of​ the email submissions​ herself to find projects ​that ​she ​either just ​​likes, identifies with on some level​​ or thinks​ are ​at a place where ​it makes sense to bring us on board. The staff is also welcome to bring clients to her​ as well​​, of course - which does happen fairly regularly since we have 5 PR teams currently.

-As a manager you often give guidance to your artists on what opportunities are best for them to take. What factors do you consider when deciding what opportunities are best for your clients?

It depends on what their aspirations are​.​ ​At the end of the day, w​e want our clients to be happy​.​. We want to support the music​ itself​ as well as help ​folks​ meet their ​own personal & professional ​goals. The strategy comes from ​helping to define those goals​,​ and​ then a plan to get​ us​ there. It’s​ an ​ongoing repo​u​r for ​an average of three months​,​ ​and​ every two weeks ​we collectively reevaluate what’s working and what isn’t.

- What do you enjoy most about the work that you do?

I’ve met so many amazing ​artists​ and ​have ​been​ able to​ ​experience​ s​o many cool​​ places in ​this city. I ​also ​love coming to work in an office where people ​are ​constantly ​complimenting our ​"​vibes​"​. It’s not a major label​.. too modern..​ or​ too​ stuffy​.​ It’s home​-​y here​.. with a lot of heart.. ​and I feel ​proud for having played​​ a part ​in​ ​creating that​ for everyone who walks through the door.​

- What advice do you give us interns about our future endeavors; finding jobs in this industry and in general, finding new opportunities, living, etc.

The best advice I could give y​all​ is​ to​ try and stay positive​,​ because it’s all about timing. It can often be disheartening to intern for a long time or ​at several places ​at once ​- you just get burnt out. But if you’re really passionate about working in music you really have to hang in there and build up a network​ for yourself to make it eventually work​. ​Join email lists. Join networking groups. Go to as many shows as you possibly can. Talk to interns who have since gone on to awesome jobs ... & in the meantime, do your best not to burn bridges - don't party too hard - and BE NICE to the people that you meet. You never know where that next gig is going to come from!

​    p.s. THANK YOU INTERNS! We are so grateful for your work over the years, my door is certainly always open.    xox C

[growthvue]

5 Free Tech Tools to Try in Your Social Studies Lessons

Richard Byrne on episode 225 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Richard Byrne, author of Free Technology for Teachers, was a history teacher. It shows. In today’s show, he talks about top free tech tools to try in social studies lessons. This is one to share with your history department.

Richard Byrne the author of Free Technology for Teachers has some fantastic professional development courses including a course for history / social studies teachers. Go to http://ift.tt/2lomeMO and plan your professional development for 2018.

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Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

Stream by clicking here.

***

Enhanced Transcript

5 Free Tech Tools to Try in Your Social Studies Lessons

Link to show: http://ift.tt/2lZZSCC Date: January 5, 2018

Vicki: Today we have with us one of my favorite people, Richard Byrne @rmbyrne.

We’re talking about five free tech tools to try in social studies lessons!

Now, I will include a link in the show notes and in the pre- and post-roll for this podcast episode to an amazing teaching history course that Richard does have, as well as some other courses that he has online that you may want to join in.

So Richard, where do we start?

  Richard: Well, where do we start?

Richard’s Background as a History Teacher

A little bit about my background, I think, for folks who don’t know me. I taught high school social studies for the better part of ten years, and also worked in special education for a little bit.

So this course is right up my alley, or this topic is right up my alley, of Using Technology in Social Studies. That’s how I got into the educational technology field, really, was through social studies.

So I want to share a few of my favorite tools that I think… Some folks might be familiar with, and some people might be brand new to them.

So, if you don’t mind, I’ll just jump right into my first one. What do you think?

Vicki: Yep! Go for it!

Tool #1: Make Bookshelves in Google Books

  Richard: So this is one that’s right under everyone’s nose when ever they go to Google, but whenever I share it, people are like, “Oh! I didn’t know you could do that.”

It’s Google Books.

Now, there’s two versions of Google Books. There’s Google Books where you can go and buy a book.

