#celia theresa

[sesiondemadrugada]

Insignificance (Nicolas Roeg, 1985).

[femmehysteria]

Best Character Named X Poll

FOLLOW @best-character-named-x-poll

I'm doing a series of "Best Character Named X" polls where all the characters have the same first name but are from completely different media, feel free to send in name/charcacter suggestions, I'm posting one poll a day. New polls scheduled for 1:30PM GMT everyday.

ask box closed for now

WILL BE POSTING POLLS ON @best-character-named-x-poll FROM FEB 1ST

If your favourite character is not included in the poll very sorry i have either never heard of them or actively chose not to include them as theres only 6 characters per poll. Characters will only count of that is their first name, surnames do not count.

Round 85: David

Round 86: Tiffany

Round 87: Charlie

Round 88: Sandy

Round 89: Cody

Round 90: Amanda

Round 91: Jeremy

Past Polls and Poll Ideas under the cut

Names that I have a complete list for*

Caroline, Tyler, Louis, Leonard, Rebecca, Steve, Nicole, Isabelle, Victoria, Katherine, Jade, Alex, Sophie, Greg, Jake, Ellie, Isaac, Robin, Tony, Annie, Lisa, Margaret, Oliver, Clark, Kara, Phoebe, Emma, Ruby, Bart, Alfie, Beth, Julian, Nancy, Penny, Margaret, Tessa, Erica, Theresa, George, Kevin, Sebastian, Felix, Martin, Michael, Erin, Caleb, Helen, Charlotte, Kyle, Martha, Diana, Elsa, Gary, Zoe, Connor, Colin, Daisy, Eric, Maya, Adam, Andy, Magnus, Alma, Nora, Alice, Spike, Leon, Marcel, Kim, Juno, Sue, Chris, Otto, Donald, Daphne, Kate, Todd, Ned, Ken, Angel, Judy, Jo, Hazel, Naomi, Diego, Miranda, Joel, Lila, Duncan, Dexter, Meredith, Pearl, Lily, Malcolm, Napolean, Joan, Nico, Jamie, Nadia, Velma, Jill, Kiera, Rory, Evan, Tam, Klaus, Neil, Derek, Michelle, Luna, Laila, Cordelia, Zack, Imogen, Felicity, Cindy, Alicia, Kelly, Alan, April, Astrid, Delilah, Jodie, Claudia, Juliet, Karen, Jonas, Milo, Celia, Hannah, Joy, Ethan, Katya, Aria, Atticus, Ian, Cynthia, Faye, Frank, Boo, River, Corey, Gabrielle, Minerva, Ebony, Zia, Beverly, Rudy, Georgina

Names I have an incomplete list for (welcome to send character suggestions)

Richter, Sean, Troy, Cain, Agatha, Warren, Percy, Reggie, Mina, Ryan, Felicia, Dylan, Josh, Shirley, Debbie, Jared, June, Mabel, Ray, Chad, Moe, Hugh, Fearne, Christine, Joe, August, May, Scarlet, Alana, Leela, Manny, Dean, Francis, Mason, Oscar, Quinn, Guy, Ulrich, Wally, Yasmin, Tobias, Woody, Sabrina, Quentin, Margot, Alina, Matilda, Freya, Kendra, Angus, Ophelia, Leisel, Zelda, Adora, Piper, Scarlet, Sheila, Valentine, Laurie, Laurel, Fitz, Violet, Gabriel, Ford, Artemis, Owen, Bianca, Newton, Summer, Darcy, Noah, Taylor, Miriam, Hugh, Aurora, Hank, Henry, Dawn, Delia, Cosmo, Wanda, Zeke, Cecil, Aiden, Calvin, Ayesha, Beatrice, Parker, Chase, Hunter, Tina, Misty, Amaya, Amara, Harvey, Talia, Tatiana, Tanya, Orion, Eugene, Kit, Bo, Duke, Blue, Cameron, Rudolf, Mara, Marianne, Carl

Feel free to send more suggestions

*subject to change, you can still submit a character if there is no strikethrough if you think theres a character that its an absolute crime i dont add. Please don't suggest anything for the names with a strikethrough as they are polls that are already in my queue waiting to be published.

Past Polls

Round 1: Peter : WINNER: Peter Parker (Spider-Man)

Round 2: Elizabeth : WINNER: Elizabeth Swann (Pirates of the Caribbean)

Round 3: Jason : WINNER: Jason Mendoza (The Good Place)

Round 4: Eve : WINNER: EVE (WALL-E)

Round 5: Fred : WINNER: Fred Jones (Scooby-Doo)

Round 6: Rachel : WINNER: Rachel (Animorphs)

Round 7: Arthur : WINNER: Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)

Round 8: Amy : WINNER: Amy Pond (Doctor Who)

Round 9: Tom : WINNER: Tom (Tom and Jerry)

Round 10: Claire : WINNER: Clare Devlin (Derry Girls)

Round 11: James : WINNER: James (Pokemon)

Round 12: Max : WINNER: Max (Black Sails)

Round 13: Simon : WINNER: Simon Belmont (Castlevania)

Round 14: Jane : WINNER: Jane Crocker (Homestuck)

Round 15: Victor : WINNER: Victor Nikiforov (Yuri On Ice)

Round 16: Mary : WINNER: Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins)

Round 17: Will : WINNER: Will Graham (Hannibal)

Round 18: Laura : WINNER: Laura Palmer (Twin Peaks)

Round 19: Ben : WINNER: Ben "Obi-Wan" Kenobi (Star Wars)

Round 20: Chloe : WINNER: Chloe Price (Life Is Strange)

Round 21: John : WINNER: Jonathan Sims (The Magnus Archives)

Round 22: Lydia : WINNER: Lydia Deetz (Beetlejuice)

Round 23: Mark : WINNER: Marc Spector (Moon Knight)

Round 24: Jess : WINNER: Jesse Pinkman (Breaking Bad)

Round 25: Theo : WINNER: Theobald Gumbar (Dimension 20: A Crown Of Candy)

Round 26: Sarah: WINNER: Sarah Jane Smith (Doctor Who)

Round 27: Richard : WINNER: Richard Gansey III (The Raven Cycle)

Round 28: Cass : WINNER: Cassandra Cain (Batman)

Round 29: Edward : WINNER: Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Round 30: Carm : WINNER: Carmen Sandiego (Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?)

Round 31: Hal : WINNER: HAL9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey)

Round 32: Sid : WINNER: Sydney Adamu (The Bear)

Round 33: Jack : WINNER: Captain Jack Harkness (Doctor Who)

Round 34: Stephanie : WINNER: Stephanie Brown (Batman)

Round 35: Ash : WINNER: Ash Ketchum (Pokemon)

Round 36: Veronica : WINNER: Veronica Sawyer (Heathers)

Round 37: Kurt : WINNER: Kurt Wagner aka Nightcrawler (X-Men)

Round 38: Eleanor : WINNER: Eleanor Shellstrop (The Good Place)

Round 39: Nathan : WINNER: Nathan Young (Misfits)

Round 40: Fiona : WINNER: Princess Fiona (Shrek)

Round 41: Gale : WINNER: Gayle Waters-Waters (Chris Fleming)

Round 42: Barbara : WINNER: Barbara Millicent Roberts aka Barbie (Barbie)

Round 43: Sam : WINNER: Samwise Gamgee (Lord of the Rings)

Round 44: Grace : WINNER: Grace Chastity (Nerdy Prudes Must Die)

Round 45: Barry : WINNER: Barry Bluejeans (The Adventure Zone)

Round 46: Raven : WINNER: Raven (Teen Titans)

Round 47: Dan : WINNER: Danny Fenton (Danny Phantom)

Round 48: Mia : WINNER: Mia Fey (Ace Attorney)

Round 49: Matt : WINNER: Matt Murdock (Daredevil)

Round 50: Rose : WINNER: Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)

Round 51: Robert : WINNER: Robbie Rotten (LazyTown)

Round 52: Lola : WINNER: Lola Bunny (Space Jam)

Round 53: Scott : WINNER: Scott Summers aka Cyclops (X-Men)

Round 54: Olivia : WINNER: Olivia Octavious (Spiderverse)

Round 55: Finn : WINNER: Finn the Human (Adventure Time)

Round 56: Emily : WINNER: Emily Charlton (The Devil Wears Prada)

Round 57: Elliot : WINNER: Eliot Spencer (Leverage)

Round 58: Sonia : WINNER: Sonia (Pokemon)

Round 59: Gideon : WINNER: Gideon Nav (The Locked Tomb)

Round 60: Jen : WINNER: Jennifer Check (Jennifer's Body)

Round 61: Miles : WINNER: Miles Morales (Spider-Man)

Round 62: Lana : WINNER: Lana Skye (Ace Attorney)

Round 63: Spencer : WINNER: Spencer Shay (iCarly)

Round 64: Tracy : WINNER: Tracy Turnbald (Hairspray!)

Round 65: Luke : WINNER: Luke Skywalker (Star Wars)

Round 66: Natalie : WINNER: Natalie Scatorccio (Yellowjackets)

Round 67: Harry : WINNER: Harry Du Bois (Disco Elysium)

Round 68: Lucy : WINNER: Lucy van Pelt (Peanuts)

Round 69: Damian : WINNER: Damian Wayne (Batman)

Round 70: Tabitha : WINNER: Tabitha Casper (Dan and Phil Games: Sims 4)

Round 71: Nick : WINNER: Nicholas D. Wolfwood (Trigun)

Round 72: Gwen : WINNER: Guinevere (Merlin)

Round 73: Paul : WINNER: Paulette Bonafonte (Legally Blonde)

Round 74: Abigail : WINNER: Abigail Hobbs (Hannibal)

Round 75: Jordan : WINNER: Jordan Baker (The Great Gatsby)

Round 76: Donna : WINNER: Donna Noble (Doctor Who)

Round 77: Morgan : WINNER: Morgana (Merlin)

Round 78: Allison : WINNER: Alison Cooper (BBC Ghosts)

Round 79: Patrick : WINNER: Patrick Star (Spongebob Squarepants)

Round 80: Linda : WINNER: Linda Belcher (Bob's Burgers)

Round 81: Philip : WINNER: Philip J. Fry (Futurama)

Round 82: Clarisse : WINNER: Clarisse La Rue (Percy Jackson)

Round 83: Jeff

Round 84: Maria

[helenababs]

tracking muses

adonis tardy

alfred pennyworth

alison blaire (+ shield agent, x-men, zombie, captain blaire, president, villain/soulless)

amanda the adventurer

amara aquilla

ambrose teahan

amelia peabody

america milan london

andy lawson

angelilith hallowell

arabella irving

archie o'daddario

ares malcolm

arlise lloyd

athena webster

barbie

candace flynn

celia st. james

clockwork

connor roy

donna troy

gabby kinney

helena bertinelli

hestia

hisako ichiki

irma cuckoo

jean grey

jean-paul beaubier

jeanne-marie beaubier

jessica jones

kim possible

kyong ae-jin

lara croft

layla miller

lois lane

manh cao xuan

mary bromfield

melody

monet st. croix

moon girl & devil dinosaur

noriko ashida

olivia queen

pamela isley

philomena cunk

remy lebeau

seo hye-jeong (arson)

theresa cassidy

tyrone johnson

[stuckinuniformdevelopment]

@albertbutyoucancallmebert

(Previous) Bert gave Teddy back his notebook when he gave him his phone. He examined the phone. “A hacker, hah? Hm… Ok, there are a few things I can do.” Bert got up and moved to his techy computer area. He plugged the phone into some sort of terminal and began working away. ­As he was doing so, Bert thought about what to rename Teddy in his contacts. Hm… Theresa? No, maybe it shouldn’t even start with the same letter. Ah, yes! Wolfe­schlegel­stein­hausen­berger­dorff should be good. His contact picture already wasn’t him, but a stock photo of a teddy bear. Would that be too obvious? He kind of didn’t want to change that. Maybe he would change it to Miss Celia from Gelatinous Bob’s Big Adventure. A quiet character for a quiet man. Eventually, Bert spoke up. “Do you have a laptop or work computer?”

“Potentially,” Teddy said with his finger raised for emphasis. “But I can’t afford to take any chances.”

Then he started giving the poor sad flat rat scritches behind her ear. When Bert asked about computers he paused for a moment before shaking his head.

“I don’t use my work computer for personal business.”

[albertbutyoucancallmebert]

@stuckinuniformdevelopment

(prev) Teddy let out a long, deep sigh of his own. “We’ll discuss plans over text.” Then he pulled out his phone as he said, “And chat.” While he was saying that he went to his contacts and changed Bert’s name to Rob Robertson. After a moment of silence he renamed him Bob. Then Edgar before deciding that it was too close to Eddie and finally settling on Magnus. Magnus Watson. Once he was satisfied he deleted Bert’s photo. Not without hesitation, of course. “You should change my name too.” Then Teddy placed his phone on the table and rubbed his cheek. “…Could you please make my phone more secure? Because I think Sam may have hacked Thomas.”

Bert gave Teddy back his notebook when he gave him his phone. 

He examined the phone. “A hacker, hah? Hm… Ok, there are a few things I can do.”

Bert got up and moved to his techy computer area. He plugged the phone into some sort of terminal and began working away.

As he was doing so, Bert thought about what to rename Teddy in his contacts. Hm… Theresa? No, maybe it shouldn’t even start with the same letter. Ah, yes! Wolfe­schlegel­stein­hausen­berger­dorff should be good. His contact picture already wasn’t him, but a stock photo of a teddy bear. Would that be too obvious? He kind of didn’t want to change that. Maybe he would change it to Miss Celia from Gelatinous Bob’s Big Adventure. A quiet character for a quiet man. 

Eventually, Bert spoke up. “Do you have a laptop or work computer?”

[anewnewcrest]

New Newcrest News - Spring 3, Part 1

NEW CHUCH LOCATION

After thirty years as a home church in the Johnson family home, our congregation has outgrown that setting by leaps and bounds! With seventy-six Worshippers of the Watcher regularly gathering to honor Him, we needed a new venue, and as always, the Watcher provided! Sunday services are now held at our new waterfront property in Newcrest, with coffee, cake and sweet fellowship in the lobby after services!

WEDDING NEWS

After two decades as close friends, faithfully working to spread the word of the Watcher together, the Johnson and Sawyer families are now related! Priscilla Johnson and Maxwell Sawyer Jr. tied the knot in our new church building, and after they've returned from their Sulani honeymoon, we're praying for a baby for them!

BABY NEWS

The Johnson family welcomed Baby Johnson #8, little Walker Johnson, into the family fold! We're so overjoyed to have another little boy after such a string of girls, and are looking forward to raising him the ways of the Watcher!

Maxwell and Theresa Sawyer had their seventh baby, little Theodore Sawyer, who already looks as adorable as all his other siblings! Congratulations on your little blessing!

After struggling with infertility and a double pregnancy with her stepmother, Madison and Connor Culver welcomed their second blessing, little Celia Culver! They are truly blessed by the Watcher!

Suzie and Frank Rogers had their last child, little Shannon Rogers, after Frank returned from prison! Congratulations!

If you desire a musical education for your children, but don't have a piano at home, Caroline Johnson - who's studying music at Britechester University - is offering lessons at reduced charge to church members!

PRAYER REQUESTS

If all children are blessings from the Watcher, they all deserve to be supported equally, if only financially. Please pray for this man who does not pay for his indiscretions. (David Johnson)

Please pray for this lady who seeks worldly validation on Simstagram more than contentment in her own home, and neglects her wifely duties. (Madison Culver)

Immodesty and a spiteful spirit are grave sins, and this young bride displays them in abundance. Please pray for this young lady to learn a meek and quiet spirit, and how to obey her husband. (Priscilla Sawyer)

It is shameful how churches all over the nation support a man who has been unfairly incarcerated for his Watcherly convictions, but his home church is not even properly acknowledging him! Please pray for this congregation who's turning away from the Watcher! (Frank Rogers and the church who knows he's full of shit)

(Shaking up the format a bit to make it more important events and less laundry list, let me know what you think!)

[the-book-queen]

Hide your wallets, it’s that time again #TBQsBookDeals

Your hella loooooong Sunday recap thread is ready! #romancedeals FREE to $2.99. Happy shopping! 📚❤

~ * ~ * ~

FREE ✦ A Lot Like Christmas by Kait Nolan

A jaded Army medic who is in town to help his great uncle + former big city interior designer who is working as a waitress.

Contemporary Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/4iheRSY 

FREE ✦ All I Want for Christmas Is You by Erika Kelly

It's her first Christmas alone so she decides to have a 1NS with a stranger. But a snowstorm shuts down the airport. Forced proximity, ahoy!

Contemporary Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3VmeuN3 

FREE ✦ Game Changer by Stacey Lynn

1st POV. Friends to lovers. He's a hockey star. They had one wild weekend, oops now she's pregnant.

Contemporary Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3VotbiC 

FREE ✦ His Ample Desire by Terri Mackenzie

A notorious widow + the reputable son of a viscount.

KU Title

Historical Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3Vo4q6c 

$0.99 ✦ Memoirs of a Dragon Hunter by Katie MacAlister

She's a math teacher with OCD who suddenly finds out about the paranormal world and becomes a dragon hunter. He's also a dragon hunter, but is part demon.

Paranormal Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3OBm4jg 

$0.99 ✦ Twelve Lords for Christmas Anthology

12 novellas, including:

~ Single father botanist

~ Marriage of convenience with a notorious rake

~ Fake relationship between a reluctant duke and a charming commoner

Historical Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3Zua7SC 

$0.99 ✦ Happily Ever After by Lori Wilde

2 books

~ After being jilted twice, she commits an uncharacteristic act of rebellion and gets arrested by her childhood crush

~ She just inherited a cottage -- that he claims is his

Contemporary Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/41cf6J6 

$0.99 ✦ Her Pretend Christmas Date by Jackie Lau

Opposites attract. She's a waitress at a bar and makes jewelry. She needs a fake boyfriend, and he's exactly the guy her parents approve of: a straight-laced pharmacist.

Contemporary Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/49jT5Kn 

$0.99 ✦ The Holiday Trap by Roan Parrish

A queer twist on The Holiday. Greta and Truman switch houses for the holiday (New England and New Orleans) and each find the partner of their dreams.

Contemporary Romance (Queer) | https://amzn.to/3Zoz7K2 

$0.99 ✦ The Holiday Pleasures Series by Theresa Romain

4 books including:

~ A fake rake and a bold bluestocking ignite a scandal at a notorious house party

~ Friends to lovers

~ He needs a wife, she needs an escape

Historical Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3Zbqa6A 

$0.99 ✦ Wolf's Mate by Celia Kyle

She's a cougar shifter who likes her quiet life as an accountant. Oops, she uncovers a shady organization and now needs protection. He's a wolf shifter who was in the military.

Paranormal Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3Bce1WY 

$0.99 ✦ Taylor's Temptation by Suzanne Brockmann

Best friend's little sister. A Navy SEAL is asked to watch over his teammate’s sister, who has joined a relief organization that's traveling into a known hot spot.

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$0.99 ✦ Country Lightning by Cheyenne McCray

He's former military and has recently inherited a ranch. She's a local florist.

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$0.99 ✦ Albertini Novella Boxed Set by Rebecca Zanetti

3 books, including:

~ A search and rescue expert must rescue the heroine when she gets stranded on a mountain during a storm

~ Second chance after she finds out he is a spy

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$0.99 ✦ Illinois Innkeeper by Ann Omasta

1st POV. He owns a bed and breakfast, which was just burned down. She's a firefighter.

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$1.99 ✦ Built Like a Cowboy by Heatherly Bell

A country music star has a wild night with a widower / lawyer, and when she gets pregnant, they agree to a temporary marriage of convenience.

Contemporary Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/4fU5sPM 

$1.99 ✦ Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas

A ruthless Welsh tycoon meets his match in his shy, aristocratic new wife.

TBQ Rec

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$1.99 ✦ A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy, Sierra Simone

Both MCs are bisexual.

She's a plus-size adult film star, he's a former bad boy pop star turned actor. They're costars on a sexy Hallmark-esque movie.

TBQ Rec

Contemporary Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/4f1NzNB 

$1.99 ✦ Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage

1st POV. Opposites attract. Divorced interior designer picks up a man at the bar, only to find out after that he's the client who hired her for a project at the ranch.

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She works at a vineyard / wedding venue. He's a big Hollywood actor, in town for filming at the venue, so they must work together.

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Or you can find all of these deals, with their GR, BN, and Kobo links as well, up on the blog:

Romance Book Deals: Weekly Recap (12/08) | https://www.tbqsbookpalace.com/2024/12/romance-book-deals-weekly-recap-1208.html 

Putting these lists together takes time. If you appreciate this content, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi. http://ko-fi.com/danielletbq 

[manilafm]

I was just curious if you have any most wanted Cis-Female characters from descendants/descendants: wicked world, and the loud house/the casagrandes franchise?

Our members would love to see Mal Bertha, Uma, Evie Grimhilde, Lonnie, Jane, Ally, Princess Audrey Rose, Freddie Facilier, Jordan, Dizzy Tremaine, Queen Belle, Lady Tremaine, The Evil Queen/The Wicked Queen/Queen Grimhilde, Cruella De Vil, Maleficent, Headmistress Fairy Godmother, Celia Facilier, Harriet Hook, and C.J. Hook from Descendants / Descendants: Wicked World !!

And we would also absolutely love to see Mrs. Rita Loud, Lisa Loud, Morag, Adelaide Chang, Polly Pain, Meli Ramos, Jenna, Sarah, Maddie, Carol Pingrey, Sam Sharp, Stella Zhau, Lindsay Sweetwater, Whitney, Katherine Mulligan, Kate Bernardo, Girl Jordan, Sidney 'Sid’ Chang, Charlie Uggo, Marnie Steppenberg, Brenda Wilkinson, Kiki Carlyle, Principal Ramirez, Jenna, Xander Coddington’s mother, Barbara, Myrtle, Ruth, Gayle McBride, Maria Casagrande-Santiago, Mrs. Rosa Casagrande, Mrs. Frida Puga-Casagrande, Carlota Casagrande, Mrs. Becca Chang, Cheryl Farrell, Agnes Johnson, Haiku, Margo Roberts, Meryl Farrell, Paula Price, Mazzy, Gina Galiano, Mrs. Kernicky, Dr. Shuttleworth, Fiona, Margarita, Maybelle, Miranda, Mrs. Flores, Mrs. Gurdle, Ms. Carmichael, Nadia, Scoots, and Mayor Theresa Davis from The Loud House / The Loud House Movie / The Casagrandes / A Loud House Christmas / The Really Loud House / A Really Haunted Loud House !!

[dimity-lawn]

Here is a list of the names and ages of the victims which can be found at https://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/victimsWitnesses/victimsList.html