But I’m talking about the research tool for Google Books that gives you access to millions of titles that are in the public domain. For a social studies teacher, a history teacher, who needs to give his or her student a little more access to historical articles and books, that’s a great resource. You can clip sections out of the public domain books, using the tools that are built right in to Google Books. I used to make “bookshelves” in Google Books for all my students.

You know, in my course, I’d have a 120-130 kids at a time, and our school library had about 30 books on the Civil War. So, you know, I’m a little short there.

So I’d go to Google Books, I’d make a bookshelf and I’d say, “Hey kids, here ya go. Here’s a whole bunch of resources that are public domain. You can look at them, read them online, and print them out if you want to print them.

So that’s one. And, as I said, it’s right under your nose. Just go to http://ift.tt/1nvoZJI and you can start using it.

Vicki: Yeah! And it’s so much easier now to read those books.

  Richard: Oh, yeah.

Vicki: They’re in a more readable format, than back when you were using it, right?

  Richard: Yeah. When I first started using it, you had to read it on your computer in your web browser. Now there’s an eBook option. Of course there’s a PDF download option. There’s many ways to read it that doesn’t require you to sit at your laptop or sit at your Chromebook and stare at the screen the whole day.

So that’s a really neat tool.

Tool #2: TimelineJS

Another one that is kind of an update on I would say the standard play in the social studies teachers’ playbook — and that’s the timeline project, right?

I think, going back since the dawn of time, people have been making timelines, right? TimelineJS which a free tool that your students can use, and you can use to make a multimedia timeline. The reason that I really like it?

It can be a collaborative tool. The way you build a timeline is you actually make a spreadsheet, and you just input into the spreadsheet template in TimelineJS a link to a YouTube video.

If you want to include a location in Google Maps, you can link to that. If you want to include a picture, you can link to a picture that’s in your photo album or anything that’s in the public domain.

And it’s also not restricted to AD/BC format. You could use CE/BCE, you know. It’s a very very flexible tool.

So I really like Timeline JS. And if you want to see an example of it, CNN even uses it to make some of their multimedia timelines.

So it’s a really neat tool. Free tool. Check it out.

Vicki: Very cool.

  Richard: That tool — that’s kind of a standard. The timeline is kind of a standard in our history and social studies teacher playbooks, right?

Something that’s new… and I’m really excited about. I think the entire internet is excited about right now… is Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. Right?

You know, those technologies have been around for a really long time — a couple of decades they’ve been available — but now they’re much more accessible than ever before.

Tool #3: Metaverse

One of the services that I’m really excited about is a service called Metaverse.

READ my review of Metaverse

Vicki: Oh, I love it!

  Richard: Yeah, Metaverse Studio… The way that I’ve been describing it for the last six months or so is, like, it’s build your own Pokemon Go, but with an academic slant. Right?

So when I think about using Metaverse Studio in the social studies classroom, I often think about, “Could you make a historical Pokemon Go for your local community?”

Have your students build their own. Augmented Reality game in which the players go out. They look for landmarks in town, or in your county. When they get to that landmark, they get a little digital prize. And they can watch a video about that place, or they can learn more information about that place.

So if you played Pokemon Go, or if you have a child in your life who played Pokemon Go, that’s the concept behind Metaverse Studio. You can build your own game like that, and build an educational slant to it.

One of the things that those folks are doing at Metaverse Studio is they’re really trying to support teachers as much as possible. They have a fantastic Facebook page for teachers, that I’d encourage you to check out if you have a chance.

Vicki: Awesome!

  Richard: It sounds like you’ve been using it, too, Vicki!

Vicki: My students started programming in Augmented Reality in November. And I’ve done some work for Metaverse, and I’ll disclose that. But I love it. It’s just fantastic, and there’s all kinds of potential.

Plus, there’s even some pre-packaged stuff that other teachers have created that you can play. But you know, the whole goal, as you and I often talk about, is to get the kids creating. So, love that.

OK, what’s your next?

  Richard: I’m going to go out of order from my notes, because of what you just said.