Adler, Lizzie, 24

Altman, Anna, 16

Ardito, Annina, 25

Bassino, Rose, 31

Benanti, Vincenza, 22

Berger, Yetta, 18

Bernstein, Essie, 19

Bernstein, Jacob, 38

Bernstein, Morris, 19

Billota, Vincenza, 16

Binowitz, Abraham, 30

Birman, Gussie, 22

Brenman, Rosie, 23

Brenman, Sarah, 17

Brodsky, Ida, 15

Brodsky, Sarah, 21

Brucks, Ada, 18

Brunetti, Laura, 17

Cammarata, Josephine, 17

Caputo, Francesca, 17

Carlisi, Josephine, 31

Caruso, Albina, 20

Ciminello, Annie, 36

Cirrito, Rosina, 18

Cohen, Anna, 25

Colletti, Annie, 30

Cooper, Sarah, 16

Cordiano , Michelina, 25

Dashefsky, Bessie, 25

Del Castillo, Josie, 21

Dockman, Clara, 19

Donick, Kalman, 24

Driansky, Nettie, 21

Eisenberg, Celia, 17

Evans, Dora, 18

Feibisch, Rebecca, 20

Fichtenholtz, Yetta, 18

Fitze, Daisy Lopez, 26

Floresta, Mary, 26

Florin, Max, 23

Franco, Jenne, 16

Friedman, Rose, 18

Gerjuoy, Diana, 18

Gerstein, Molly, 17

Giannattasio, Catherine, 22

Gitlin, Celia, 17

Goldstein, Esther, 20

Goldstein, Lena, 22

Goldstein, Mary, 18

Goldstein, Yetta, 20

Grasso, Rosie, 16

Greb, Bertha, 25

Grossman, Rachel, 18

Herman, Mary, 40

Hochfeld, Esther, 21

Hollander, Fannie, 18

Horowitz, Pauline, 19

Jukofsky, Ida, 19

Kanowitz, Ida, 18

Kaplan, Tessie, 18

Kessler, Beckie, 19

Klein, Jacob, 23

Koppelman, Beckie, 16

Kula, Bertha, 19

Kupferschmidt, Tillie, 16

Kurtz, Benjamin, 19

L'Abbate, Annie, 16

Lansner, Fannie, 21

Lauletta, Maria Giuseppa, 33

Lederman, Jennie, 21

Lehrer, Max, 18

Lehrer, Sam, 19

Leone, Kate, 14

Leventhal, Mary, 22

Levin, Jennie, 19

Levine, Pauline, 19

Liebowitz, Nettie, 23

Liermark, Rose, 19

Maiale, Bettina, 18

Maiale, Frances, 21

Maltese, Catherine, 39

Maltese, Lucia, 20

Maltese, Rosaria, 14

Manaria, Maria, 27

Mankofsky, Rose, 22

Mehl, Rose, 15

Meyers, Yetta, 19

Midolo, Gaetana, 16

Miller, Annie, 16

Neubauer, Beckie, 19

Nicholas, Annie, 18

Nicolosi, Michelina, 21

Nussbaum, Sadie, 18

Oberstein, Julia, 19

Oringer, Rose, 19

Ostrovsky , Beckie, 20

Pack, Annie, 18

Panno, Provindenza, 43

Pasqualicchio, Antonietta, 16

Pearl, Ida, 20

Pildescu, Jennie, 18

Pinelli, Vincenza, 30

Prato, Emilia, 21

Prestifilippo, Concetta, 22

Reines, Beckie, 18

Rosen (Loeb), Louis, 33

Rosen, Fannie, 21

Rosen, Israel, 17

Rosen, Julia, 35

Rosenbaum, Yetta, 22

Rosenberg, Jennie, 21

Rosenfeld, Gussie, 22

Rothstein, Emma, 22

Rotner, Theodore, 22

Sabasowitz, Sarah, 17

Salemi, Santina, 24

Saracino, Sarafina, 25

Saracino, Teresina, 20

Schiffman, Gussie, 18

Schmidt, Theresa, 32

Schneider, Ethel, 20

Schochet, Violet, 21

Schpunt, Golda, 19

Schwartz, Margaret, 24

Seltzer, Jacob, 33

Shapiro, Rosie, 17

Sklover, Ben, 25

Sorkin, Rose, 18

Starr, Annie, 30

Stein, Jennie, 18

Stellino, Jennie, 16

Stiglitz, Jennie, 22

Taback, Sam, 20

Terranova, Clotilde, 22

Tortorelli, Isabella, 17

Utal, Meyer, 23

Uzzo, Catherine, 22

Velakofsky, Frieda, 20

Viviano, Bessie, 15

Weiner, Rosie, 20

Weintraub, Sarah, 17

Weisner, Tessie, 21

Welfowitz, Dora, 21

Wendroff, Bertha, 18

Wilson, Joseph, 22

Wisotsky, Sonia, 17

On this day in 1911, 146 people lost their lives in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.

These people were mostly women and many were girls, who had been incredibly brave and faced public violence and police brutality when they had led strikes in order to unionize because they knew how dangerous the working conditions were, but were forced to return to work to support themselves and their families after an impressive strike that did lead to safer conditions to many others in the textile industry.

Minutes before their Saturday Shift would have ended, a fire started on the men's floor below them as a result of an incident with a cigar(ette) and the fiber-dense environment. These men contacted the owners two floors above them, so they and the bosses made it out, but in their worry they forgot to warn the floor in between.

These poor people had less of a chance of escape because in their greed the bosses feared that the women might steal thread, so they locked one of the doors and inspected purses every day. The tiny overcrowded elevators couldn't carry many people, and some either jumped or were pushed down the elevator shaft as the panic spread and the unsafe fire escape fell away from the building as people tried to climb down to safety. By the end of it, bodies were piled high beneath the widows and not all were recognizable.

This tragedy could have been avoided, but greed got in the way. Building codes have changed in America to prevent this from happening again, but even today people working in the fashion industry are exploited around the world. Please, remember those who died and consider why we still must change things for the better today.

[cypher2]

Andonovski says that the framework for this season was laid out last autumn, as he and owner Bill Predmore attempted to chart the course of how the upcoming season would go.

“Our year started, for (Reign FC majority owner and president) Bill Predmore and myself, last November,” Andonovski said. “We had 11 different lineup predictions that covered things like pre-World Cup, during the World Cup, after the World Cup, with Jess Fishlock coming back from France, without her, with different players coming in and out. We projected 10 or 11 different lineups. Bill was instrumental in all of this. He helped me with the preparation and made a lot of things happen behind the scenes. I had to do a lot on the field to manage all of those players and incorporate them, but I think the most important thing is the preparation before the season even started.”

The roster was bolstered with a mixture of newcomers, like Shea Groom and NAIA standout Bethany Balcer, and returning veterans like captain Lauren Barnes and midfielder Allie Long.

The club itself was in for a big change. After half a decade at Seattle’s Memorial Stadium, the club was informed that the venue was no longer suitable to host NWSL home games. Instead, Reign FC found a new home in Tacoma’s Cheney Stadium. The response to the move was incredible – fans  in the South Sound helped Reign FC set new attendance records in 2019, including an increase of 1,389 on average per match from 2018.

Not all of the changes went over as smoothly, however.

The club sent nine players to the World Cup to represent seven different countries. Six more players would suffer season-ending injuries, while others were waylaid by shorter term injuries.

To boot, the club stumbled out of the starting gate, opening the year 0-1-3 after failing to convert a late penalty in its season-opener against Houston and settling for a 1-1 draw against Orlando in its first match in Tacoma.

“Historically, if you look at teams that I’ve managed, I would say with the exception of last season, my teams have started slow and then started picking things up toward the middle of the season,” Andonovski said. “That’s something that I’m going to have to look at myself and see if it’s something I’m doing. Am I giving too many formations or trying to add too much in a short period of time? Maybe it takes a little time for things to click and once they do things go well.”

More players arrived in time for things to start clicking, even as a large chunk of the team departed to chase glory with their national teams at the World Cup in France. Among them was forward Ifeoma Onumonu, signed as a National Team Replacement Player just six days after being waived by the Portland Thorns.

For Onumonu, the spirit of the squad hadn’t dampened, despite the early sluggishness.

“Coming into this club, I was going through my own type of challenges,” Onumonu said. “That did help when I did come and join Reign FC. It was like I’d been through some things and the club had been as well. It helped with the camaraderie. It was an experience where even though the club was going through a hard streak, it was still very positive.”

The hard streak ended quickly. The club recorded its first win of the season against Sky Blue FC on May 18 and went on to win four of its next six matches, rising from seventh in the league table all the way to first following a July 5 road win against rivals Portland Thorns FC. The stretch also saw Onumonu record her first NWSL goal in a win over Utah on June 28, the same day that she was signed to the club’s supplemental roster.

“It was really special,” Onumonu said of her goal. “I had been waiting for a goal for two years now, so it was nice to finally get it. It was an important win as well. On any given day in this league, a team can pull out a win against anyone else. We knew that and we used it to our advantage. I thought we had a lot of doubters, so it felt good to prove them wrong. In that time we were going through quite a bit of injuries, which is always tough. It didn’t stop from there. It felt really good to score and contribute to that success we had during that run.”

The return of Fishlock provided a big boost to the club in the early summer. The midfielder returned from her loan to Olympique Lyon in France and knocked in two game-winners for Reign FC. Fishlock’s immediate impact on the squad led to her being named the NWSL Player of the Month for June before being sidelined with a season-ending ACL tear.

Just when Reign FC looked to be getting on a roll, more obstacles presented themselves.

June gave way to a grueling July. With two road matches against North Carolina and tough home losses to Utah and Chicago, Reign FC endured a 2-4-1 stretch that dropped them into fifth place entering the final six matches of the season.

“The fact that we have two of those teams (from that stretch) in the final says a lot about the quality of the teams that we were facing,” Andonovski said. “Playing North Carolina twice on the road didn’t make it any easier, but we didn’t have a choice, we had to prepare as best as we could. One thing that made it easier was that even when things were not going well, there was nothing negative about it. We used every single game as a learning opportunity to get better, regardless of the result. We kept moving forward, we kept getting better and the results were coming as the season was going by.”

With six games to play, Andonovski challenged his team to push for a playoff spot:

“Going into the last stretch of games, Vlatko said ‘we’ve made mistakes in this portion of the season and now we’re on to the last quarter of the year,’” Onumonu said. “’We’re going to have to win the majority of games to make the playoffs.’ We had a mini-season where everything that happened prior to this last stretch of six matches didn’t matter anymore. It was about winning or getting points and moving on. We erased all that we had done because it was over and it didn’t matter. Our objective was to make the playoffs.”

Reign FC fought its way to a 3-1-2 finish over the final six matches, thanks in large part to an Onumonu equalizer at the death of a 2-2 draw against Washington on September 14. Jodie Taylor also notched a late game-winner against Utah in a September 25 match that had to be pushed back a week due to a waterlogged pitch at Cheney Stadium. With a win over Portland in the final home match of the season on September 29, Reign FC clinched its second consecutive playoff berth under Andonovski.

Despite all the bumps and disruptions that the season’s path had taken, Reign FC was playoff bound once more.

“The struggle and the tough times we went through in the first 18 games helped us prepare for the last six games,” Andonovski said. “We did decide that this was a little mini-season that we felt we had to win or finish well, which I think we accomplished, we were talking about how this mini season has to be a reflection of the whole season. It has to be a true picture of who we are: warriors, fighters who are intense in their goals. That helped us take on those games the way we did.”

Reign FC’s semifinal match against NWSL Shield-winners North Carolina was a game of grit and determination. When the Courage scored a go-ahead goal on a penalty kick in the 88th minute and had dominated possession all match long, Reign FC looked like they would be unable to mount a response.

Onumonu changed that. In the third minute of second-half stoppage time, the forward received a ball from Celia Jiménez Delgado and fired a shot past Stephanie Labbe, forcing extra time.

“I feel like that moment summed up our season,” Onumonu said. “Fight to the end. That’s how I took it. I was really thankful for that goal because I know how much it meant to still have a chance and still be in it. To be able to score in that moment was special. North Carolina is a good team and has been for years, but we’re not going to go down without a fight. The end result wasn’t what we wanted, but this game is hard, it’s tough. Being able to keep us in there for as long as possible was so special.”

Reign FC came up short in extra time, but the club had gone down swinging.

“I’m very proud of the players,” Andonovski said. “Every single one of them. The way they approached the game was tremendous. To be able to go to North Carolina, against that team and an incredible coach in Paul Riley and battle all the way until the last second and tie the game 1-1? It’s incredible. I’m very proud of them. Unfortunately, in the last 30 minutes we didn’t have enough in us to make a miracle happen. We didn’t have enough to be able to match North Carolina and their quality.”

Onumonu’s final strike was emblematic of Reign FC’s spirit, but her path over the course of the season, like so many of her teammates, mirrored the club’s year.

“When I look at it, I would agree that Ifeoma’s season is how our season looked,” Andonovski said. “But it’s also Rosie (White’s) season. It’s Balcer’s season. It’s Celia’s season. Young players came in who were unknown or had in some ways been rejected that wanted to make a name for themselves and prove people wrong. They just needed an opportunity and in the end they did it. It was similar for our club. I don’t want to say that we were an unknown, but people didn’t believe in us. We were rejected to some extent and we just needed a platform and a chance to prove people wrong and in the end we did.”

For Onumonu, that drive and determination were the major lesson from 2019.

“I would say the biggest lesson is to be resilient,” Onumonu said. “I think how I started out my season, where I started with Portland and then everything with Reign FC has been a challenge. You have where you expect to be, then you have to go somewhere else. You switch and all your emotional attachment with a team has to change. Now, you have to fight for your new club. It made me grateful for the club, honestly. I’m very thankful for the club. As a player, it taught me that one person’s opinion of you does not define you and I think that’s something that this season has taught me.”

For Andonovski, the year was proof that no obstacle is insurmountable.

“If there’s one thing that I’ve learned this season, it’s that there is always a way to be successful,” Andonovski said. “If that way doesn’t work, there is always another way.”

[tcm]

BRIEF ENCOUNTER (’45) by Theresa Brown

“This can’t last. This misery can’t last.”

Love can happen in a moment and last a lifetime. And it doesn’t hurt if you have a great voice-over to tell the tale, either.

This Valentine’s Day, if you’re looking for a good cry, then BRIEF ENCOUNTER (’45) fits the bill. The film is poignantly and lovingly told and almost seven and a half decades later its heartache can still be felt. This bittersweet love story gets me right between the heart beats every time.

We all know director David Lean tells epic stories with sweeping themes on large cinematic canvasses: RYAN’S DAUGHTER (’70), DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (’65), THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (’57),  LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (’62) for Pete’s sake. But he can go smaller...quieter...more intimate. He does that with this 1945 drama. Now I must confess, I do like my public displays of affection a bit more...public, when I watch these older movies. Let me see the tortured love of WUTHERING HEIGHTS (’39), the twisted love of VERTIGO (’58), the tragic love of CAMILE (’36). But for BRIEF ENCOUNTER, I open my heart to what’s unseen and unsaid.

I am strangely, uncharacteristically and acquiescently swept up by the restraint of these ‘ordinary people’ (this is no diss to ordinary people). 99.999% of the world is ordinary, of which I am one. But movies have conditioned us to see glamorous couples like Gable and Harlow, Liz and Dick or Leigh and Olivier reap the rewards of a grand love. Lean goes the opposite, un-Hollywood route. Here, he features Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard as the leads. I don’t wonder if it’s because of them that the viewer becomes more vested in this couple’s romance every step of the way.

These two meet cute enough; Alec is a doctor and Laura is a housewife/mother waiting for her train in a railway station. A cinder blows in her eye and he removes it. A chance meeting in town the next week starts life rolling for this couple. We watch their friendship and companionship grow as they meet week after week. Are they unhappy at home? Are they purposely looking for a dalliance outside their marriages? There’s no evidence of that. All’s quiet and calm on the home front; at least for Laura, as the story is told from her point of view.

Lean has Laura confess the story of her love affair to her husband—wordlessly... silently. We know more than he because, after all, husbands are the last to know. And though Johnson’s and Howard’s passions are restrained and muted, don’t get it twisted. This doesn’t make the emotions of the film any less intense. The film aches and we ache along with them. They feel guilt just being seen together in a tea salon, doing nothing more raucous than being with someone other than their spouse. And when they do decide to take that next step...

Lean unpacks this story in an interesting way, taking the flashback trope and twisting it around our heart. Loyalty may trump love, but it does not completely triumph over it. If you haven’t seen BRIEF ENCOUNTER you ought to. And if you have seen it, you know the drill. Keep the tissues nearby and have a good cry.

[spiderandthesims]

1880s Names

A

Boys

Abel, Abraham, Adam, Addison, Adelbert, Alexander, Alfred, Aloysius, Alphonse, Ambrose, Amos, Anderson, Andrew, Angus, Anthony, Anton, Archibald, Art, Arthur, Aubrey, August, Augustine, Augustus, Avery

Girls

Ada, Adelaide, Adele, Adeline, Agatha, Agnes, Alice, Alma, Almeda, Alta, Anastasia, Angeline, Anna, Annabelle, Anne, Arizona, Augusta, Augustine, Aurelia, Aurora

B

Boys

Barney, Benjamin, Bennett, Bernard, Bishop, Bradford

Girls

Beatrice, Bernadette, Bess, Bessie, Beulah, Birdie

C

Boys

Carlton, Carson, Casper, Cassius, Cecil, Charles, Chauncey, Chester, Christian, Christopher, Clarence, Claude, Clement, Clifford, Coleman, Conrad, Cornelius, Curtis

Girls

Camille, Caroline, Catherine, Cecilia, Celestia, Celestine, Celia, Charity, Charlotte, Christine, Claire, Clara, Clarice, Claudia, Clementine, Conception, Constance, Corda, Cordelia, Cornelia

D

Boys

Dallas, Daniel, Darius, David, Dennis, Dewitt, Dorsey, Douglas, Dudley, Dwight

Girls

Daisy, Delia, Della, Delphia, Docia, Dollie, Dolly, Dolores, Dora, Dorcas, Doris, Dorothy, Dove, Dovie, Drucilla

E

Boys

Early, Edmond, Edward, Edwin, Eldridge, Eli, Elias, Elijah, Elliott, Ellis, Ellsworth, Elmer, Elton, Elwood, Emerson, Emery, Emil, Emmett, Enoch, Ephraim, Erasmus, Erastus ,Eric, Ernest, Ervin, Erwin, Eugene, Everett, Ezra

Girls

Edith, Edmonia, Effie, Elaine, Elda, Eldora, Eleanor, Elise, Eliza, Elizabeth, Ella, Elma, Elnora, Eloise, Elsa, Elsie, Emily, Emma, Emmaline, Era, Erma, Erna, Ernestine, Essie, Esta, Estella, Estelle, Esther, Ethel, Ethelyn, Etta, Eudora, Eugenia, Eula, Eulalia, Eunice, Euphemia

F

Boys

Felix, Ferdinand, Francis, Franklin, Frederick, Fredrick

Girls

Fanny, Fay, Felicia, Fern, Fidelia, Flora, Florence, Florida, Francis

G

Boys

Gabriel, Garrett, General, George, Gideon, Giles, Golden, Gregory

Girls

Geneva, Genevieve, Georgia, Georgie, Goldie, Grace, Gwendolyn

H

Boys

Harmon, Harold, Harris, Harrison, Henry, Hollis, Homer, Horace, Howard, Howard, Howell, Hugo

Girls

Harriett, Hattie, Henrietta, Hester, Honora, Hope, Hortense

I

Boys

Irving

Girls

Imogene, Indiana, Iona, Iris, Isadora

J

Boys

Jack, Jackson, Jacob, James, Jasper, Jeremiah, John, Jonathan, Joseph, Josiah, Judson, Jules, Julian, Junius

Girls

Jane, Josephine, Judith, Julia, Julie, Juliet, June

K

Boys

Kenneth

Girls

Kathleen

L

Boys

Lawrence, Lawson, Leander, Leonard, Lewis, Lionel, Logan, Lucien, Lucius, Luther, Lyman

Girls

Lacy, Lillian, Lilly, Louise, Lucia, Lucille, Lucinda, Lucretia, Lucy

M

Boys

Major, Malcolm, Marcus, Marshall, Martin, Mason, Mathias, Matthew, Maurice, Maxwell, Michael, Miles, Milo, Milton, Monroe, Morgan, Mortimer

Girls

Mabel, Madeline, Magnolia, Marie, Mary, Matilda, Maude, May, Melinda, Mildred, Millicent, Millie, Minerva, Minnie, Miriam, Missouri, Mollie, Mona

N

Boys

Nathan, Nathaniel, Neil, Nelson, Newton, Nicholas, Noah, Noel, Norman, Norris

Girls

Netta, Nettie, Nevada, Nona, Nora, Norah, Norma

O

Boys

Oliver, Oren, Orson, Otis, Otto, Owen

Girls

Odelia, Odessa, Ola, Olive, Ona, Opal, Ophelia, Ora, Orpha, Ottilie

P

Boys

Patrick, Percival, Percy, Peter, Phillip, Pierce, Pleasant

Girls

Pansy, Parthenia, Patience, Pearl, Penelope, Permelia, Philomena, Phoebe, Polly, Priscilla, Prudence

Q

Boys

Quincy

R

Boys

Raymond, Richard, Richmond, Robert, Rodney, Roger, Ross

Girls

Rita, Rosalie, Rose, Rowena, Ruby, Ruth

S

Boys

Samuel, Seymore, Sidney, Silas, Simon, Solomon, Stanley, Stephan, Sterling, Stewart, Sylvester

Girls

Samantha, Sophronia

T

Boys

Thaddeus, Theodore, Thomas, Thorton, Tillman, Timothy, Tobias, Truman

Girls

Tennessee, Thelma, Theodora, Theodosia, Theresa, Tillie

U

Boys

Ulysses

Girls

Una

V

Boys

Valentine, Vernon, Victor, Vincent, Virgil

Girls

Vera, Verona, Vesta, Victoria, Viola, Violet, Virginia, Vivian

W

Boys

Walker, Wallace, Walter, Warren, Watson, Webster, Wesley, Wilber, Wilbert, Wilbur, Wiley, Wilfred, Willam, Willard, William, Wilson, Winfield

Girls

Wilda, Wilhelmina, Wilma, Winifred, Winnifred, Winona

Z

Girls

Zella, Zora

[beca-mitchell]

theresa i just finished tshoeh

Abbie STAY ALIVE

we need to fuel the brittany snow as celia st james campaign

[dwellordream]

today in sick ass names from my university’s graduating class:

Valeria

Yage

Kadria

Rajan

Oleksandra

Qiru

Juliet

Zihan

Orly

Sharona

Tyla

Cactus

Selina

Padraic

Sol

Kai

Adina

Yao

Celia

Ruth

Laurel

Javin

Marina

Sage

Lucinda

Beatriz

Simona

Tiphaine

Katya

Vance

Arunika

Ivy

Alstroemeria

Virginia

Ioannina

Lydia

Qiang

Una

Gloria

Esther

Beryl

Mahala

Baraka

Neeti

Renata

Tianshu

Eamon

Ruoshi

Eitan

Tamar

Filippo

Noam

Rohan

Siobhan

Kofi

Rae

Mai

Yale

Elias

Irma

Sultana

Daria

Ilana

Miriam

Santiago

Theresa

Guillermo

Ziyu

[nnnnoooooooooooo]

My Ballot for They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They?’s 25 Favourite Films Poll

The following is my ballot for They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They?’s poll for their readers’ 25 favourite films of all-time. It contains a dozen or so favourites, several compromises, and a handful of personally foundational texts.

Seven Chances (1925, Buster Keaton): It ain’t easy to only choose one Keaton. This is one of Keaton’s films with a racist blackface character, which gave me some reservations. Still, this is a solid contender as his funniest picture, and, more importantly, this is Buster as I love him the most. Keaton’s characters were always the most cerebral and lost, keen observers with no understanding. An inability to communicate one’s emotions drives the need to convert it into a physical experience; Keaton inevitably becomes the object that cannot be stopped. His full forced desperation and athleticism, he is a master of locomotion. Featuring the finalization of the chase gag, along with a generous serving of his brand of surreal.

City Lights (1931, Charles Chaplin): Comedically and emotionally devastating.

Trouble in Paradise (1932, Ernst Lubitsch): Lubtisch’s portrayal of Continental aristocracy on the cusp. Containing love, melancholy, desire, rivalry, loyalty, betrayal, criminals, and thieves-- all saved by his grace alone, achieving a rare bliss of comedy and romance. Normally, I’d say that, in a temporal world, perfection exists only as a process, but then how would I explain this?

La grande illusion (1937, Jean Renoir): In the best of Renoir’s films, I find a type of harmony I find lacking in the rest of the world.

La règle du jeu (1939, Jean Renoir): In making this list, I never doubted either of these Renoir films having a place. Now, trying to write about my list, I find myself becoming frustrated at not finding the words to explain why I chose them. I’ve never been a great communicator, and I doubt that’s Renoir’s fault. I think it’s best for me to move on before I start misplacing my frustrations with my inability to write onto the film itself.

How Green Was My Valley? (1941, John Ford): Possibly the greatest movie ever made under Hollywood’s Studio System, and perhaps the closest we’ll ever get to seeing what Hedy Lamarr might have seen in John Loder. More than any other actor, Sara Allgood carries this film, in her role as the matriarch of the Morgan household. This is chock full of great character actors and moments as you’d expect from Ford. It’s the magic of childhood, the safety of the womb, the cyclical nature of a town where nothing ever seems to change, and the devastation of entropy. I lost track of how many times I cried.