So, speaking of creating…

Vicki: (laughs)

Tool #4: Google Expeditions

  Richard: … when it comes to Virtual Reality, you know it’s great to sit back and take kids on a Google Expedition, which was going to be one of the things I was going to talk about anyway. Google Expeditions is great. You can show kids places that can’t be displayed in a 2D format. You know, a flat map is great, but going and looking at it in Google Expeditions? That’s a whole nother experience. Right?

Tool #5: Google Cardboard Camera App

But… I want kids to create things. So I like the Google Cardboard Camera App, and the Streetview App, particularly the Streetview App is you have access to a 360 camera. (If you don’t, it’s still an awesome spp. But the Google Cardboard Camera app will let you and your students make your own 360 degree imagery that you can then view inside Virtual Reality in a VR Viewer or a Google Cardboard Viewer or any number of hundreds of virtual reality viewers that are on the market now.

See episode 127 Simple Virtual Reality with Google Streetview and Google Cardboard with Donnie Piercey for how he’s using these tools.

Donnie Piercey recommended the Ricoh Theta S camera

The Google Cardboard Camera app in particular, I really like because I can narrate what’s being displayed to my students. The Google Cardboard Camera app now makes it very easy to share your imagery publicly or privately. If you want to just share it with your students, and not share it with the whole world — or you want students to share it without making it public, Google Cardboard Camera app is a really neat way to do that.

And I’ll give you an example of how I’ve seen it used by a school. I visited a school in New Hampshire last summer, where the teacher had decided that for part of his geology unit, actually, he was going to have the kids go out with that app and record some 360 panoramas and talk about some geologic physical features. So there’s a little extension outside of your social studies class, with the Google Cardboard Camera app.

So those are the five great tools that I think any social studies teacher should try out in 2018 if you haven’t tried them yet.

I could go on for days, as you know, about tools that are free and available with cool features. But I think those five, if you’re a social studies teacher who is looking to infuse some new things this school year and the new calendar year, that’s a good place to start.

Vicki: So Richard, as we finish up, I will link to the course in the Shownotes. I am recommending your history course with technology. Tell us a little bit about the course.

  Richard: So the course is “Teaching History with Technology,” and it’s really based on partly my own classroom, my own social studies lessons, and then the new things that have come out since I left the classroom on a full time basis.

We go in detail, actually through all five of the tools that I mentioned today but also many, many others. It’s not just a “how to use the tool.” I’m really trying to encourage people to think about how to use the tools, and so I include examples and suggestions every week in the course on, “Here’s how this could work in your classroom. Here’s a couple of activities that I’d recommend trying out in your classroom.”

And of course, if you have any questions about it, the way that the course is formatted you just hit, “Reply,” on any module that I send to you. I’m there to answer your questions, clarify information. I’m there to help you.

So for the month of December, we have 35 people that are taking the course and they’re at various stages of completion because you can start and finish it pretty much whenever you want. If you want to start it tomorrow, you can. If you want to start it and finish it six months from now, you can do that as well. It’s really self-paced.

Vicki: Cool. So teachers, there’s lots of great tools out there that we can use. These are things we couldn’t even do before, and that’s the greatest use of technology is to be able to do things that we never could do — not just a substitute. To actually have new things and reinvent how we teach.

I will link, again, to the Shownotes. But thank you, Richard, and I love all your stuff. Keep it coming!

  Richard: Thanks, Vicki!

  Transcribed by Kymberli Mulford

kymberlimulford@gmail.com

  Bio as submitted

Richard Byrne is the President of Byrne Instructional Media, LLC. which manages multiple websites and training programs for teachers. Richard is a former high school social studies teacher best known for developing the award-winning blog Free Technology for Teachers. He has been invited to speak at events on six continents and would gladly speak in Antarctica too. He also provides online training and guidance for teachers and technology coaches.

Blog: http://ift.tt/12CxJ5K

Twitter:@rmbyrne

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some links in this show are affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase that a small commission will be paid to me at no additional cost to you. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.

The post 5 Free Tech Tools to Try in Your Social Studies Lessons appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

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