To Be or Not to Be (1942, Ernst Lubitsch): This is my choice for a comedy from the 1940s, despite stiff competition from Hellzapoppin’, and the 11 movies Preston Sturges released over the decade. I had the privilege of seeing this at my local Cinemateque with an introduction by Kevin McDonald. I was late, and the audience had already begun to talk back. He rolled, and we were soon laughing before the “projectionist” could hit ‘play’ on the Blu-Ray. My friend came later. It was a packed house, so we weren’t able to sit together. I enjoyed hearing the variances in people’s response*, and the timing of their laughter. Trying to pinpoint my friend’s laughter from the crowd, I couldn’t help but hear our host’s generous laughter throughout the film. What a joy it was for all of us to experience this film together. I guess I haven’t had a chance to share those other movies the way that I was with this one. *A nice change of pace, as this usually makes me self-conscious

Shadow of a Doubt (1943, Alfred Hitchcock): I find Hitchcock’s women’s pictures to be some of his richest texts. Besides which, any film asking me to sympathize with Theresa Wright already has a lot going for it. Alongside The Wrong Man as Hitchcock’s most tragic film.

Brief Encounter (1945, David Lean): My favourite romance, whatever that says about me. A passionate extramarital affair between Laura Jesson (Celia Johnson) and Dr. Alec Harvey (Trevor Howard), told in flashback. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this placed among noirs, but I think this could be an example of a women’s film noir. There’s a thick sense of transgression and fatalistic mise-en-scene, along with an inability to escape, which ends the film on an unconvincing return to safety.     After the two lovers part for the final time, Johnson returns home. Her husband, Stanley Holloway, asks for nothing, and expresses gratitude for her return. However, for all of that loveliness, Johnson has learned that the world is far more fragile than she ever dreamt. The husband is portrayed as a bit childlike, and, coupled with the affably stiff upper-lipped nature of their marriage, Johnson is unable to confess what’s occurred, which only preserves her turmoil. Unable to consummate, sustain, or forsake her romance with Howard, she may find some refuge with her husband, but salvation eludes her.

Out of the Past (1947, Jacques Tourneur): RKO Pictures, film noir, Jacques Tourneur, and Robert Mitchum– These are a few of my favourite things. As a prude, I don’t care to admit that I love cigarette smoke in B&W pictures as much as I do, and it’s deployed here to its zenith, courtesy of Nicholas Musuraca’s cinematography. Daniel Mainwaring’s script, along with Tourneur and Mitchum, use underplay in order to create a heightened effect. Mitchum’s somnambulism grants his portrayal of Jeff Bailey an omniscient cool, which extends to his character’s bisexuality. There’s such delight in hearing Mitchum, one of the best voices in movies, deliver the film’s lyrical dialogue in his disaffected baritone.

The Big Heat (1953, Fritz Lang): Perhaps Lang’s most cynical film? The culmination of all his conspiracies. The law vs. criminals, no longer as separate from one another, but as sides of the same coin: the establishment. Sergeant Bannion (Glenn Ford) engages in total war against Lagana’s (Alexander Scourby) crime syndicate. Those caught in between end up as collateral damage, pawns in their game. Each dismantles the family unit, Lagana disposes of Bannion’s wife (Jocelyn Brando), and Bannion displaces his child, so that both sides can carry on unfettered. The happy ending finds Bannion happily back at work in the homicide department, where they’re informed of a grisly murder. Oh boy, here we go again! Gloria Grahame, a sister under the mink, reigns as my favourite actress in all of film noir.

The Sun Shines Bright (1953, John Ford): It’s not easy to film a miracle, a feat for which I’d pair this with Carl Th. Dreyer’s penultimate film, Ordet. Speaking of Dreyer, if you have 15 minutes to spare, here’s a great video of Jonathan Rosenbaum discussing this movie alongside Dreyer’s final film, Gertrud. The responsibilities and limitations of society. Communities are built through sacrifice, as we give of ourselves, which accounts for the film’s sometimes funereal tone. One’s resting spot as the place to make a stand, but what good is taking a stand if it doesn’t lead anywhere? Our redemption lies not in preserving ourselves, but in guiding the world to a place that no longer needs us. Thus, not a dying world to save, but an understanding that we must pass in order to bring about renewal. Funerals become parades, and parades become funerals, as we walk the strait and narrow path between tradition and progress. Don’t take a stand while the world marches on, but lead us into thy rest.

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953, Roy Rowland): This is a musical written and designed by Dr. Seuss, which is to say that I think you oughta see it. Still, it’s hard to justify why I chose this over The Band Wagon. I’d probably better enjoy watching The Band Wagon, which I’d wager is Hollywood’s greatest musical, but there’s something about The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T that gets under my skin. I saw it on television when I was very young. Old enough to remember seeing it, but too young to remember more than three details: twins joined at the beard, the nightmare-inducing elevator operator, and a large piano requiring an exponential amount of fingers. This forgotten foundation, along with its Seussian imagery, grants the film a dreamlike feeling. Just as every good boy deserves fudge, every Hans Conried deserves a role like the one he has here, playing the titular Dr. T.

The Night of the Hunter (1955, Charles Laughton): A kid’s film featuring the personification of evil, not in Mitchum’s portrayal of the preacher Harry Powell, but in Evelyn Varden’s Icey Spoon. This movie is so full of indelible images that I sometimes forget LOVE/HATE tattooed on Powell’s knuckles. There’s a dreadful unease from the inability to fully save or preserve Ben & Pearl within a society whose systems turn on them so easily. Their safety is drawn and quartered at every turn, and so Ben & Pearl flee society, finding a guardian out yonder. Still, there’s a limitation to their newfound guardian’s protection. Their angel and their demon sing in harmony; evil becomes instructive to the children’s growth. It’s a hard world for little things, but there is hope. Mrs. Cooper (Lillian Gish) manages to find her redemption in protecting these children while she can. Perhaps we need them as much as they need us. This was Charles Laughton’s only film as a director, as well as the final of James Agee’s two films as a screenwriter. It isn’t right.

Sweet Smell of Success (1957, Alexander Mackendrick): This is my favourite film noir, possibly the nastiest as well. Of course, I cackle throughout the entire picture. Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis at their bests; the tension between a malevolent god and his jester/would-be pretender played as flirtation, conducting assassinations as though they were composing poetry. Shot on location in New York by James Wong Howe, giving us a view of Babel from the gutters up. Also, I’m just a big ol’ softy for Emile Meyer, who plays Lt. Kello.

Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957, Frank Tashlin): As I see it, this is the best sex comedy of the ‘50s and ‘60s. Tashlin previously worked at Termite Terrace, making Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, and did a brief stop making Screen Gem cartoons over at Columbia in the middle. After having brought feature film techniques to his cartoons, he brought cartoon imagery into his live-action films. This is a vehicle for Jayne Mansfield, who may have been the most cartoonish of the era’s blonde bombshells, and so it is a happy marriage indeed.

Playtime (1967, Jacques Tati): This is cinema. Ah! Tati, Ah!     Modernity

Out 1: noli me tangere (1971, Jacques Rivette & Suzanne Schiffman): Rivette’s movies feel alive in a way that I haven’t found anywhere else. The films I’ve seen are about conspiracy, games, and the development of theatre troupes: things that exist only in our minds, and are dependant on our cooperation with others. Things get so twisted that you wonder how they’ll ever untie it all, only for the shared illusions to be revealed as a complex series of false knots. I broke my rule with this film, in choosing a film that I’ve only seen once. I didn’t make the time to revisit this or Céline et Julie vont en bateau, my other favourite Rivette film, so I went with the larger labyrinth to lose myself in.

F for Fake (1973, Orson Welles): This is Orson Welles’s most playful film. I love Welles, the personality, almost as much as I love Welles, the director, so I chose a movie that features both.

Mikey and Nicky (1976, Elaine May): Perhaps the most tense and dark comedy I’ve ever seen. May reaches her highest levels of drama here, and does so without any cost to her usual standards for humour.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946, Frank Capra): I wasn’t sure about including this, given that it’s not even my favourite James Stewart Christmas movie, but what can I do? It’s a Wonderful Life is an institution in my family, we’ve watched this every Christmas Eve since I was grade 6. There was a year or two in the early ‘10s where we might have missed it, but, otherwise, we’ve been devout. This is also one of four sources that laid the foundation for my love of movies, and, in particular, older movies. I hope to continue to watch this every year. It just wouldn’t be Christmas.     Growing up, my brothers and I used to be allowed to open one gift the night of Christmas Eve, which evolved into my brothers and I exchanging our gifts for each other. The first year my brother’s and I exchanged gifts, we happened upon CBC playing It’s a Wonderful Life in a 3-hour timeslot. Filling in the gaps of my memory with ego, I’d say that I instigated our watching it. I was always the biggest sucker for holiday specials, as well as being the most drawn to B&W. It was an instant hit with all of us, and so two traditions were born that night. For those curious as to what year this took place, I gave my oldest brother a 3 Doors Down CD. My older brother got me the Beast Wars transmetal Terrosaur figure. And. It. Freakin’. Ruled.     CBC continued to air It’s a Wonderful Life every Christmas Eve, and we continued to tune in. My brothers and I continued to exchange gifts on Christmas Eve for about another decade, but now my family has a better Christmas Eve tradition to pair with our holiday movie: Chinese food, and, less dogmatically, vegetable samosas. Leftovers become brunch. We’ve watched the movie, I think, twenty times now, which includes one viewing of the unfortunate colourized version, and once in theatres. It’s a great movie to come back to each year. There are lots of little moments, lines, and details to zero in on, and each year I get to internally test and brag to myself about naming and recognizing the various character actors and bit players that pop up.     Still, I sometimes find myself resisting its charms. A couple of years ago, my view of Frank Capra changed. I no longer saw him as the director I had previously thought him to be*. I wondered whether this movie stood on its own merits, or if I was holding onto it for sentimental reasons. I have since settled on this film being a genuine classic.      Another source of resistance is that I’ve never watched this on its own, there’s a lack of an individual foundation to my relationship with the film. I’m so accustomed to viewing films on my own, I think there’s a relief in a taking a private experience, and having it succeed in a public forum. The two support each other, which is part of why a couple of films ended up on this list. However, when it’s a film I’ve only seen in the company of others, I become suspicious of my experience. I believe in the power of cinema when it’s to my benefit, only to doubt it when I fear that it has the power betray me. I guess that I lack faith. *The director I once thought Frank Capra was, I now find Leo McCarey to be.

Doctor Who: The Lost in Time Collection (1963-69, various): This was a last minute decision that ended on a mistake. I ought to have chosen Daleks: The Early Years instead, which has the proper framing of a retrospective documentary. Daleks: The Early Years is a VHS release hosted by Peter Davison, featuring interviews with key people from ‘60s Dalek stories, cannibalizing clips from Dalekmania (another documentary on Daleks in the ‘60s), and orphan episodes and snippets from otherwise lost ‘60s Dalek serials. It’s also one of the VHS tapes that I grew up with, and my introduction to the fact that, at the time, over 100 episodes of ‘60s Doctor Who were missing and presumed lost. This was my introduction to the concept of lost media. Since then, a further 12 episodes have been found, and the number of missing episodes has dropped to 97.      Instead, I chose The Lost in Time Collection, which is a 3-disc collection of orphan episodes and surviving clips from otherwise missing ‘60s serials, not actually a feature in itself. It’s a really nice sampling of the Doctor Who’s best era, and the episodes and clips are sometimes more interesting without the rest of their serial for context. While I didn’t get this collection until I was an adult, I had managed to see most or all of its contents growing up, mostly on various VHS compilations, as well as some clips online. As the deadline for submissions approached, I chose the one I enjoy more, rather than the one that first changed me.     I suspect that Doctor Who was the first work of science-fiction that I got into, as it predates me in our household. My brothers and my getting into Transformers predates my memory, but it does not predate my being around. Doctor Who also served as my first exposure to B&W viewing. I was really into science-fiction growing up, and the genre was really my first interest in older films. The interest didn’t really bridge its way from my youth into my present. Heck, I wasn’t even particularly a movie person until into my twenties. In early adulthood, after fading for a bit, my fondness for science-fiction was more directed towards video games and books. So while it didn’t lead into my love of film and B&W, it laid a lot of the groundwork for what I’d eventually come to love.     My oldest brother remembers staying up late with our parents to watch Doctor Who, and my older brother has memories of trying to stay up with them, but it was no longer airing on any of the stations we had by the time I was kicking. Loved, but unseen, it developed a sort of mythic reputation in my young mind. Over the years, we managed to see a bunch of serials on VHS through our local library system, and we eventually got 5 VHS releases of our own before the decade ended. We got a book, The Doctor Who Yearbook, which had listings and synopsises of every serial ever made. The classic Doctor Who series lasted 26 seasons, consisting of 153 serials, and just shy of 700 episodes. No matter how many episodes of Doctor Who I managed to see when I was growing up, it was only ever the tip of the iceberg.     My younger self liked daydreaming about all of the adventures, planets, aliens, robots, and monsters, but that would begin to dissipate with age. While I loved Star Wars for the many of the same reasons as I did Doctor Who, the advent of more Star Wars wasn’t all that fulfilling, with Episode I: Racer for the N64 PC as a noted exception. More than the fact that I was caught up in the cultural backlash against George Lucas, the lack of a well defined characters and society in the original trilogy was a virtue. The toys and books really capitalized on this. I was the kid that wanted to know every weirdo and background character’s life story. I was such a mark.     The more movies they made that added to the lore, the smaller their galaxy seemed to be, in opposition to an expanded universe. Each piece promising to add to the larger picture only seemed to reveal a smaller whole. More movies telling the same stories with different versions of the same characters. A galaxy that once seemed so vast now revealed to be comprised of maybe two dozen people, many of which are related or connected to each other in some tired and unnecessary way.     Eventually, I got really into Jonathan Rosenbaum, and began to project my ego all over his preferences, to which Star Wars became a victim. I gave up on the series after sitting through a showing of Episode VII. Fires subside, and, these days, I’m mostly indifferent towards the series. Undergraduates can be a bit much, y’know?     While the new Doctor Who series also fell out of favour with me, it was easier for me to divorce it from the original series. Having seen the series only in disparate pieces, rather than a linear narrative may have helped. I have no illusions that the original series is anything more than a silly kid’s show that mostly takes place in corridors, which is a fine thing to be. It’s enough to be a delight. The deceit of nostalgia is that I can return to these works I once loved with the same feelings and wonder that I had as a child.     While I remain fond of Doctor Who, the whole of a serial is often less than the sum of its parts. After all, being a serial, half of the adventure is meant to take place in your head during the week between episodes. It’s the opposite of binge-watch material. It’s hard to commit to working your way through such a bulky series at a deliberately slow pace. Besides, even spacing the episodes out some, it’s still not going to capture my mind the way it would when I was a child. The virtue of the Lost in Time Collection is that you’re never seeing a serial as a whole, only as individual pieces.     The collection consists of 18 complete episodes from 12 serials, with clips and bits from an additional 10 serials. Only one serial has more than two episodes featured, The Daleks’ Master Plan, a 12-part epic, which has its 3 known surviving episodes on the set. Freed from the responsibilities of being part of a larger story, you get to enjoy the pleasures of each episode as its own entity. Charm exists outside of context, and what may have been stretched and strained over half a dozen episodes can easily be sustained in the single episode or two that remains. A piece of Starburst may not keep its flavour any longer than a piece of Hubba Bubba, but at least it has the decency not to overstay its welcome.     The less that remains of a serial, the more interesting it becomes. For some serials, the only surviving clips are the scenes that were cut by censors, and so you’re only seeing the juiciest bits. Protected by obscurity, just as recording in B&W protected this era of the series against its lack of budget, the childlike sense of wonder remains. Any missing serial could have been great. We lack evidence to prove otherwise. What little remains from these serials is enough to imagine what may have been, and it’s easy to give the benefit of the doubt to an old friend.      No longer just a science-fiction adventure, the series has grown into a larger and more engaging adventure in film & television preservation. Thanks to its cultural status and following, questions as to how these stories were lost, why years of episodes were junked, how they were returned, in which disparate places were episodes found, who has been hunting for them, what were their methods, to what lengths did they go, what places remain to be searched, what remains to be found, what’s trapped in the hands of private collectors, and what has been lost forever have all been thoroughly explored, though some answers continue to elude us. For those interested, Youtuber Josh Snares has an extensive series of videos that breaks down many of these questions as best as one can with what’s publicly known, and, despite being on yotube, I don’t think he’s annoying.     Doctor Who best represents my film lover’s sense of discovery, combining the joys of hearing about a film that piques my interest, trying to track a film down, discovering or rediscovering a new favourite, learning about film history, and the efforts of film preservation. Hearing about films I’d like to see can be nearly as rewarding as actually watching the films themselves. The more that I see, the more there is that I’d like to see. The harder something is to find, the more interesting it can become. Film is a physical object, so there is a battle against time for us to discover, recover, restore, and preserve works before they’re lost to time. The good news is that many efforts are being undertaken, both by professionals and by amateurs. The advent of crowdfunding has really helped to create more opportunities for completing these endeavours.     Following an Indiegogo campaign, Netflix stepped in and completed Orson Welles’s The Other Side of the Wind. Many of Marion Davies’s silent films have been restored in recent years. Thanks to the efforts of Ben Model and his team, I will soon have the pleasure of seeing eight Edward Everett Horton shorts that haven’t been in circulation since the silent era. Steve Stanchfield (Thunderbean), Jerry Beck (Cartoon Research), Tommy Stathes (Cartoons On Film), and their cohorts are doing God’s work in finding and restoring old cartoons, and giving them an audience once more. I don’t think there’s ever been a more exciting time to be so out of touch.

The Muppet Movie (1979, James Frawley): The Muppets’ movies were a staple of our household growing up, and this ranks alongside The Great Muppet Caper as the best of them. This movie has a very self-aware humour to it, exemplified by the introduction. The camera wanders through a studio backlot, following a car carrying Statler & Waldorf, who provide us with the first dialogue of the film, announcing their intent to heckle the film. Inside, the Muppets are waiting for a private screening of The Muppet Movie to begin.     It’s a disaster. A monster tears out one of the seats, the visibly deranged Crazy Harry blows up another, people are dancing in the aisles, and chickens are flying about. Objects being thrown include, but are not limited to, popcorn, Lew Zealand’s boomerang fish, and paper airplanes. A full-sized Muppet looms in the background, a giant colourful bird with enormous unblinking eyes, leaning a bit from side to side. An acknowledgement that somebody has let the animals in charge of the zoo. Still, a coziness remains amidst all of the chaos.     Kermit attempts to introduce the movie to his peers, the lights go down, and he takes his seat. The movie opens in the heavens, where the credits and a rainbow appear. It clears onto a long, long shot of a swamp, slowly zooming in to reveal a frog on a log, playing a banjo, singing Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher’s The Rainbow Connection. We’re taken away.     One of the most vital aspects of the Muppets is that they exist in our world, something that gets lost in their 90’s trend of literary adaptations. An entire world of Muppets isn’t much of a utopian vision, but the idea that these animals, monsters, and whatevers belong in society alongside ‘real’ people is. This trend was part of a larger regression throughout the years with the Muppets. What began as a self-aware humour turned into a self-depreciating humour, and, eventually, a self-loathing humour. The Muppets used to take on the world, but, in later years, they seemed unable to dream of anything more than getting back together once more, so that they could reaffirm their lack of success. Bring them back to life so they can take one more dying breath.     This Muppet movie is filled with celebrity cameos, in part a tribute to their variety show, as well as to the vaudevillian origins of most of their shtick. Here, the cameos serve the Muppets. Later, the Muppets would take a backseat, and become vehicles for others, not even allowed to star in their own movies. I wish they were given better opportunities to shine. As good as this film is, I have to admit that this film’s treatment of Miss Piggy is embarrassingly sexist. While they don’t look like Presbyterians to me, at their best, I think the Muppets have almost as much hope to offer as any religion.

Transformers: The Movie (1986, Nelson Shin): Watching this movie gives me the feeling I always hope that I’ll feel whenever I’ve bought concert tickets. I don’t watch this so much as I sing along to it. I even knew Vince DiCola’s score down to a ‘T’. With all due respect to Storefront Hitchcock, this is my personal Stop Making Sense.

Air Alert V. 4 (late 2000’s, TMT Sports): First, and most importantly, I do not recommend Air Alert nor any other paid for vertical jump program. I cannot stress that enough. They’re not designed by people who really know what they’re doing, the marketing is predatory, they’re unjustly hard on your joints, and they’re methods are not in conjunction with their promises of wild vertical gains. While I hope to stop finding that people have also done Air Alert, I immediately feel a strong kinship with those I learn have also been misled.     Air Alert is a 15-week vertical jump program that makes the dubious promises of adding 8-14 inches to yer vertical leap to everyone, regardless of their current physical condition. It promises to add explosiveness to yer hops, but its means are an exponentially increasing amount of jump exercise repetitions. This is to say that, in practice, Air Alert actually builds jumping endurance, which teaches yer muscles to conserve energy, rather than to expend it in an explosive manner. Like all jump programs, it also fails to address that much of your jumping’s height comes from a combination of your core and upper body strength, as well as technique. The version I got also came with an advertised-as-new Air Alert Advanced, a further 6 weeks of yet more intensive exercise routine to add another 3-6 inches to yer leap.     I did the 15 weeks of Air Alert, and, like everybody else I’ve known, I got 2-3 inches added to my vertical. After the recovery week suggested following completion of the program, I tried dunking at the church. You had better believe that I told my dad to bring his digital camera, ’cause this was gonna be a big deal. Being able to dunk was surely going to usher in a whole new era in my life.     Now, I had been wrong about these sorts of things before. I had become skinny, I got a couple of nice shirts, I listened to what I though was the right unpopular music, and I had stolen some jokes, but my life largely remained the same. It seemed as though my life couldn’t be redeemed by vanity and trivialities, J still wasn’t dating me, but this would be so much more. This was dunking. This was going to be different.     We went to the church, and I had the same problems as before. I could get high enough, but I couldn’t throw down. The further you extend a limb from your core, the less strength it has at its disposal. I had little upper-body strength to begin with, and, fully extended, my hand is pretty far from my body. I’d always lose the ball on the way up, or lose height putting more of my strength onto the ball. Legs can only take you so far. At my best, I’ve brought the ball to the rim, lost it, and, thanks to momentum, had the ball go off of the backboard and in. A lay-up isn’t a dunk. My knees have been crunchy ever since.     After a further month of letting my joints recover, I tried my hand at Air Alert Advanced. After the first week, which consisted of 3 days of 2000 individual jumps, some of my friends reunited to play soccer at our old high school. I was proud to see that the goals we had rescued were still on the field. However, I found that my joints were so worn down that I could only run at a steady pace in a straight line. Turning, accelerating, and decelerating were all, sadly, out of the picture. I decided not to continue onto the subsequent weeks.     I was still a fatuous pauper, single, and working at a shoe store while friends had gone on to do other things, so what did I manage to accomplish? Well, for starters, I gained some athletic ability for the first time in my life, which was neat. I gained a lot of leg strength, endurance, and quickness, as well as the previously mentioned 2-3 inches to my vert, all of which I treasured. Despite being the skinniest guy on the court, my legs were strong enough to anchor me in the key, and contend with guys up to double my weight. I went from being a guy who showed up to Dunkball, to becoming a guy that people wanted on their team.     While others got tired throughout the night, slowly losing their vertical, I managed to jump just as frequently and just as high in my last game of the night as I could during my first. As both the tallest and the lankiest guy at Dunkball, my height advantage now increased in the air. I’d let people box me out, only to jump and reach over them. I felt so free. I was, and remain, Dunkball’s most improved player. Of course, it helps to have the advantage of having started out lower than everybody else. Once, somebody brought a friend who was taller than me. It was awful.     As for dunking? Well, I could dunk small balls at the church, if I could close my hand on them. I managed to dunk a flat soccer ball on an outdoor net at a school yard once, but I never verified its height. I could dunk at the Academy chapel with the rim fully raised, though that rim sags in the front, so I’m guessing that rim was about 9’10”. Still, that won me a game of H-O-R-S-E or two. Sometimes, when warming up for Dunkball, someone would instigate a dunk competition, and I managed to develop a trademark dunk which nobody could replicate or stomach: the underhanded dunk. Norm was the only person not to loathe it, bless his heart. While I never managed to dunk on a proper 10’ net, I was able to goaltend, which has no use outside of being a dick to a friend. I was smarmy enough to do it once.     Even at Dunkball, I never became much of a dunker, except on turnovers or tip-ins, or unless I had a guard who could do the work of setting me up. I’m more opportunistic than aggressive, besides, who am I going to beat off of the dribble? On my worst nights, I was still a tall guy who could jump, so I always drew the interest of a defender. I’ve always preferred defence to offence, and my favourite offensive play is to box out their post-player, either to be in a better position to rebound, or in order to prevent them from goaltending.     Defence is where Air Alert made the most difference for me. They either had to box me out in order to stop me from goaltending, or try banking it in. I could sit low enough to the ground to defend outside players without losing speed. With a lower net, some players didn’t arc their shots as much, allowing me to swat them away with ease.     There was nothing better than blocking a dunk. Some people took it personally, and would try coming at you on the next play; we all loved blocking Joseph. Still, the best was blocking Norm’s dunks, even if it meant landing on my back.     It was summertime, the final game of the night, with uneven teams and lopsided match-ups, but, somehow, it’s neck and neck. Not only are we still in it, we’ve had the lead. Will is shooting, Nathan is hustling, and I’m blocking everything. My greatest defensive game ends prematurely after I block one of Norm’s dunks, landing horizontally, with all of my weight squarely on my tailbone and elbows. I call it a night, and, in the morning, learned that we had lost immediately after I left.     At this point, I had memorized Air Alert’s number of sets and routines, and so I lent the DVD to Graham. He promised to return it soon. This was in 2010. I learned how to juggle that August, but that didn’t save me either. I kept up my jumping exercises, doing week 4 as maintenance, losing consistency once I started university that fall. Dunkball slowly lost consistency, too, and so I eventually took up the reigns of organizing it. People changed wards, got married, moved, and started families. It was hard to motivate people to come out without a guarantee.     At some point, I became one of the veterans. As Dunkball continued to lose consistency, and as I went through occasional bouts of burn-out withorganizing things, Dunkball changed from being year-round into seasons, and, later, patches, of activity. The benefit of being the one to organize Dunkball is that it allowed me to filter out the jerks between patches of activity. There aren’t a ton of rules, you can make a pass off the wall, you can charge, you can play it in the hall, and goaltending is a way of life, but life is too long to spend it with people who can’t play sports without yelling.     We weren’t as athletic as we once were, but the new players were generally pretty skinny, so we were still able to push them around. I stopped buying bus passes after my first year of university, which helped me to maintain most of my leg strength. While I was in university, I managed to keep most of my vertical, but my confidence became precarious, which affected my intensity. I wasn’t soaking through my shirts anymore, I started to let people push me around.     After I dropped out of university, I grew into a much more sedentary lifestyle. The leg strength I had used to define myself diminished. I’ve had a really hard coping with that. At times, the prospect of playing Dunkball felt more embarrassing than motivating. I felt lost out on the court. I didn’t feel strong enough to bump around in the key, and I felt sluggish trying to play on the outside. Still, I had now been around long enough that I was able to lead a team, if necessary.     I’d hide from my refuge until I felt strong enough to return. Volunteering and winter each got me walking again. Collin organized a soccer team the summer before the pandemic, which got me running and jumping again. I felt more determined, and began to feel better. No longer trapped by where I was, or where I felt I should have been, I was content with making progress.     I think that I handled the early months of the pandemic better than most people. With our usual routines in disarray, I stumbled out of the feedback loop I was caught in. Finding some self-compassion and focus, I created structure to my quarantine in order to work on some goals. I was going to come out of the quarantine dunking. I was joking this time, but I need to dream about something while exercising. Otherwise, I’m just jumping in place, staring at the door. I went through weeks 1-7 of Air Alert, ending with the rest week that marks the halfway point. After which, I returned to doing week 4 to maintain strength.    With churches closed, activities cancelled, and others on lockdown, I started secretly meeting Nik on Saturdays to shoot the ball around. This was back when we were allowed to keep small circles of contacts. The benefit of having keys. The only downside was that the building didn’t have any air circulation outside of facilities management’s offices.     Regarding the pandemic, our city still didn’t have any cases of community transmission. Two of us shooting the ball around became three, and soon we were playing 2-on-2. Dunkball was back, baby! Sans the titular Dunkball, which had gone missing, stolen by missionaries.    I knew that it was only a matter of time before they got rid of the Academy chapel, so I was really motivated to play as much as we could while it was still safe. It took us a little bit before we managed to get six players out on the same day, and we still ended up playing 2’s some nights. We weren’t getting many guys out, but we always had good games. Everyone who came out hustled and was a solid atmosphere guy. We’d mostly play best-of-5 or 7 game series, maybe switching teams up for a final game or two. The series managed to stay pretty tight, with nobody ever reaching a dynasty.     Facilities management leaves the building at 5:30, and, with nobody else around, our secret combination was free to schedule Dunkball whenever we pleased. We were playing twice some weeks. We were able to accommodate people’s schedule. Marvin, my favourite teammate, was able to come out. I hadn’t been able to play with him in years. A high percentage of our small group of players were relatively new to the game. It was really exciting to see them develop, even if Jason blocked me that one time.     I had found my place again, having regained some of my leg strength and quickness. My core and upper-body strength, elusive at the best of times, had become memories, but I worked around that. My game is mostly designed with those absences in mind anyways. Consequently, my play became much more lateral, rather than vertical, after the 4th and, later, 5th game, as Collin noted. I also managed a new trick or two, like learning to bait people into banking their shot, and then blocking it off of the backboard for a quick turnover. My intensity was up, or at least the A/C was down. I was soaking through my shirts again, and I was happy.     It was a hot and humid summer. I missed Jason’s birthday, so I brought some blackout chocolate banana bread to celebrate. As it turns out, a thick moist cake is not refreshing when you’re exhausted and sitting around in a hot and stuffy room you’ve spent the past 2-3 hours further heating up with yer friends. Collin became the MVP the following week when he brought a box of freezies with him. All my life, I had never seen their true worth or potential. I took them for granted in my youth, and turned my nose up at them as I grew older. Now I understood.     I had Dunkball, I had friendly players who responded when I tried organizing things, we had freezies, and, as the Ward Clerk, I had convinced my Bishop that we should buy a new ball (despite the fact that playing at the Church was still verboten.) I was grateful, but I still longed for a day where we had more than 4-6 players, so that we could have subs between games. It’s nice to be able to switch up teams between games, rather than trying to push Arles all night. It’s even nicer to sit down every once in a while, especially after failing to push Arles around.     Our province was still fairly safe, but that was beginning to change. Two regulars had at risk family members, and we began seeing community transmission. I planned to end what was to be the penultimate season of Dunkball after Labour Day. I was concerned what would happen once the school year started.     Before then, we had eight* people come out to Dunkball one morning. Four pairs of family members, in fact. This gave us rotations between games, and a variety of playing styles, leading to more interesting match-ups and dynamics. Whoever loses would get to take a break; excitement was in the air! I questioned Collin’s choice of shoes. He reminded me that I’m solely responsible for their condition. I lend Collin my shoes. He likes the shoes, and I like his freezies. *the ideal amount is 8-9 people     Shoot for teams: Graham, Collin, and I hit our shots. Collin has speed, Graham has range and strength, I have the height, and we all rebound. We win the first game easily, manage to survive the second, and win our third. Dynasty! Shoot for teams again, and I’m back on the floor with David and Marvin. David anchors the key, allowing me to cheat on defence, while Marvin generates offence and creates mismatches. We all defend. Three more wins, and it’s another dynasty! Marvin and I sit this time, and watch as Jacob (handles), Graham, and Jason (positioning) steal the game.     Marvin and I go back on with Limhi, a guard heavy team playing an post-player’s game. They shoot and pass, drawing out the defence, while I set picks, prevent goaltending, and try to clean up on the boards. They cover the outside, while I guard the inside. When the other team goes to the inside, I make their post-player turn away from the net, where either Marvin or Limhi, cheating off of their man, are waiting to strip them of the ball. We win the first game, taking back the floor. They carry me through the second. Last game of the day, and the other team starts to fall apart. As per tradition, we extend the game, but only to to 15, because only Graham and I want to play to 21.     We stumble as they regroup, but Jacob gets frustrated, and their chemistry falters. I assume that I’m to blame, become self-conscious, and begin calling fouls on myself whenever I make any contact with the other team. Of course, this happens on every play, because I’m trying to box out my brother. I get some weird looks as David sighs, he just wants it to be over. I get a clean stop, Limhi scores, and the day ends on a third dynasty. I remain undefeated. Freezies for everyone!     That was the third to last time we played Dunkball. We had another night with six players, and ended the season with a morning of playing 2-on-2, after which we ran out of freezies. I was optimistic that we’d be back playing sometime in the New Year. We barely registered a first wave of the pandemic, but restrictions ended prematurely, and school started back up. Cases kept climbing.     I was scared in October, but that was only the beginning. When we first started playing Dunkball that summer, our province was first in the country. By Christmas, we had become the worst. We began to curb the number of new cases, but restrictions were eased before hospitals finished dealing with the second wave. In May, we began transferring patients to other provinces. For some reason, the plan is to reopen in July.     For some reason, a duo tried organizing ball in March. I declined. Our congregation was changing buildings, so Nik and I went over to grab some stuff. I found that our Dunkball had gone missing again, but I found the original Dunkball, which hasn’t held air since 2015, and brought it home. In April, facilities management began clearing out the Academy chapel, in anticipation of listing the building for sale. They didn’t inform our Bishop until later that week. He went over to pack anything worth keeping, only to have found that they had already junked everything belonging to our congregation, as well everything belonging to the Yazidi community group that had been meeting there prior to the pandemic.     I don’t know the building’s current status. Nik and I kept our keys in the hopes of playing again, but it’s unlikely that things will be safe to go back to normal in time. Dunkball exists as a time and a place: Thursday nights after Institute class at Academy. Last fall, they moved institute classes over to the stake centre. The Academy building is being sold now, and Dunkball is over as we know it.     As I previously mentioned, I lent Graham, the Gordie Howe of Dunkball, my Air Alert DVD and booklet back in 2010. For the past ten years now, he has meant to return it, only for it to slip his mind. I usually forget about it, myself, only for him to remind me when he apologizes. In the moment, I sorta feel guilty that he worries about it. I mean, it’s fine, I don’t need it. He’s put it on his desk, he’s placed it by the door, and though he’s either seen me or a member of my family at least once a week for the past decade, my copy of Air Alert still hasn’t made its way back to me. I’m not even sure that I want it back, but I appreciate his sincerity.     It’s become tradition for him to maintain this false tension between us. At this point, I’d hate to see it go. What if this tension is what’s sustained our friendship throughout all these years? What if Graham’s only been coming out to Dunkball because he feels guilty? I won’t see him at Dunkball anymore, and, as of this week, he won’t be seeing me at church anymore. It’s things like this that keep us alive. I hope that Graham never returns my copy of Air Alert, but I hope that he always tries. ”There is no end to matter, There is no end to space, There is no end to Dunkball, There is no end to race.” - If You Could Hie to Kolob Dunkball, by W.W. Phelps.

I could have gone on about my legs, honestly. Now, I only included those formative texts that I’m willing to admit are still a part of me. I did not include those works whose influences I feel that I have repented of, which is why the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin footage of Bigfoot from Bluff Creek, California, The Weezer Video Capture Device, Newsies, The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny, nor anything related to Dorm Life or MST3K are not included on my ballot. In any case, I’m sorry not to have found room for Johnny Guitar.

[wikitopx]

Here are the top 500 German Names!

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1. Top 500 German Names

Girls Boys

Emma

Emilia

Hannah / Hanna

Mia

Sofia / Sophia

Lina

Mila

Marie

Ella

Lea

Anna

Clara / Klara

Leni

Lena

Frieda / Frida

Luisa / Louisa

Leonie

Emily / Emilie

Mathilda / Matilda

Charlotte

Ida

Johanna

Amelie

Lia / Liah / Lya

Sophie / Sofie

Lilly / Lilli

Lara

Maja / Maya

Nele / Neele

Greta

Laura

Lotta

Sarah / Sara

Juna / Yuna

Nora

Melina

Paula

Elisa

Pia

Marlene

Victoria / Viktoria

Alina

Julia

Elena

Lisa

Mara / Marah

Mira

Helena

Pauline

Tilda

Luna

Isabella

Maria

Antonia

Finja / Finnja

Anni

Eva

Thea

Elina

Romy

Luise / Louise

Isabell / Isabel / Isabelle

Zoe / Zoé

Fiona

Merle

Josephine / Josefine

Hailey

Elli / Elly

Carla / Karla

Paulina

Martha / Marta

Malia

Lucy / Lucie

Mina

Rosalie

Jana

Emely / Emelie

Milena

Valentina

Carlotta / Karlotta

Maila / Mayla

Theresa / Teresa

Katharina

Magdalena

Annika

Nina

Amalia

Elisabeth

Olivia

Jule

Luana

Liya

Lotte

Emmi / Emmy

Amy

Linda

Ronja

Amelia

Melissa

Leila / Leyla

Stella

Jasmin / Yasmin

Annabell / Annabelle

Alma

Miriam

Chiara / Kiara

Aaliyah / Aliya

Freya

Malina

Liana

Anastasia

Lene

Franziska

Liv

Milla

Ylvi / Ylvie

Alicia

Ava

Rosa

Zoey

Marleen / Marlen

Alessia

Elif

Amira

Aurelia

Lucia

Ela

Kira / Kyra

Aria / Arya

Diana

Selina

Elise

Evelyn / Evelin / Eveline

Ariana

Jette

Marla

Alea

Enna

Lynn / Linn

Helene

Livia

Mariella

Alexandra

Carolina / Karolina

Edda

Tessa

Linnea

Sina / Sinah

Vanessa

Aurora

Vivien / Vivienne

Milana

Cataleya

Talia / Thalia

Eliana

Leana

Malea

Mona

Aylin / Eileen / Aileen / Ayleen

Laila / Layla

Liliana

Alice

Jara / Yara

Jonna

Mathea / Matea

Lorena

Alisa

Carolin / Caroline / Karoline

Nela

Kaja / Kaya / Caja

Julie

Melia

Samira

Alissa / Alyssa

Daria

Giulia

Smilla

Amina

Elsa

Heidi

Lana

Valerie

Ayla

Medina

Zeynep

Henriette

Amilia

Leticia / Letizia

Malou

Annelie

Hilda

Noemi

Selma

Aleyna

Elin

Liara

Lenja / Lenya

Bella

Hedi / Hedy

Levke

Nika

Celine

Svea

Veronika

Celina

Ruby

Fenja

Hermine

Ina

Larissa

Tabea

Felicitas

Jolina / Joelina

Marina

Valeria

Azra

Michelle

Rebecca

Nisa

Annalena

Alva

Elea

Melody

Palina

Flora

Maira / Meyra

Mariam / Maryam

Natalie / Nathalie

Nala / Nahla

Alena

Cleo

Eleni

Malin

Alya

Felina

Florentine

Helen

Lou

Naila / Nayla

Nelly / Nelli

Christina

Käthe

Leona

Alia

Marlena

Tamara

Tara

Angelina

Carina / Karina

Dalia

Hedda

Leia / Leya

Meryem

Anne

Holly

Madita

Fabienne

Jella

Mailin / Maylin

Mathilde

Enya

Kate

Lilia

Sena

Joleen

Clea

Liesbeth / Lisbeth

Fine / Fiene

Lenia

Sonja

Xenia

Eleonora

Melisa

Enni / Enny

Hira

Adriana

Dana

Defne

Lola

Miray

Tamina

Nicole

Asya

Esther

Josie / Josy

Naomi

Cecilia

Claire

Dilara

Selin

Enie

Fritzi

Leonora

Melek

Miley

Wilma

Esila

Esma

Feline

Rieke

Ada

Amara

Cara

Estelle

Gerda

Lilian / Lillian

Viola

Adelina

Janne

Philine

Tiana

Ivy

Juliana

Kimberly / Kimberley

Lieselotte

Malena

Delia

Enisa

Joana / Joanna

Kim

Ellen

Evelina

Felicia

Liyana

Lilith

Liz

Amanda

Anouk

Eleanor

Samantha

Talea

Arina

Dua

Emilija

Eslem

Irma

Maike / Meike

Nike

Rita

Adele

Alisha

Iva

Josefin / Josephin

Margarete

Romina

Ylva

Elaine

Helin

Joline / Joeline

Josephina / Josefina

Madeleine

Nila

Ophelia

Philippa

Abigail

Anja

Melinda

Scarlett

Toni / Tony

Erna

Gloria

Grace

Jade

Jolie

Madlen / Madleen

Marit

Melanie

Tuana

Annemarie

Debora / Deborah

Jenna

Kiana

Liva

Minna

Shirin

Zofia

Chloe

Fatima

Felia

Friederike

Isa

Jasmina

Jolien

Leandra

Nia

Salome

Giuliana

Inga

Josefa / Josepha

Judith

Megan

Mika

Nea

Neyla

Runa

Ruth

Sunny

Tala

Abby

Alba

Amaya

Anisa

Bianca / Bianka

Eliza

Gabriela

Janna

Jessika / Jessica

Maileen / Mayleen

Natalia

Soraya

Verena

Asel

Cassandra / Kassandra

Eda

Elenor

Julina

Kayla

Lilou

Lydia

Maggy

Meva

Naemi

Penelope

Rahel

Violetta

Alara

Caitlin / Caitlyn

Elis

Ilayda

Judy

Juliane

Sila

Vera

Anita

Charlotta

Evi

Henrieke / Henrike

Jamila

Janina

Ria

Sarina

Stina

Zara

Zuzanna

Zümra

Beyza

Cosima

Ema

Florentina

Ines

Jona / Jonah

Kalea

Katerina

Klea

Masal

Milina

Nilay

Skadi

Tarja

Tina

Charlie / Charly

Franka

Hanne

Hilde

Joy

Joyce

Luzi / Luzie

Marisa

Mary

Meta

Minel

Sandra

Sienna

Vaiana

Adea

Cora

Davina

Dorothea

Erika

Femke

Freda

Hafsa

Jamie

Katja

Nova

Patricia

Philomena

Saphira

Saskia

Tiara

Yaren

Alica

Ashley

Betty

Celia

Clarissa

Dina

Elara

Elodie

Emina

Ben

Paul

Finn / Fynn

Leon

Jonas

Noah

Elias

Felix

Luis / Louis

Henry / Henri

Lukas / Lucas

Luca / Luka

Matteo

Emil

Maximilian

Theo

Oskar / Oscar

Liam

Anton

Jakob / Jacob

Max

Leo

Milan

Moritz

Julian

Alexander

David

Carl / Karl

Jona / Jonah

Samuel

Philipp

Niklas / Niclas

Tom

Mats / Mads

Erik / Eric

Linus

Jonathan

Tim

Rafael / Raphael

Leonard

Mika

Aaron

Vincent

Hannes

Levi

Johann

Lio

Jannis / Janis / Yannis

Fabian

Jan

Lennard / Lennart

Till

Benjamin

Valentin

Artur / Arthur

Simon

Johannes

Maxim / Maksim

Constantin / Konstantin

Marlon

Jannik / Yannik / Yannick / Yannic

Adrian

Joshua

Kilian

Nico / Niko

Mattis / Mathis / Matthis

Theodor

Julius

Toni / Tony

Lian

Luke / Luc

Milo / Milow

Mohammed / Muhammad

Fiete

Fritz

Nick

Bruno

Ole

Lenny

Adam

Gabriel

Matti

Phil

Daniel

Pepe

Malte

Florian

Benedikt

Lias

Nils / Niels

Dominic / Dominik

Michael

Ludwig

Lasse

Damian

Sebastian

Levin

Emilio

Carlo

Timo

Franz

Leopold

Jannes

John

Justus

Thilo / Tilo

Luan

Noel

Tobias

Joris

Oliver

Sam

Emilian

Malik

Lennox

Robin

Bennet

Frederik / Frederic

Piet

Elia / Eliah

Jayden / Jaden

Arian

Nicolas / Nikolas

Jonte

Alessio

Eddie / Eddy

Lion

Bela

Richard

Matthias

Miran

Emir

Lars

Friedrich

Enno

Ilias / Ilyas

Joel

Ferdinand

Marc / Mark

Henrik

Silas

Willi / Willy

Ali

Charlie / Charly

Christian

Bastian

Colin / Collin

Kian

Thore

Mailo

Benno

Jaron / Yaron

Jason

Hugo

Lenn

Neo

Tyler / Tayler

Jamie

Leonardo

Josef / Joseph

Michel

Gustav

Lorenz

Yasin

Jasper

Konrad

Elian

Dean

Lionell

Arne

Finnley / Finley / Finlay

Amir

Manuel

Thomas

Leano

Nikita

Nathan

Alex

Tristan

Aiden / Ayden

Marvin / Marwin

Hendrik

Maik / Meik / Mike

Aras

Curt / Kurt

Martin

Yusuf

Andreas

Hamza

Janosch

Xaver

Elija / Elijah

Lino

Connor / Conner

Leonhard

Eymen

Georg

Leandro

Victor / Viktor

Bjarne

Hanno

Marco / Marko

Marlo

Fabio

Jack

Clemens / Klemens

Diego

Magnus

Mick

Korbinian

Can

Ian

Leander

Antonio

Ömer

Titus

Roman

William

Jano

Mert

Tiago / Thiago

Claas / Klaas

Samu

Marius

Nino

Laurens / Laurenz

Sami

Wilhelm

Darian

Henning

Kalle

Keno

Edgar

Deniz

Erwin

Janne

Marten

Omar

Stefan / Stephan

Timur

Ibrahim

Patrick

Caspar

Otto

Ahmet

Albert

Ayaz

Lean

Christopher

James

Rayan

Alessandro

Dennis

Ilay

Kai / Kay

Peter

Alwin

Carlos

Marcel

Brian / Bryan

Dario

Kaan

Nevio

Robert

Ryan

Yunus

Jakub

Logan

Markus / Marcus

Bilal

Gregor

Darius

Hassan / Hasan

Leonas

Mattes

Mirac

Yigit

Danny / Denny

Eduard

Hans

Julien

Nelio

Kerem

Maurice

Rudi

Tammo

Timon

Ilja

Joscha

Junis

Laurin

Nael

Lutz

Mio

Taylor

Armin

Enes

Karim

Mustafa

Alfred

Christoph

Kevin

Mario

Tino

Valentino

Lijan

Romeo

Umut

Amin

Flynn

Ivan

Jonne

Leonidas

Louie

Mikail

Younes

Björn

Danilo

Emanuel

Giuliano

Jarno

Kjell

Mehmet

Milian

Veit

Youssef

Chris

Egon

Nikolai

Dylan

Ensar

Fred

Jon

Musa

Quentin

Ruben

Thies

Thorin

Tommi

Andre

Emin

Josua

Leif

Loris

Lucien

Miguel

Nathanael

Adriano

Alan

Berat

Devin

Jaro

Juri

Adem

Ahmad

Eren

Kiyan

Mahir

Pius

Anthony

August

Davin

Jesse

Miko

Raik

Rune

Semih

Torben / Thorben

Amar

Angelo

Antoni / Antony

Emre

Matei

Quirin

Ricardo / Riccardo

Tjark

Arvid

Aurelio

Bosse

Efe

Francesco

Hector / Hektor

Jeremy

Jesper

Kirill

Ragnar

Tamme

Vito

Damon

Heinrich

Kuzey

Mattia

Miro

Sandro

Edwin

Elio

Etienne

Jari

Jerome

Levian

Lorenzo

Pablo

Selim

Tamino

Ares

Joost / Jost

Kenan

Levent

Santiago

Tian

Tillmann

Abdullah

Andrej

Arik

Azad

Jamal

Kuno

Leno

Merlin

Alexandros

Amon

Ansgar

Arno

Benny

Berkay

Emmanuel

Isa

Iven / Yven

Junes

Mason

Taavi

Taha

Thees

Alparslan

Andrei

Aris

Casper / Kasper

Cedric / Cedrik

Dion

Elijas / Eliyas

Ilian

Issa

Jordan

Lorik

Luciano

Melvin

Pascal

Rocco

Vitus

Atilla / Attila

Dorian

Enrico

Harun

Johnny

Karam

Kasimir

Koray

Marek

Mikael

Miron

Nero

Nilas

Noar

Sascha

Vinzenz

Zayn

Dejan

Eliano

Fridolin

Jake

Lewis

Abel

Arda

Bent

Burak

Dante

Ethan

Georgios

Halil

Igor

Ioannis

Joey

Justin

Kimi

Lazar

Maddox

Marian

Milas

Paco

Angelos

Ari

Damien

Evan

Finjas

Hardy

Hussein

Jarik

Jascha

Kadir

Khaled

2. Top 10 Middle Names for girls

Phoenix

Lane

Alea

Ivory

Ceci

Joy

Doe

Ruby

Briar

June

More ideals for you: Top 500 Arabic Names

From : https://wikitopx.com/name-meanings/top-500-german-names-711969.html